Pine Warbler in Mississippi.

Now you don't see it...now you do!
On Friday 16th January we spent four and a half hours birding around Lake Bonita close to Meridian MS and we grilled every bird we could see...and we didn't see any Pine Warblers nor did we hear any.They have a distinctive trill with a pleasant liquid tone and once you know the song it is easy to pick up. (Special thanks due here to my daughter-in-law and her 3G phone and her quick thinking).There are plenty of pines around the lake so the habitat suites Pine Warblers (bit of a clue in the name!) but there were none. Still we clocked over 40 species and it was a great walk on a fantastic warm, sunny day.
Now here's the thing. On Tuesday 27th January we were back repeating the walk on another fantastically warm and sunny day and this time there were Pine Warblers everywhere. They were singing from most parts of the woodland surrounding the lake and they were visible all along the walk. Without a doubt, Pine Warbler had become the most common bird at Lake Bonita within a couple of weeks. Where had they come from?
According to the Crossley guide they are an early migrant in spring but the third week of January seems particularly early to me. I don't know much abut the movements of North American warblers but this sudden arrival of Pine Warblers must be due to some movement whether local movement or longer distance. They overwinter down in Mississippi so I presumed that they were overwintering birds feeding up prior to beginning their northward movement. As they were so regular, photographing them was 'dead easy.'

Pine Warbler  Dendroica pinus
Lake Bonita, Meridian Mississippi Jan 2015