Keyword Exclusive – Cape May Warbler

This photo was taken May 3, 2007, at the Kentucky Fish and Wildlife headquarters in Frankfort. The campus is located off U.S. 60, approximately 2-3 miles west of the U.S. 127 intersection.

Every year in late April to early May, dozens of these warblers arrive and hang out in a big spruce tree located adjacent to the fisheries building (as you enter the campus, it’s the first red brick building at the right, located at the stop sign).

There are some types of bugs in this spruce tree that the birds feed upon. Because the branches dip to the ground, you can view them at eye level. This year, they stayed in the tree for more than two weeks before migrating on. These warblers are tiny, fast, and somewhat difficult to photograph. But they are beautiful.

Our biologist told me that this one tree annually contains the greatest concentration of Cape May warblers known in the state. I estimate there were 50-100 warblers in the tree this year when I photographed them.

Return to the September 2007 GREAT OUTDOORS column that goes along with this supplement.