Chasing warblers across Arizona’s ridgelines

I just returned from a trip to southeastern Arizona. The objective of this adventure was to capture images of as many warbler species as possible. So, what are warblers, and why did I go to Arizona to find them?

Warblers are a group of small, often colorful birds known for their rich, musical songs. We’re fortunate in North America to have New World warblers, which differ significantly from those found elsewhere. The “New World” refers to the Americas – meaning our warblers are not found in Europe, Asia or Africa.

We have about 120 species of warblers. Most of these birds are arboreal, meaning they live in trees, often near the treetops, which can make them difficult to spot. They are insect eaters, so a healthy supply of bugs is essential to their survival.

Warblers are found mostly in the eastern half of the country, where deciduous forests are most common. So why travel to the deserts of Arizona to find them? High in the mountains of southeastern Arizona – around 8,000 feet above sea level – lives a group of warblers not found in the East. Those were the birds I set out to find.

Advertisement

Each morning, we drove up into the mountains – a 90-minute trip to reach the area where the warblers hang out. While temperatures in the desert below were plenty warm, it was cold most mornings at higher elevations. Because warblers are insect eaters, the colder weather kept insect activity down, which didn’t help us.

The forecast each day was for clear skies and sunshine, far from ideal weather conditions for bird photography. Bright sun casts harsh shadows and creates hot spots in the image, leaving other areas underexposed. That meant we had to capture our photos in the early morning light, before the sun climbed too high. The challenge was getting to the birds as early as possible and wasting no time once we spotted a warbler.

Here in the eastern half of the country, I can identify nearly every bird by its song. This makes it much easier when trying to locate a specific species. However, up in the mountains of Arizona, I was at a distinct disadvantage because I didn’t know the songs of the warblers we were trying to see and photograph. This slowed down the process of finding and identifying each species.

The first few days were cold and crisp. This meant the birds were struggling to find enough insects to survive. By day four, the temperatures were slowly rising, and the warblers were able to find more bugs. This allowed the warblers to move down in the trees and become more visible. And that was the break we were looking for.

During the last four days, we were able to locate and capture a few amazing images of the warblers we’d hoped to find. One species in particular was especially gratifying: the red-faced warbler. This bird lives in mountain forests between 6,500 and 9,000 feet, primarily in northern Mexico and parts of Arizona and New Mexico. While it took nearly a week to track down and photograph this striking species, it was definitely worth the effort. Until next time …

Editor’s note: Stan Tekiela’s NatureSmart column appears twice a month in the Eden Prairie Local News. Tekiela is an author, naturalist and wildlife photographer who travels extensively across the United States to study and capture wildlife images. 

You can follow his work on Instagram and Facebook. He can be contacted via his website at www.naturesmart.com.