Back to the original post. Depending on where you are, I wouldn't necessarily consider presence of a yellow rump to be sign of early migration. I live in South Western Ohio and we see them here off and on all winter.
First Warbler spotted! Early Spring Migration?
- Thread starter MatthewK
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Right on, we used to have them over winter in Maryland.
Some of you guys have hair?
ajrmd
Well-known member
True 'dat and especially if it is only one migrant. Other signs which have been hinting to an early spring include early return of blackbirds/grackles, full mating plummage on the house finches, nesting behavior of geese, etc. So, yes in my parts there are suggestions of an early spring.
Agreed. I was only reacting to the yellow rump who is a year around bird in many areas of the country.
Yellow-rumped warblers are daily birds at my suet feeder all winter in Atlanta. They are just starting to head north and numbers are dropping a little. Same for the kinglets. Robins peaked a few weeks ago and the large flocks of migrating robins are largely gone leaving the year around birds. Sandhill cranes have been flying north through my area for over a month now.
Incoming migrants are not really here yet but should be just 2-3 weeks away.
Incoming migrants are not really here yet but should be just 2-3 weeks away.
being a guy with some white hair, i'm thinking mister Herr has his tounge at least slightly in his cheek also. just got a blanket of snow last nite,and day time temps dropping back into the 20's. nite time temps into the teens, for the the next week or so. thinking that may pump the breaks on an early migration here. we will see.i imagine Wisconsin will be right behind us.
it’s been so nice here the past few weeks, getting more snow would be a dagger. On the other hand, the slower migration, the better, I need it back on schedule so the good stuff isn’t coming through until May (14-17, preferably 
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.....good for you, but that would be too late for me! We will all get what we get.......it’s been so nice here the past few weeks, getting more snow would be a dagger. On the other hand, the slower migration, the better, I need it back on schedule so the good stuff isn’t coming through until May (14-17, preferably
coming your way
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I'm in western PA near Pittsburgh and we have blackbirds in my yard all winter, but I agree the Grackles are back, the Starlings are leaving for the farm fields rather than the yummy stuff in my yard. My Bluebirds, while with us for pretty much all winter, are now sporting their bright blue mating plumage and I have this little guy constantly singing for a mate in the tree near my bluebird house. He sits on the house and sings too. But the biggest thing is the Ospreys are back! To us that truly means spring! Temps in our forecast are mostly upper 40s through 50s, and we've been having some 60s to 70s. We got hardly any snow this winter, and have been getting less each year. My snowshoes have cobwebs on them. I'm not complaining at all.
This means spring for us here in western PA. Taken March 13, 2024.
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macwalter
Active member
Yes they are still here in southern Alabama with a lovely male prothonotary warbler hanging around for a week now.Good morning! Out birding yesterday, and I spotted my first warbler of the season, a female Yellow-rumped. These are usually the first to return, but I don't expect them until at least April. If migration is this early, it's going to throw off my camping trip I have planned for 2nd week in May... at this rate, there won't be any migrating birds left left to see by then.
This is a crap ID shot, just to confirm. Not going for style points on this one. There'll be plenty of YRWs here soon so I can redeem myself
View attachment 83838
Have a friend out east in Maryland that just saw her first Pine Warbler.
As a west-coaster, most of those are on my list! Except by now, we are "sick" of the yellow-rumps. (Lots here in winter). I've seen vagrant Black and whites and Am Redstarts in our area, and Prairie in Florida.
Turberticus
Well-known member
Tons of Yellow-rumped here as well as you can imagine during migration, but I do not have any good photos of them in breeding plumage. Plenty in the fall though! I'm fortunate to be in a very good location for warblers. I can get 20+ species within 1 hour of where I am so I'm hoping I can find the time to take advantage of that!
A lot of species breed in the northern part of Wisconsin, so we get a good amount of traffic. Around me, just Yellow Warblers and Redstarts, which I’ve had a few breeding pairs out back of my house the past few years I’ve been here.