As anyone who has been paying attention to my Flickr page lately can probably tell I am seriously missing those brightly-colored sprites of spring, the wood-warblers.

Sure, back in January I saw a Townsend’s Warbler, Orange-crowned Warblers, Common Yellowthroats and more of the “Audubon’s” form of the Yellow-rumped Warbler then you can shake a stick at but that was in California. In New York this year the only ones I have seen were the “Myrtle” form of butterbutts and that was over two hours from home at Jones Beach.

Pine Warblers have been reported in the area but do they let me see them? No. Of course most wood-warblers shouldn’t be back yet, at least they shouldn’t when you judge by the historical record, but we are in the era of global warming! Species should be arriving earlier and staying later! Where are my warblers?!?! Two Pine Warblers have even been spotted in San Diego where they do not belong!

Okay, okay, I’ll stop throwing a tantrum if all of you bird bloggers out there agree not to post about, refer to, or in any way remind me that I haven’t seen a single warbler anywhere near one of my local patches all year. In fact, please try to stop thinking about them at all. That goes double for Charlie and Mike.

The picture below will be the last reference I’ll make to the ungrateful little guys until one finally lets me get a look.

male Chestnut-sided Warbler singing at Partridge Run State Wildlife Management Area on a dark and dreary day in May 2006

I’m going out to look at chickadees and nuthatches.