There are about two dozen warbler species nesting in Maine. Most of them make me laugh.
Who doesn’t like warblers? They are characteristically colorful. They flit around energetically, often in plain sight. They sing with enthusiasm. Yet, despite their similarities, their habits and behaviors can be very different from one other.
Each warbler species has a preferred habitat, choosing woodlands that are mostly deciduous, mostly coniferous, or mostly mixed. Each species has a height preference, choosing anywhere from low bushes to middle branches to upper treetops. What makes me laugh is how they react when they suspect an intruder.
Early in the season, all the birds are actively sorting it out, determining who owns what territory. There’s a lot of singing, and regular confrontations. It doesn’t take long before it all settles out and every warbler knows which trees are theirs.
But sometimes another bird roams a little too close, provoking a new confrontation. Or — and I sheepishly admit doing this on occasion — experienced birders can play tricks on the warblers, making them suspect an intruder long enough to lure them into view.
Some warblers pop right out. Yellow-rumped warblers are among the easiest to entice. They’ll investigate just about any weird noise you can make. Pish-pish-pish sounds usually do the trick for me.
The yellow-rump comes in high, and stares right down at you. A northern parula is typically a step slower than the yellow-rump, but also stays high and unconcealed.
Chestnut-sided warblers are aggressive. They come right into view, looking to quarrel. Most common yellowthroats will pop to the top of a shrub, ready to rumble. Sometimes they are a little more cautious, keeping some leafy cover in front of them while looking for the troublemaker.
Black-throated green warblers and black-throated blue warblers are common in Maine. They share many traits, but they are dissimilar in their reactions to intruders.
Black-throated green warblers come in high, throwing caution to the wind. Black-throated blue warblers come in low and careful, trying to avoid confrontation until they feel confident. They make chip notes, warning the intruder away, while avoiding a fight as long as possible. If they can’t find the intruder, they begin singing on territory, but in a soft whisper until they regain their confidence.
Several warblers tend to circle the area where they perceive an interloper to be. Ovenbirds and Nashville warblers begin making angry call notes when disturbed, but they tend to fly to either side of me when they first come in, crossing and recrossing the road. Northern waterthrushes do likewise but usually stay a little closer to the ground.
Mourning warblers are uncommon in most of Maine, but they can be plentiful in some of the regenerating clearcuts in the northern Maine forest. When confronting a potential intruder, mourning warblers are among the sneakiest birds on the planet.
They approach under cover, flitting from bush to bush, trying to stay hidden. But they utter a unique two-syllable scold note wherever they go, giving away their movements and hiding places. It makes me laugh every time.
Some warblers don’t care about intruders. I find it hard to make magnolia warblers draw closer. American redstarts mostly ignore me. Except for a few days when the youngsters are most vulnerable, black-and-white warblers pay little heed. Blackburnian warblers stay in the treetops, dismissing most of my efforts to draw them in.
And so it goes. Maine’s other nesting warblers have their own quirks. All these variations make the warbler family fun to watch for confrontational behaviors. Once you’re accustomed to warblers, you may notice that members of other songbird families have their own unique reactions.
Sparrows are generally easy to figure out. Finches seem to react to pishing only in winter. It’s hard to catch the attention of thrushes. Flycatchers and swallows consider pishers to be unworthy of notice.
There is a downside to getting avian attention through trickery. Anything that disrupts a bird’s daily duties causes stress. It makes the bird vulnerable to a watchful predator, and it may expose undefended nestlings and fledglings to danger.
It’s important to notice when a bird is reacting to external stimulus, and when it is overreacting. If a bird appears particularly excitable or panic-stricken, it’s a sign that its family is near and vulnerable. It’s a warning to back off, and I do.
Most songbirds are off the nest by now. It’s the safest time of the year to watch behaviors. The bird world is more complex than most people realize.
