Arboretum: Warblers and Wasps

Monday was a fine day for birding at the Arboretum. Spring migrants are everywhere to be found. I managed to see seven species of warblers alone!

I saw and heard a number of catbirds, many of them hiding inside bushes. The red underneath the tail feathers caught my attention for the first time.

Gray catbird with red under-tail feathers
Gray catbird in a redbud

Here are a couple of the warblers – black, white, and yellow.

black-and-white warbler
black-and-white warbler
yellow warbler
yellow warbler
northern parula
northern parula

I saw many birds constructing nests – grackles, orioles, and red-winged blackbirds among them. Here’s a red-winged blackbird grabbing some nesting material from the cattail heads.

female red-winged blackbird gathering nesting material
female red-winged blackbird

Birds aren’t the only ones building their nests. I spotted this eastern yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons) queen hovering around mud and mulch. These wasps usually build their nests underground, so watch where you walk!

eastern yellowjacket queen
eastern yellowjacket queen

Complete e-bird checklist

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