Bird Finder for May 21: Cerulean Warbler

Cerulean Warbler
Setophaga cerulea

New Hope for this Connecticut Nester

In May we birders celebrate the return of the warblers, “the butterflies of the bird world.” Connecticut is in the nesting range of the rare and beautiful Cerulean Warbler and May is the best time to see it as it often stays high in the canopy, difficult to see once the trees leaf out.

A good place to see this bird in Connecticut is to take a walk on the River Road in Kent where they nest along the Housatonic River. This most pleasant stretch of the Appalachian Trail is flat and filled with many species of warblers, starting the first week in May.

To get there, take Route 7 north to Kent where you will come to the junction of Route 7 and Route 341. Take Route 341 west, cross the Housatonic River and take your first right onto Skiff Mountain Road. River Road will be about a mile down on your right at the sign for the Appalachian Trail. You can drive in to the AT parking lot and hike from there for a very birdy mile to the end, or hike the whole way (about 5 miles). If you plan to hike the whole way, it’s nice to have a car at either end. Prepare yourself ahead of time by familiarizing yourself with the bird’s buzzy song (but don’t play it in the field as this is very disruptive for the birds).

The Cerulean Warbler has suffered the worst decline of all the warblers, down 70 percent since 1966. Much of the problem stems from deforestation in its South American winter habitat but recent conservation efforts give us hope that we may continue to see this lovely little bird for years to come. Three conservation groups, led by the American Bird Conservancy, worked 10 years to secure and reforest 3,000 acres with native plants in order to connect two isolated patches of existing habitat. Private landowners joined in, planting native shade trees on land previously cleared for ranching and agriculture, especially on coffee plantations.

One way we can help is to buy shade grown coffee, especially that which has achieved “Bird Friendly” certification by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center.

This week’s Connecticut Audubon Society Bird Finder was written by Kathy Van Der Aue and edited by Tom Andersen.
Photo by Chris Livingston, Carolinabirds.org.