Late December Cape May Warbler

You usually don't see many "good" feeder birds while living in the heart of overpopulated (in my opinion) Lansing, Michigan. However, my dad has been playing host to a confused and hearty Cape May Warbler since December 4th, 2012. Luckily for the warbler, the weather has been very mild... some might even say warm for this time of year.

The first big test for this warbler came last night/today as a few inches of blowing snow fell. And yet, the bird persists. These birds can be tough. A quick search of eBird shows a few historical November/December records among the Great Lakes region.

The Cape May Warbler enjoys feeding under the suet feeder on scraps dropped by the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, House Sparrows and Starlings. I helped it out today by breaking up a few extra pieces of suet and scattering them on the ground.

The latest Cape May I could find for Michigan was a record at a private feeder until December 20th. Does anyone know of any other late December or January records for Michigan? Ohio has a January record via eBird, but that is all I can find.

Hopefully it sticks until the new year. That sure would be a nice way to start!