Here’s a Worm-eating Warbler, one of the highlights of our last trip to band birds in the swampy woods near Cape May. They are a relatively common nesting species in the deep woods of south Jersey. Descriptions of their nests, which they build on the ground in the leaf litter almost always mention that they are placed on slopes. For example Cornell’s Birds of North America account says the nests are “usually on hillside or bank of ravine” . Here in the coastal plain of New Jersey, there are very few places that meet this description yet the worm-eaters are getting by just fine. Hopefully we can find some nests here in the flatlands to see what their preferences are when hillsides are lacking!
Thanks to Ashley Green for the photo above. And here is an amazing photo of a Worm-eater at a nest: Click here.