August 11, 2026 (Formerly this blog post was named ‘Yellow Warbler’.)
Did you know? In October 2025, ornithologists officially split the common Yellow Warbler into two distinct species: the Northern Yellow Warbler and the Mangrove Yellow Warbler. This taxonomic change happened to separate the widespread, long-distance migratory inland populations from the non-migratory, resident coastal mangrove populations. You can read more here, on Cornell Lab – All About Birds: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Yellow_Warbler/overview
May 23, 2025
It was as early as April 24th this year when we started hearing the Yellow Warblers were back to their Michigan summer homes. We could hear their “sweet whistled song*” all around the pond and coming from the huge willow tree in the front yard. But unseen as they were still being quite elusive darting in and out of the bright green and yellow budding tree leaves.
Below are two photos of a male singing his heart out while sitting on a Red Twig Dogwood bush outside of our bay windows. (Left and featured photo is from May 13, 2014, right photo later that summer.)
Riverbank Treasures 