03/31/2026
Warblers are beginning to arrive or pass through Marin County, CA.
Sadly, none of these East Coast warblers will be arriving in Marin County. It is fun to post an item like this. Post an alert to others to be on the lookout for East Coast warblers.
Your yard is about to rotate its entire cast in three weeks. The warbler wave starts this week, and it moves fast.
Most of these birds pass through in one to three days. If you're not watching, you don't know they came.
🐦 Arriving now — the early scouts:
- Yellow-rumped warbler — already here. One of the few warblers that eats berries, which is how she survived winter when insects disappeared. Look for a bright yellow rump patch flashing between branches
- Pine warbler — arriving this week. Buzzy trill from the tops of pines. She wintered in the Southeast and barely migrated at all compared to what's coming behind her
Arriving early April:
- Black-and-white warbler — creeps along trunks like a nuthatch. Zebra-striped. Hard to mistake for anything else
- Louisiana waterthrush — walks along creek banks bobbing her tail. If you have moving water nearby, she may already be there
🌿 Arriving mid-April:
- Yellow warbler — bright yellow, head to tail. Your garden shrubs
- Palm warbler — bobs her tail on the lawn. Often mistaken for a sparrow
- Prairie warbler — buzzy ascending song from scrubby edges
Late April — the flood:
A dozen or more species in two weeks. Your yard changes daily. Trees and shrubs fill with warblers you may have not spotted before — most of them passing through, not staying.
The wave peaks fast and fades by mid-May. Three weeks of the most concentrated birding of the year.
Right now it's just the scouts. The rest are behind them. 🌱
