Yellow-rumped Warbler (Myrtle)

We’ve had some interesting birds going through on their migration to the north. This one is a yellow-rumped warbler (Myrtle – eastern). They don’t stay in place for very long as they are catching insects, so it is difficult to get a good clear picture of them. We had a small flock of them in our trees along with some other warblers. I believe some were female yellow-rumped warblers, but I’m not sure as I wasn’t able to get a photo of them.  I’m still working on identifying the other warblers that were here.
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Some of the yellow-rumped warblers winter as far south as Mexico and throughout Central America. Others winter in central and southeastern U.S., and some even winter in Newfoundland. When there are very few bugs, the Myrtle warbler enjoys eating fruit and will eat wax-myrtle berries (hence, the name). Wax-myrtle is an evergreen shrub, also known as bayberry, candleberry, sweet gale and it has small berrylike fruit with a wax coating. It’s the only warbler that is able to eat and digest this, which means that it can winter farther north than other warblers. They do not winter as far north as here in Haliburton County.
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This next picture shows that the yellow markings are also on the top of its head and on its rump.  The female shows more brown than the males. They are about the size of a chicadee.
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If we tried to count all of the different birds, it would be a big job, and probably difficult to complete. God has made birds of all kinds, large and small. These tiny birds are a good example of how God has equipped them to survive.
 Look at the birds of the air:
they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns,
and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Are you not of more value than they?
Matthew 6:26
Updated: January 30, 2015 — 1:03 am

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