May is an exceptional time of year for New York birders. We all look forward to this month in much the same way that a young child anticipates an approaching birthday or Christmas . There are multitudes of species which come through our state during the month of May, but no birds are more appreciated than the beautiful warblers. Yellows, blues, and greens are all blended into intricate patterns with each warbler species having its own signature coloration. Cerulians, Black and whites, Black-throated blues and Black-throated greens, Yellow warblers, Chestnut-sided warblers, Blue-winged and Golden-wings.....their names allude to the striking designs and hues one can expect to find in the ever-increasing coverage of green foliage during late spring. We have spent the past several weeks searching out these beauties. It is amazing how something so spectacularly adorned can manage to be so ellusive. If it weren't for their individual songs, you would be hard pressed to find them. But the song is loud and insistant and betrays the whereabouts of these birds, so finally we are rewarded for our efforts with nature's true works of art.....the warblers. Look now, for in a couple of weeks, the songs will stop and the birds will either have moved on or will be hiding with their nests and their young deep in the forest. Carpe diem!
