A Yellow-rumped Warbler encounter at the Pea Island Life Saving Station

Here’s a cheerful sight on a grey day, the Yellow-rumped Warbler. I spotted this one while on a birding trip at the Pea Island NWR.
These little ones are quite curious about people and flew in close frequently to see what we were all about.

The Yellow-rumped Warbler is a familiar winter visitor to North Carolina. They arrive in the Tarheel state in September and hang out here until mid May before departing to their breeding grounds in New England, the Rockies, Canada and Alaska.
During the cold months, they may be found searching for a meal in open woodlands, marshes and near ponds with a a brushy shoreline.

As is the case with other species of Warblers, Yellow ‘rumps are voracious eaters of insects. In the spring you can see them gleaning and moving through the trees quickly to catch their prey.
In the wintertime when insects are scarce, Yellow-rumped Warblers switch their diet to consuming berries.

In addition, they’re the only species of Warbler that are able to digest Bayberries and Wax Myrtles. This unique dietary adaptation enables them to spend the winter much farther north than other Warblers when more traditional six or eight legged Warbler fare is unavailable due to colder temperatures.
In fact, the easiest way to find a Yellow-rumped Warbler here in NC is to hang out near a Wax Myrtle bush. It usually doesn’t take long for one to show up once the berries are ready!