We’ve all been there: after an exciting Spring migration of brightly colored warblers, we eagerly await their return in the Fall only to be met with drab yellow. Many of our Eastern warbler species go through a dramatic molt in the summer from their vivid breeding plumage to dull winter colors and unfortunately end up all looking the same. So how can you tell which Fall warblers are which? We will be exploring some of the hardest-to-ID fall warbler species by learning field marks like bill shape, leg and foot color, facial patterns, under-tail covert colors and patterns, and more. We’ll also look at species more common for our area in the Fall. We will end by exploring other challenging families that that migrate in the fall such as thrushes and raptors.
Kara Morales joined the Will County Audubon Society in 2022. She quickly dove in and shared her love and nerdy knowledge for bird identification and became the Field Trip Chair the following year. She is also a Prairie People Volunteer with the Forest Preserve District of Will County as a nature interpreter at Lake Renwick Heron Rookery, bird guide, and trail sentinel since 2023. While being completely self taught, Kara is a level 2 certified birder for our region in wetlands, woods, grasslands, and shorebirds plus one of the top eBird species leaders in Will County. She is cofounder of the new Illinois-based company Prairie State Birding, offering guided tours and group educational trips both locally and then internationally starting in 2027. Kara’s main job and greatest accomplishment, however, is being a wife and a homeschooling stay-at-home mom of five.