Blackburnian always first migrating fall warbler in my backyard

Photo by BarrytheBirder

Blackburnian Warbler

For several years the first southward migrating warbler I see in my backyard each August is the Blackburnian Warbler.   These warblers (male and female) spend their summer at the very top of trees and I hardly ever see one.   But each August, a few show up in my cedar hedge (like the one above) and I get my fix.   They start their migration earlier than many other warblers because most are headed for the Andes mountains of South America, particularly the northern Andes of Ecuador and Columbia. They show up as far south as Peru and northern Brazil.   It's arrival date this year in my King City, Ontario, backyard was August 24.

Please comment if you wish.

BtheB