Warblers, Waxwings, and Woodpeckers

I was out birding in the neighborhood this morning for about 3 hours and found 42 species. Most exciting was finding 2 Black-and-white Warblers at Stillforest and Tottenham. These are the first northbound migrating warblers I've seen this year. Warblers are a favorite family of birds among birders because they are extremely varied and colorful. They are also one of the more challenging families to see and identify because most of them spend their time flitting around in the tree canopy and rarely hold still. Many species of warblers will be heading north through Texas during the next couple months. Last year I found 18 species of warblers in our neighborhood. I hope I can see them all again plus a few new ones this year.

The most numerous bird this morning was the Cedar Waxwing. I counted over 200 of these sleek little birds which are beginning to head north. At Broadmeade and Meadowheath I got this picture of a male Downy Woodpecker. This is one of the more common woodpecker species that lives in our neighborhood year-round.