Blackpoll Warbler male
Blackpoll Warbler has a Conservation Status under the IUCN of Near Threatened www.iucnredlist.org/species/22721737/131459482
The Blackpoll Warbler makes an incredible fall migration. This species, weighing on average a mere 13 grams (about half an ounce), breeds throughout northern North America. Yet all of the birds, including those from Western Canada, move to the Atlantic seaboard of the eastern United States in the autumn — a long trip as it is.
But that’s only the beginning. After spending about a month feeding voraciously and doubling their weight, these indomitable birds wait for the right conditions and then launch themselves out over the Atlantic Ocean in a southeasterly direction. They fly non-stop over open water for up to three days, covering at least two thousand kilometres to reach their wintering grounds—mostly in northern South America.
Birds that breed farther to the west have to start earlier, in both directions, to complete these lengthy trips. (The spring migration is more leisurely, involving island hopping, yet still covers significant distances.) Banding has revealed that western-breeding Blackpolls have longer wings than those breeding to the east: an advantage in travelling the greater distances they must cover. A Blackpoll Warbler that summers in the Yukon completes a total journey of some 16,000 kilometres (10,000 miles) in a year — more than many of us drive in our vehicles.
Surprisingly, the breeding male in this photo was seen at Clear Lake, a location on the prairies east of Stavely in southern Alberta, Canada.
Blackpoll Warbler male
Blackpoll Warbler has a Conservation Status under the IUCN of Near Threatened www.iucnredlist.org/species/22721737/131459482
The Blackpoll Warbler makes an incredible fall migration. This species, weighing on average a mere 13 grams (about half an ounce), breeds throughout northern North America. Yet all of the birds, including those from Western Canada, move to the Atlantic seaboard of the eastern United States in the autumn — a long trip as it is.
But that’s only the beginning. After spending about a month feeding voraciously and doubling their weight, these indomitable birds wait for the right conditions and then launch themselves out over the Atlantic Ocean in a southeasterly direction. They fly non-stop over open water for up to three days, covering at least two thousand kilometres to reach their wintering grounds—mostly in northern South America.
Birds that breed farther to the west have to start earlier, in both directions, to complete these lengthy trips. (The spring migration is more leisurely, involving island hopping, yet still covers significant distances.) Banding has revealed that western-breeding Blackpolls have longer wings than those breeding to the east: an advantage in travelling the greater distances they must cover. A Blackpoll Warbler that summers in the Yukon completes a total journey of some 16,000 kilometres (10,000 miles) in a year — more than many of us drive in our vehicles.
Surprisingly, the breeding male in this photo was seen at Clear Lake, a location on the prairies east of Stavely in southern Alberta, Canada.