I Sing of Vireos

Glam birding season is here! Oh my gosh, sitting on the deck on a crisp September morning with my two best friends (Shila, who took this portrait) and Tato (who doesn't like to miss anything I do)...it doesn't get any better than that. We have had some incredible mornings of birding. Cool, crisp star-strewn nights and sunny mornings combine to make the recipe for Birdapalooza.  Birds don't like to fly on warm nights, and that really shows in the species counts. Migrating is hard, hot work, and they love a crisp night for flying. Needless to say seeing the moon and stars helps them navigate as well.

Any day I can see 40 or more species (best day so far was September 28, with 49!) while sitting in  comfort on my new deck is a WONDERFUL day. 

I wanted to walk you through a common bird identification challenge that really isn't so challenging at all when you get enough data in front of you.

Philadelphia vireo is a tolerably common fall migrant here, though it's quite rare in spring. I think I've had a singing Philly here in spring twice in 34 years. But oh, do they come through in the fall. 

The rare vireo here is warbling! Maybe that's because they prefer watercourses and we are on the driest of dry ridges. But for some reason, I've had a good bunch of warbling vireos come through this fall of 2026.

Let's start our journey with warbling vireo. These photos were all taken here in Washington County Ohio, in the southeast corner of the state, in the last four days. We'll start with a drab one to kick things off with a "huh." Note the almost total lack of color on this bird. Just whispers of yellow tones on the underparts.

This warbling vireo is regurgitating a seed! It's a tad brighter than the first. But look how plain the face is. Blank. Nothing much going on around the eye, and the underparts are more or less colorless.

 Warbling is a medium-sized vireo with a tolerably long tail. Remember how blank its face looks, how blank its underside looks.

And here's a lucky shot of a warbling vireo in flight. 

All right. Let's bring on the Philadelphia vireo, and our hearts might beat a little faster. 

What do you notice about the Philadelphia vireo right off? Do you notice the yellowish underparts? The color concentrating on throat and upper breast? Subtle stuff: You might notice that the Philly is a chunkier, shorter-tailed bird than the warbling. Its head is also rounder and the bill looks smaller and finer.

Look at the eye. See that black line going through it? Most importantly, there's black in front of the eye, in an area called the lores. Combine that feature with the more colorful underparts, and you have two strong identifying characteristics of the Philadelphia vireo. 

So who's this bird, below? 

Did you guess warbling vireo?

And who's this? 

Plain face, no black in front of eye, blank, colorless underparts. Both the last two birds are warbling vireos.

And who's this? Tricky angle, but the more intense coloration and the black through the eye say Philadelphia.

Now for some fun. It's been a wet summer and fall, but it's finally drying out, and the WarblerFall is coming into its own. It's been quiet for months, because there have been puddles everywhere. But today I two new species for the WarblerFall year list. 

A sweet little eastern phoebe perched right next to the WarblerFall for much of the day, watching the drips fall. I could tell it was thirsty. Finally it approached, and I got a shot of it landing on the power cord to the pump! That counts! # 25!!

While that was going on, a Philadelphia vireo swooped in and got down to business! #26 for 2026!

It would hit the water ever so briefly, then zoom back up into the birch above.

This made for some very cute shots. Plus a nice one of the underwing!

Saucy little thing. Philadelphia vireos are not bland. 

If warbling vireos are generic cream cheese, 

Philadelphia vireos are Pineapple Whipped Philadelphia Brand Cream Cheese.

Look at this little Philly taking off! Yes, it has black in the lores! I feel so blessed to be on their autumn flyway.

You can find out more about the DIY bird spa, the WarblerFall, at warblerfall.com