Prairie Warbler

Higbee Beach, New Jersey April 30.  2022. The thing about the Cape May area is there’s so much to see. I knew April was a bit too early for the wonder of warblers, but still there would be much to see, many places to go and that a day or so at the south end of the peninsula mustn’t be missed. This morning I made an early trip to Higbee Beach, a protected zone of fields, hardwoods and shoreline that you can count on for good birding.

On arrival, I was greeted by the punchy songs of White-eyed Vireos and Carolina Wrens who were trying to out-sing them; they are evenly matched. I heard my first Great Crested Flycatchers of the year and a little surprised at White-throated Sparrows everywhere, just like at home.

Another birder was staring into a particularly dense mass of trees, shrubs and grapes and listening attentively. He answered my implied question with head nod, “There’s a Swainson’s Warbler in there somewhere. It’s been reported here but I haven’t seen it.”  With that, something sang and he shrugged, “That’s it.” I admit to being a little flabbergasted, believing that Swainson’s Warblers are birds of central and southern states, and remembering the lengths that a companion and I went to find one in Kentucky three years ago. Well, I heard it, and knowing that it is a bird that takes great pains to remain unseen, I moved on.

A bright, boldly marked, little yellow bird popped up right in front of me, allowed me enough time to fumble with my camera and then vanished. My mind flipped through the possibilities and left me scratching my head, but minutes later it was showed up again: a Prairie Warbler. It was instantly My Bird of the Day: I have a handful of fond memories of Prairie Warblers, they are rather uncommon and much sought-after in my part of the world, certainly worth going out of my way for.

My day had just begun and I visited two or three other bird-rich places, still the Prairie Warbler stayed as number one for the day. It was unmoved by the rarity of the Swainson’s Warbler, the novelty of White-eyed Vireos or the first of the year Great Crested Flycatchers.

Nothing else held a candle to it: My day included the realisation that I was seeing and hearing Carolina Chickadees, not our common look-alike Black-capped Chickadees. I welcomed back Common Yellowthroats, Purple Martins, and Ruby–throated Hummingbirds and in the afternoon was captivated by Black Skimmers and Glossy Ibises; all great birds. That’s the thing about Cape May – all great birds.