BANGOR DAILY NEWS • August 17, 2025
Identifying a warbler in June is relatively easy. They are brightly colored, although many are unhelpful variations on yellow. They establish nesting territories and sing to confirm their locations and identities. They stay put. By mid-August, all bets are off. When neotropical migrants arrive in Maine in springtime, they wear their finest colors to attract a mate. But in the fall, when it’s time to return to a Central American jungle full of predators, bright colors attract trouble. In autumn, drab is fab. The seasonal change is drastic for some warblers. Concede that some fall warblers are more confusing than others, and do the best you can. ~ Bob Duchesne