By Megan Hart, Park Biologist

Spring brings a certain kind of joy and excitement to the forests, fields and wetlands of eastern North America. A group of long-awaited travelers return from their trip abroad—migratory birds. All of northeast Ohio’s migratory birds are exciting to see during the spring. However, there is one group that is typically considered the “jewel of migration”—warblers.

Warblers are often considered by most birders as some of the most exciting migrants that can be found in spring. The name “jewels of migration” refers to the brightly-colored plumage of many warbler species and the excitement that is often felt upon seeing one of these birds. Most have traveled from Central and South America to breed here in the United States for the summer. After the summer nesting season ends, they return on the long journey back to the tropics in the fall. However, not all of the warblers we see passing through our area in the spring are here to stay for the summer. Many are still continuing on their journeys northward into areas like the boreal forest, so spring and a short window in fall is often the only time to see some of these species in our area. Spring also gives the opportunity to see these birds in large numbers before they have set up breeding territories, often with many species found in small areas that would normally not been seen together in the breeding season. 

One of the warblers that you are likely to see in our parks in the spring and throughout the summer is the yellow warbler. This bright bird is a small ray of sunshine with the males sporting bright yellow feathers with chestnut streaks down the breast. The female is also yellow but not as vivid and without the chestnut streaks. You can often hear the males singing their song “Sweet, sweet, I’m so sweet!” in brushy areas to call for mates and defend their territories. During the breeding season, yellow warblers can be found in thickets and regrowing habitat, which can be found at Lake Erie Bluffs, Chagrin River Park and Lakeshore Reservation. 

Yellow warbler

The black and white warbler is one of the earliest spring migrants to arrive back in North America. This warbler sports a bold black and white striped coloration. You will often hear its song that sounds like a squeaky wheel before you see it. Don’t look for this bird flitting around like other warblers. Black and white warblers tend to creep along tree trunks and branches and are often seen as they circle a branch or tree trunk in search of insects among the bark. These birds have been seen during migration at Lake Erie Bluffs, Chagrin River Park, Lakeshore Reservation and Hogback Ridge Park. 

Black & white warbler

The magnolia warbler is a truly stunning bird. Males have bright yellow chests and bellies with black necklaces, long black streaks running down their chests, black face masks and bold white wing patches. Females are a bit more understated with gray heads, two narrow white wing bars, bold white eye rings and yellow chests and bellies. Though these birds primarily breed in the boreal forest in dense stands of conifers, they can be found in a wide variety of forest types during migration. Magnolia warblers tend to be one of the easier warblers to spot because they feed lower in shrubs and trees. These birds can be seen at Veterans Park, Hell Hollow Wilderness Area, Lake Erie Bluffs, Chagrin River Park and Chapin Forest Reservation. 

Magnolia warbler

The American redstart is another commonly-seen warbler during migration. Males sport coal-black feathers with bright orange patches on their sides, wings and tails. Females have subdued yellow patches on gray bodies instead of the bright orange and black on the males. American redstarts are rarely still as they move through the trees in search of insects. They can be found in moist woodlands with shrubs and are often first noticed by the flashing of their orange patches, which are thought to be used for startling insect prey. These birds can be found at Hogback Ridge Park, Beaty Landing, Lakeshore Reservation and Lake Erie Bluffs.

American redstart

These four warblers by no means encompass the full variety of warblers that can be found in the spring. To see the most diversity in warblers and other migratory birds, visit parks with multiple habitat types and some shrubby open areas, which make excellent stopover habitats with abundant food sources for migrants on their way northward. Some great places to visit during migration are Lake Erie Bluffs, Lakeshore Reservation, Chagrin River Park and Veterans Park. These parks provide excellent diversity of habitat and are not too far from water sources, which is a recipe for high warbler diversity. However, all of the parks give you a great opportunity to view these migrants. Peak migration time for our area tends to be the first couple weeks of May. Take your time and look up at the trees or into the shrubs. Happy birding!