Catching Up

I was about to publish the post below --about a week ago -- when derailed for a bit by a particularly pugnacious bug. The Blackpolls were just beginning to show up. Now the park is full of them as the migration winds down. Some warblers remain, but mainly the females of the various species. The maleof the species generally heads north first to stake out his breeding territory, hoping to get everything settled by the time that as-yet-undetermined mate shows up. As soon as the females arive on the nesting grounds the males proceed with courtship maneuvers and...well, you know the rest.