Louisiana Waterthrush and Black and White Warbler

As I worked in my office this morning, with the windows open to another warm, sunny day and lots of birdsong, around mid morning a pair of Phoebes sang and fussed in the back yard. Then, for the first time this season, I heard the unmistakable notes of a Louisiana Waterthrush singing from down in the woods along the creek. Its song is loud and bright, three clearly whistled notes followed by a tumble of other notes falling like water over stones. In past seasons, two or three pairs of Louisiana Waterthrushes have nested along the creeks behind our neighborhood. Because there’s been some new clearing and development along some parts of the creeks, I was a little concerned – but am hopeful they will stay to nest again this year.

About half an hour later, I heard the high “weesa-weesa-weesa” song of a Black and White Warbler from trees along the edge of the woods, where I found it creeping along the high branches of a pine, its sharp black and white stripes looking neat and crisp.

Both the Louisiana Waterthrush and the Black and White Warbler spend winters further south, and are usually among the first to return here in the spring.

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