During my recent SONGBIRDS OF PELEE WORKSHOP, a Bay-breasted warbler pauses for a split second at eye level during migration at Point Pelee National Park.
Bay-breasted Warblers eat eastern spruce budworm, a native but often destructive insect. The two species are so closely tied that budworm outbreaks (or declines) affect the warbler's population. Bay-breasted Warbler's overall population has dropped about 74 percent since 1966, likely due in part to pesticide use to control the budworm.