Nature Done Wright

      I wrote this for The Record maybe four years ago, but it seems to work right now, too, as birders are reporting seeing more than a dozen species of warblers at the Celery Farm…

Why warbler watching

is the best sport in town

   When it comes to bird migrations, the real crowd-pleaser in these parts has traditionally been the autumn raptor show — with hundreds of broad-wings flying past a hawk watch on a brisk September day.

  But springtime offers an intriguing migration all its own: warblers, which have traveled from as far away as central South America and have been flitting through North Jersey’s open spaces in a great number and variety.

    The tiny birds migrate by night, alighting after dawn to refuel on insects and worms.

    For humans with sharp eyes, warblers provide a kaleidoscope of colors amid the greenery: vibrant mating plumages of yellows and reds and blues and oranges.

  They come in dozens of exotic varieties, with names to match: Blackburnians and prothonotaries, Kentuckys and Cape Mays, blackpolls and redstarts.

   Most people don’t notice warblers. They are, after all, weensy — maybe 6 inches long and weighing less than a duck sniffle.

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   They typically avoid bird-feeders.

    They’re active mostly in the morning. Few actually do much warbling, and fewer still stay in one place long enough for the casual observer to see them.

     Identifying them is even tougher. Although each species has distinctive plumage, calls, and idiosyncrasies, many tend to look alike.

   The ability to spot, hear, and name them all is a gift — a few people just seem to be warbler savants — but mere mortals can improve their skills with practice.

    Warbler watching has much to offer even those who aren’t avian-obsessed.

    First of all, these really are beautiful little birds, seldom seen most times of year.

    Second, allergies notwithstanding, now is a wonderful time of year for a morning walk in a nature sanctuary, even if you don’t find any black-throated blues or Ceruleans.

   Just as important, warblers serve as another delicate reminder that it’s not human activity alone that makes this world go around — if we’d only stop once in a while and pay attention.