Northern Parula
Setophaga americana
Southmost Texas and Florida are the only locations inside the borders of the USA where we can find Northern Parulas in winter. Most retire further south along the coastal plain of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean or the West Indies. Come spring and they migrate north to the eastern USA and southeastern Canada. They sometimes break the rules we think they should follow in their choice of breeding territory, and have nested in California, Arizona and New Mexico.
We find these birds nesting in forests laden with mosses. They depend on moss for the building of their nests. There is a gap in the breeding range for the Northern Parula, just south of the Great Lakes region, extending to Massachusetts. One theory about the reason for this “skipped” range is that pollution or other problems have eliminated mosses from the forests in these areas.
Today’s science lists these birds as monotypic (i.e. there are no recognised subspecies).
My first encounter with a Northern Parula was in late January 2021 at Sabal Palm Sanctuary near Brownsville (Texas). That bird would have been a winter visitor, but the birds I met on South Padre Island in March and April were most likely migrating from further south. I visited South Padre Island again in the fall of 2022 and met them as they headed south.
28 Photos
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: This meeting was my first encounter with this lovely warbler species. It was ten days earlier when I paid my first visit to the Sabal Palm Sanctuary in Brownsville Texas. I tried to explore trails I missed last time here. |
Date Taken: 2021:01:28 8:56 |
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Location:
Sable Palms Sanctuary |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X5363-SabalPalms |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: This meeting was my first encounter with this lovely warbler species. It was ten days earlier when I paid my first visit to the Sabal Palm Sanctuary in Brownsville Texas. I tried to explore trails I missed last time here. |
Date Taken: 2021:01:28 8:56 |
|
Location:
Sable Palms Sanctuary |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X5361-SabalPalms |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: This meeting was my first encounter with this lovely warbler species. It was ten days earlier when I paid my first visit to the Sabal Palm Sanctuary in Brownsville Texas. I tried to explore trails I missed last time here. |
Date Taken: 2021:01:28 8:54 |
|
Location:
Sable Palms Sanctuary |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/11.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X5281-SabalPalms |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: The Northern Parulas wintering in south Texas will soon migrate north, some as far north as southeast Canada. Tuesday's all day visit to capture images at the SPI Convention Centre was fruitful. The folks I met were great, and the birds were amazing. |
Date Taken: 2021:03:30 10:06 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X7243-SheepsheadBirdSanctuary |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: The Northern Parulas wintering in south Texas will soon migrate north, some as far north as southeast Canada. Tuesday's all day visit to capture images at the SPI Convention Centre was fruitful. The folks I met were great, and the birds were amazing. |
Date Taken: 2021:03:30 10:16 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X7352-SheepsheadBirdSanctuary |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: The Northern Parulas wintering in south Texas will soon migrate north, some as far north as southeast Canada. Tuesday's all day visit to capture images at the SPI Convention Centre was fruitful. The folks I met were great, and the birds were amazing. |
Date Taken: 2021:03:30 10:17 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X7375-SheepsheadBirdSanctuary |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas are not hard to find in south Texas, yet it is still a pleasure to see them. Sunday was a day when the birds and then birders increased their respective presence on South Padre Island. Both are to be expected as spring migration steps up the bird numbers moving through on their way north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:11 10:32 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X4133-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas are not hard to find in south Texas, yet it is still a pleasure to see them. Sunday was a day when the birds and then birders increased their respective presence on South Padre Island. Both are to be expected as spring migration steps up the bird numbers moving through on their way north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:11 10:32 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/500 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X4136-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: This Northern Parula was especially cooperative for the camera. My stay at the Convention Centre was relatively brief this Thursday. There was a lull in the migration, but even on a slow day good things can occur here. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:22 9:54 |
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Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X0740SPI_ConventionCentre |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: This Northern Parula was especially cooperative for the camera. My stay at the Convention Centre was relatively brief this Thursday. There was a lull in the migration, but even on a slow day good things can occur here. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:22 9:58 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X0756SPI_ConventionCentre |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: This Northern Parula was especially cooperative for the camera. My stay at the Convention Centre was relatively brief this Thursday. There was a lull in the migration, but even on a slow day good things can occur here. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:22 9:58 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X0765SPI_ConventionCentre |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas are stunning birds in their own right, but we’ve seen them so much in south Texas, they don’t generate the excitement they deserve. Spring visits to South Padre Island can produce unexpected results. Sometimes there are lulls in the migration, and other times there are spikes. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:29 11:11 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/750 |
File Name: NorthernParula_D5X3453_SPI-ConventionCtr |
| (C)2020 Jack Daynes |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas breed in Texas, but not this far south. It’s likely these birds were heading to Mexico. Spend a day at the SPI Bird and Nature Center (BNC) and there will surely be some interesting birds for your entertainment. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:03 10:22 |
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Location:
South Padre Island Nature Center |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8507842-SPI-BirdNatureCenter |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: There is a good chance this Northern Parula stays in south Texas all year. Perhaps it never leaves South Padre Island. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:05 9:49 |
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Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8508538-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Fall migration at the Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary on South Padre Island seemed a great place for meeting Northern Parulas. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:11 11:55 |
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Location:
Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8501251-SheepsheadSanctuary |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Fall migration at the Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary on South Padre Island seemed a great place for meeting Northern Parulas. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:11 11:55 |
|
Location:
Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8501245-SheepsheadSanctuary |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Very few Northern Parulas spend winters in South Texas. Most of them travel south to stay the season in Mexico and in the Caribbean. Here, early in September, south Texas had their fair share of these charismatic warblers. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:08 12:45 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8509705-SPI.Convention.Ctr_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Very few Northern Parulas spend winters in South Texas. Most of them travel south to stay the season in Mexico and in the Caribbean. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:07 10:57 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Bird and Natu |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8509443-SPI-BNC |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Very few Northern Parulas spend winters in South Texas. Most of them travel south to stay the season in Mexico and in the Caribbean. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:07 10:56 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Bird and Natu |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8509419-SPI-BNC |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas breed a little to the north of south Texas. Here on South Padre Island we may find a few winter visitors, but most will continue south in their migration. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:06 14:45 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8509025-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: There is a good chance this Northern Parula stays in south Texas all year. Perhaps it never leaves South Padre Island. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:05 9:49 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8508544-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas seemed to enjoy spending their days at the Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary on South Padre Island. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:12 9:14 |
|
Location:
Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8502015-Sheepshead |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas seemed to enjoy spending their days at the Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary on South Padre Island. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:12 9:26 |
|
Location:
Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8502055-Sheepshead |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas seemed to enjoy spending their days at the Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary on South Padre Island. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:15 8:55 |
|
Location:
Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/5000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8502642-SPI.SheepheadSanctuary |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas seemed to enjoy spending their days at the Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary on South Padre Island. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:15 8:55 |
|
Location:
Sheepshead Bird Sanctuary |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8502651-SPI.SheepheadSanctuary |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas gleaned the trees on South Padre Island for tiny morsels of their insect prey. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:16 16:44 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8503411-SPI-ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas gleaned the trees on South Padre Island for tiny morsels of their insect prey. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:16 16:44 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8503429-SPI-ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Parula(Setophaga americana) |
|
Description: Northern Parulas gleaned the trees on South Padre Island for tiny morsels of their insect prey. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:16 16:44 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: NorthernParula_8503436-SPI-ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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