A Warbler Walk Through the Forest
June 2025
By Justin Taus
For birdwatchers in Canada, the month of May is a spectacular time. Hundreds of millions of birds migrate north to reach their summer breeding grounds, making it possible to spot several dozen species in a single day—including some that are rare or absent in the area the rest of the year.
Among the highlights are the warblers: small, active, and often brilliantly coloured songbirds that fill the forest with motion and music.
Following is a list of the 17 species of warblers that were seen and heard in the forest of the private Ruisseau Robert Nature Reserve over the span of a few days in May 2025. Click the links to hear their calls and songs.
- Yellow Warbler
- Magnolia Warbler
- American Redstart
- Common Yellowthroat
- Northern Parula
- Cape May Warbler
- Bay-breasted Warbler
- Northern Waterthrush
- Ovenbird
- Blackburnian Warbler
- Tennessee Warbler
- Chestnut-sided Warbler
- Black-throated Green Warbler
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Wilson’s Warbler
- Blackpoll Warbler (*heard only)
- Canada Warbler (*heard only)
Needless to say, spring migration is a great time to spot other birds as well. Other interesting sightings included the Blue-headed Vireo, Black-billed Cuckoo and Yellow-bellied Flycatcher.
The melodic songs of more common species that recently returned for the summer also filled the forest, like the Baltimore Oriole, Great Crested Flycatcher and Red-eyed Vireo.
Be sure to check back for more birding blogs throughout the year!
Justin Taus
Justin Taus is on the Caregiver team at Fauna Foundation. Justin holds degrees in both Education and Journalism from Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, where he specialized in photojournalism. He has reported from diverse regions of the world including the Amazon rainforest, the savannahs of Eastern Africa and the Alaskan Arctic. He has produced content for organizations like the Wildlife Conservation Society and the International League of Conservation Photographers as well as media outlets including Outdoor Photographer magazine, Vice and the CBC. Justin has been photographing the wildlife at Fauna since 2017.
