With their high tinny chirp, Yellow-rumped Warblers are often heard rather than seen. They are swift fliers, making them hard to discern in the top canopy of the old-growth forest. Walking through the forest, I can hear them over there, and then here, and up there, but I often have a hard time actually seeing one up close. It’s as if bands of Yellow-rumped Warblers are moving around the forest behind some science fiction cloaking device.
Capturing good pictures of warblers of all sorts can easily turn into frustration. They are often too high up in the tree, leading to the all-too-human phenomenon known as “warbler’s neck.” Once a warbler is in sight, they will cunningly move behind a tree branch. They do not owe birders anything.
In migration, Yellow-rumped Warblers will eat everything – insects, fruits of bayberry and wax myrtle trees, poison ivy, many types of seeds, and dogwoods. In this respect, they may literally be found everywhere in nature along their spring migration path.
As Inwood Hill Park is characterized by hilly terrain, venturing to a high elevation in the park provides the best vantage point to actually see warblers. Early this morning, I climbed up the set of stairs leading to the ridge trail high above the Clove, and I was able to observe these elusive migrants.
Once seen, Yellow-rumped Warblers are quite remarkable. Like similar species such as Magnolia, Yellow-throated, and Townsend’s, their plumage consists of blacks, whites, charcoals, and bright yellows. During fall migration, Yellow-rumped Warblers are brown in color (below). Their rumps are always yellow.
Recent posts
- A Flurry of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Northern Flickers Flickering, and a Great Egret Returns
Today, April 22, 2026, is Earth Day, a time to learn more about and advocate for the health of our home planet. The birds depend on us. A great thing about being out in nature in the morning is that a memorable morning with birds can last all day. Whatever I’m doing, whatever happens during… Read more: A Flurry of Yellow-rumped Warblers, Northern Flickers Flickering, and a Great Egret Returns - The Kinglets of the Forest, with More Stories and Tech-Related Mishaps in the Age of Digital Birding
So tiny and fast. They were kinglets, and I saw both kinds this week in the forested areas of Inwood Hill Park. Kinglets are either golden-crowned or ruby-crowned, fast-moving, and constantly in search of insects. They may be distinguished by the color of their crowns and the coloring around the eyes. The Ruby-crowned Kinglet features… Read more: The Kinglets of the Forest, with More Stories and Tech-Related Mishaps in the Age of Digital Birding - Northern Mockingbird – The Bossiest Singer in the Park
Northern Mockingbirds are famous for their expressive and varied songs, often mimicking other birds. All this month, whenever I have had occasion to walk in Inwood Hill Park or Sherman Creek Park, I’ve come across a loud mockingbird singing its heart out. - An Early Spring Preview of the Birds of Inwood
A burst of spring weather and unseasonably warm days brought a variety of birds to Inwood Hill Park in Northern Manhattan this week. The three days in early March— March 9 through March 11— felt like a gift, especially after a long winter of cold temperatures and abundant snow. Many New Yorkers talked about how… Read more: An Early Spring Preview of the Birds of Inwood - The Snowiest of Snows, and a Bald Eagle Appears
On Monday, February 23, the snow fell across New York City in steady downfalls over many hours, embedded in a winter storm that arrived late afternoon on Sunday and continued well into the afternoon. By the end, Central Park experienced one of the largest snowstorms in the city’s history. * Up here in Northern Manhattan,… Read more: The Snowiest of Snows, and a Bald Eagle Appears
Birds of Inwood 
Comments welcome!