Tiny bursts of color flitting through the canopy, warblers are the confetti of spring migration. Their songs pour from the treetops long before they’re seen, and finding them often means craning your neck, squinting into dappled light, and chasing motion in the leaves—what birders affectionately call “warbler neck.” They’re elusive, fast, and often high above, but when the light hits just right, they glow like forest jewels. These birds remind us that fleeting beauty is worth the patience.

"The small birds in spring are the hardest to see and the hardest to forget."
— Terry Tempest Williams