Winter warblers are part of my garden’s life. Several come each day, sometimes for water, mostly for food. On our snowy day, two weeks in the past, the two most loyal of the seasonal visitors braved the snowflakes and ate their fill.
This female Yellow-rumped Warbler, Setophaga coronata, typically gleans from the ground or forages through the gardens, scouring flagstone pathways for seed and such. On that snowy day, I caught her at the black-oiled sunflower feeder, a food dispensary she rarely visits. She also avoids showing off her yellow rump, but it was on full display that day.
I catch glimpses of her butter butt, typically as she flits away in flight because she’s spooked by my presence, or when she’s in partnership with the White-winged Doves and their noisy fluttering to the trees.
That snow day presented a bit of yellow cheer in the form of a warbler’s rump.
My other consistent warbler guest is a female Orange-crowned Warbler, Leiothlypis celata. Like the Yellow-rumped, she’s here for winter, enjoying a ready supply of available food in a relatively safe environment. On that snow day, I spied her throughout the garden: on the ground, in the tree, at the suet and the peanuts.
At one point, she landed on what remains of an old rose bush, searching for who-knows-what from slender, thorned stems, sometimes hanging upside-down as she nibbled and noshed. Then she sat, still and quiet, looking left, facing north.
Indoor commitments prevented my enjoying and exploring the rare snowfall as much as I might have liked, but the birds in my neighborhood were active in the snow, more than usual it seemed. I watched them continue their lives, accepting conditions, unrelenting in activities, focusing on their survival work.
My Gardener Says... 
Continue life, accept conditions, unrelenting activities, focusing on survival— me too! Beautiful article and photos as slways 🙂
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Thanks so much, DC. It’s so often a good lesson/reminder to me, this observing of life in the ‘wild’.
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“Copybirds”? I so enjoy your posts about your feathered visitors. Not only are they informative on their own, but I’ve discovered your birds are my birds – in that, I get some of your same visitors which I now identify with confidence after having seen them so well displayed.
Side note: Some of their names are so misleading – have you ever glimpsed the least bit of orange on your warbler’s “crown” or elsewhere?!?
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I’m sure we have the same birds and yes! I have seen the smidge of orange on the males, from time-to-time. https://mygardenersays.com/2019/02/07/the-crown/
That bit of orange is subtle, though. I usually see it once I download a photo. I’m pretty sure these two warblers–the most regular of my warbler visitors for now–are female. I did see a male orange-crowned early in the winter warbler season, but not since.
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As always, your photos are of very good quality. I keep my feeders outside my kitchen window for my entertainment and can never get a really clear shot through the glass. My garden is still full of little yellow birds. I thought they left the other day, as they did not come to the feeder at first light.
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Thanks, they were through the window, so good shots can be a trick. Are your yellow birds goldfinches, either American or Lesser?
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I believe they are American. They are the ones that are on local lists of birds. It is really hard to tell some of those birds apart. It has been years since I had a flock.
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Sweet winter friends! I look forward to the warblers return in the spring – they are the best songsters!
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The winter warblers are welcome in my garden! I know you’ll look forward to their return in spring!
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They are so fun to watch, aren’t they? I was just thinking the other day that I’d like to spend some quality bird-watching time…
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They are fun, Beth, to be sure. In these pandemic times, watching wildlife has soothed my soul.
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I love the winter warblers. Such dainty little birds and seemingly very fragile but apparently they are not. Your pics are wonderful.
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It’s amazing how tiny they are, how seemingly fragile, and yet–the distances they travel and the dangers they face are almost unimaginable. Remarkable critters!
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I just realized that I haven’t seen ‘my’ robin this morning, and didn’t see him last night. He’s been a regular at the feeder, chowing down on mealworms. If I don’t see any today, they probably have moved on. They were here for a couple of weeks this time, and quite a treat, providing just as much pleasure as your warblers do for you. Now that I think of it, my pine warblers seems to be gone, too. It’s a good reminder to spend time looking while they’re here, but they’re very much a here-today-gone-tomorrow sort of pleasure.
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Yes, the winter birds do come-n-go, at their leisure and whims–and availability of food. I rarely see robins and usually, it’s during early spring. “My” pine warbler is still around, though I don’t see him everyday.
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I believe we had a female orange on our porch this week. My daughter is a budding bird watcher (she’s a lifelong All Creature Watcher) and was delighted to have one so close, enjoying either the seeds or the bugs on a spent potted flower.
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How nice!! So cool that your daughter is a budding birder. My son loves to tease me about my bird watching. I love the Orange-crowned warblers, they may be my favorite. They’re not the prettiest of the warblers, but there’s just something engaging about them.
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Tina the winter warblers did not stop coming to your garden even when it snowed: they are very loyal. Your photos are magnificent. The female Yellow Butt Pippin is a charm, so small in size, I love it. Apart from eating, the Orange-crowned Pippin was doing a “tour” around your garden including the ground with the snow: I love it. I am very happy that the snowfall did not affect the birds in the area in their daily chores, and they found water and food. Tina thank you very much for your blogging: I learn a lot about birds and I love doing it, thank you. Tina you have a wonderful garden full of birds that come and go: seeing them must be magnificent and give a lot of joy and peace, Enjoy them !!! Tina take good care of you and your husband, and keep you safe. A hug from my Mother and me. Very affectionate greetings from Margarita.
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Gracias, Margarita! The birds don’t seem bothered at all with very cold weather and the snowfall didn’t slow them down. I hope you and your family continued to be well and healthy–sending you positive thoughts and good wishes, as always.
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Tina thank you very much for your kind words. Tina a lot of affection for her husband and for you. Strong hugs and thinking of you and your family with great health. Very affectionate greetings from Margarita.
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I see the yellow rump, which you amusingly called a butter butt. It reminds me of the yellow patches that cedar waxwings sport across the tip of their tail.
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Butter butt isn’t original, it’s a nickname bestowed by avid birders. Appropriate though!!
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Is there a comical name for cedar waxwings?
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Party poopers
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I get your drift:
https://www.chron.com/life/article/Cedar-waxwings-are-beautiful-but-messy-birds-1609070.php
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Yup: https://mygardenersays.com/2019/03/07/mob/
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