Green Lake Park is a few miles north of downtown Seattle, adjacent to Woodland Park and its zoo. The lake is surrounded by suburban neighborhoods.
I’ve long been envious of how many warbler species Bucketeers in the central and eastern U.S. see. So on Nov. 22, when eBirders began to report daily sightings of a Black-and-White Warbler, I had to see it. The vagrant bird was in Seattle’s Green Lake Park, which is a couple of miles north of downtown and about half an hour from our house. This wood-warbler breeds in the Eastern U.S. and Canada, and migrates to wintering grounds in Florida, Mexico, Central America and South America. So it’s rare in the West.
Friend and fellow Bucketeer Jeff Graham found and photographed it around Nov. 24th and let me know. On Nov. 26, Mr. WordsandBirds and I searched for it. All we found were several fellow ardent but frustrated birders.
The warbler was reported almost daily after that. On Dec. 21, we tried again. We walked less than five minutes and found it south of the bathhouse (home of Seattle Public Theater), where it had been reported. The solstice indeed was a good omen.
The bird foraged like a creeper or a nuthatch for insects tucked in tree bark but flitted around like a kinglet, making it a challenge to keep her in sight. (The Latin name, Mniotilta varia, means moss-plucking. It’s the only warbler in this genus.) And did I say this is beautiful bird? See for yourself.
Her feather cape is becoming. Her slightly upcurved bill is a good prying tool.
BWWA Range map. This is the wood-warbler that is most often vagrant, but nevertheless, she’s a long way from Mexico and points south.
“Black-and-white Warblers have an extra-long hind claw and heavier legs than other wood-warblers, which help them hold onto and move around on bark,” All About Birds says. They can climb both up and down trees to find prey. They eat mostly insects, but also take moth and butterfly larvae during spring migration and throughout the breeding season. They also eat ants, flies, spiders, click and leaf beetles, wood-borers, leafhoppers, and weevils. A most beneficial bird to have around. Birds of the World cites studies indicating that the Black-and-white Warbler spends most of its foraging time along dead limbs, followed by large inner limbs, trunk, tip of vegetation, and small outer parts of limbs.
She appears to have a prize in her bill.
They move in every direction, as this female demonstrated.
Probing deep into bark crevices for a meal.
Peek-a-boo. She flitted among a tangle of branchlets.
Airborne . . .
Here’s the type of habitat in which she foraged, including alders and birches. Other passerines she shared space with included Ruby-crowned Kinglets (especially), Black-capped and Chestnut-backed Chickadees, a Brown Creeper, an American Goldfinch and a Bewick’s Wren.
I was pleased to see this sign about a volunteer project called Taiga Wetlands to improve water quality and habitat at the lake. Because it has no water inlet or egress, toxic algae sometimes occurs.
Waterfowl of all kinds frequent the lake. We saw Common and Hooded Mergansers, Buffleheads, Gadwalls, Northern Shovelers, Mallards, American Wigeons and American Coots.
A 2.8-mile path winds around the lake. Back when we lived nearby, I used to walk it three times a week after work, and whenever I’ve had an appointment nearby I’ve tried to add a walk before or after.
We wanted to see the warbler again. No one reported her on eBird on Dec. 28, but that day was rainy, so I didn’t lose hope. Yesterday, Dec. 29, was clear, so we tried to find her. We looked in previous and obvious places but didn’t see her, or anyone with a camera. No one else reported seeing her either. After five weeks of being a star attraction, she may have moved on.
But other warblers we hadn’t seen in a long time at home showed up at our feeder earlier in the week.
Yellow-rumped Warbler perches on the squirrel baffle on our feeder pole, Dec. 27th.
FOS Male Townsend’s Warbler drops in to the cage for a few bites of suet, also Dec. 27th.
Wherever the Black-and-White Warbler may be bound, she brightened the lives of a lot of birders here, including me. I hope she finds a good place this winter. Then again, she could surprise us and show up one day soon at Green Lake.
Now it’s your turn. Have you had any exciting sightings?
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