Look closerBirds
Fall warbler migration through Massachusetts yards and trees
When: August to October
Warblers are moving south through Massachusetts from late August to late October, drab and silent where spring made them loud, and the way to find them is to follow the chickadees they travel with.
Why this time of year
Fall migration is underway by late August and peaks at the end of September in Massachusetts, so any morning in that stretch the trees can hold travelers that were in Canada the week before.
How to notice it
- Walk toward chickadee sound; migrating warblers attach themselves to the local chickadee flocks, and where you find one warbler there are likely others.
- Scan the moving flock for the odd bird out: smaller, yellowish or olive, gleaning fast through the leaves.
- Do not expect spring colors or song; fall warblers are muted and quiet, and even experts find some species hard to name in fall plumage.
- Clear nights help birds move, so mornings after one are worth the first look.
Try this with kids: Find the chickadee gang, then look for the stranger traveling with them.
a warbler is a small, quick insect-eating songbird; dozens of kinds pass through in migration
Sources
- massaudubon.orgFall migration is underway by late August, peaks at the end of September, and generally ends by late October in Massachusetts; considerable late-summer wandering brings individuals into areas not normally frequented.
- audubon.orgIn fall, walk through the woods listening for chickadees and then track down the warblers that are with them; resident chickadees know food and shelter and give alarm calls migrants respond to; fall warblers are drab and keeping mum compared to spring; where one warbler is in a chickadee group there are likely to be others.
- audubon.orgIn autumn the bright feathers are replaced by dull non-breeding plumage and with no reason to sing for a mate the birds are much quieter; most species pass from late August until October.
- wbur.orgOver 1.3 million birds flew over Massachusetts in a single early-October night; birds migrate when there are clear skies, using winds to help carry them; birds can pop up anywhere, and looking out your window you can get incredible birds.
In the guide for August, September, October