Northern Waterthrush
Parkesia noveboracensis
This bird breeds in the northern part of North America in Canada and the northern United States. Typically, it winters in southern Mexico, the Caribbean and northern South America.
Modern science does not recognize any subspecies of Northern Waterthrush (i.e. they are monotypic).
The behavior of the Northern Waterthrush differs markedly from most warblers. Rather than flit among the branches and leaves of the forest canopy, it searches the ground in dense brush and swampy waters for food. Their bobbing movements are reminiscent of a pipit or Spotted Sandpiper.
The three keys I’ve learned to help with differentiating the Louisiana from the Northern Waterthrush are:
- Leg color
- The Louisiana Waterthrush’s legs are pinkish.
- The Northern Waterthrush’s legs are more brown.
- Throat color
- The Louisiana Waterthrush’s throat is white with no stripes.
- The Northern Waterthrush’s throat is white with dark stripes or checking.
- White line over the eye
- The Louisiana Waterthrush’s eyeline is bolder than the Northern Waterthrush and often wider behind the eye.
- This feature is usually difficult to assess.
My first encounter with this species was with an overwintering bird in the Tijuana River Valley near San Diego. When I traveled to south Texas in the spring of 2020 and 2021, I enjoyed regular meetings during their migration to the higher latitudes of North America. In 2022, I met this bird on its breeding grounds in Alberta, about 50 miles northeast of Jasper.
33 Photos
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Dairy Mart Ponds in the Tijuana River Valley, in the vicinity of San Ysidro, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:10:29 9:26 |
|
Location:
Dairy Mart Ponds |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X2554-NorthernWaterThrush |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Dairy Mart Ponds in the Tijuana River Valley, in the vicinity of San Ysidro, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:10:29 9:30 |
|
Location:
Dairy Mart Ponds |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/200 |
File Name: D3X2574-NorthernWaterThrush |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Dairy Mart Ponds in the Tijuana River Valley, in the vicinity of San Ysidro, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:10:29 9:54 |
|
Location:
Dairy Mart Ponds |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 |
File Name: D3X2597-NorthernWaterThrush |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Dairy Mart Ponds in the Tijuana River Valley, in the vicinity of San Ysidro, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:10:29 9:33 |
|
Location:
Dairy Mart Ponds |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X2581-NorthernWaterThrush |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: I drove to Port Isabel from Brownsville on an errand, then I scouted the neighborhood and roadsides for birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:06 9:14 |
|
Location:
Various Locations |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: NorthernWaterThrush_D500893-PortIsabel-TX |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Most Northern Waterthrushes spend winter in Mexico, Central America and northern South America, but breed in Canada and some northern tier USA locations. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 16:20 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: NorthernWaterThrush_D501256-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Most Northern Waterthrushes spend winter in Mexico, Central America and northern South America, but breed in Canada and some northern tier USA locations. The Convention Center on South Padre Island, Texas is a first rate birding destination. I spent several hours in the morning and several more in the afternoon on this day. |
Date Taken: 2020:04:30 16:20 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: NorthernWaterThrush_D501268-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes spend most of their foraging time on the ground. My second full day on South Padre Island, Texas was less birdy than my first day, but still I met some great birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:02 15:44 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/320 |
File Name: NorthernWaterThrush_D502732-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes spend most of their foraging time on the ground. My second full day on South Padre Island, Texas was less birdy than my first day, but still I met some great birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:02 15:44 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/400 |
File Name: NorthernWaterThrush_D502742-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes spend most of their foraging time on the ground. My second full day on South Padre Island, Texas was less birdy than my first day, but still I met some great birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:02 15:46 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/800 |
File Name: NorthernWaterThrush_D502802-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes spend most of their foraging time on the ground. My second full day on South Padre Island, Texas was less birdy than my first day, but still I met some great birds. |
Date Taken: 2020:05:02 15:49 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D500, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/1600 |
File Name: NorthernWaterThrush_D502819-South-Padre |
| © 2020 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Waterthrushes seem to enjoy the enormous water feature at the Birding and Nature Center. I had an exceptional day at the SPI Convention Centre. I met three new bird species: Veery, Dickcissel, and Black-Billed Cuckoo. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:15 14:02 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island WBC |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_D5X6060-SPI_BirdNatureCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Waterthrushes seem to enjoy the enormous water feature at the Birding and Nature Center. I had an exceptional day at the SPI Convention Centre. I met three new bird species: Veery, Dickcissel, and Black-Billed Cuckoo. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:15 14:02 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island WBC |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_D5X6044-SPI_BirdNatureCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Waterthrushes seemed to be everywhere on the Convention Centre grounds. This weekend provided the “perfect storm” for a warbler fallout on South Padre Island; a cold north wind, rain, and a ton of birds trying to head north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:17 13:36 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_D5X7043-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Waterthrushes seemed to be everywhere on the Convention Centre grounds. This weekend provided the “perfect storm” for a warbler fallout on South Padre Island; a cold north wind, rain, and a ton of birds trying to head north. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:17 13:36 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/350 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_D5X7066-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Waterthrushes performed the bobbing dances while fueling up for the flight ahead. Sunday was the 2nd day of the great warbler fallout, but unlike Saturday’s expedition, the sun shone through to light her subjects. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:18 14:03 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_D5X8021-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Waterthrushes performed the bobbing dances while fueling up for the flight ahead. Sunday was the 2nd day of the great warbler fallout, but unlike Saturday’s expedition, the sun shone through to light her subjects. |
Date Taken: 2021:04:18 14:08 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1500 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_D5X8090-SPI_ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes seem to have a prolonged migration through Texas, or this bird was just unusually late. I began and ended my last day on South Padre Island, visiting the grounds that treated me to so many encounters with migrant birds. Between these times I walked out to the sand flats north of the Convention Centre to look for shorebirds and terns. |
Date Taken: 2021:05:08 9:00 |
|
Location:
Convention Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/350 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_D5X7220_SPI-ConventionCtr |
| © 2021 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: I was excited to finally find a Northern Waterthrush on its breeding grounds during my hike around the Beaver Boardwalk in Hinton Alberta. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:26 12:19 |
|
Location:
Beaver Boardwalk |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/9.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8503316-Hinton.AB-BeaverBoardwalk |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: I was excited to finally find a Northern Waterthrush on its breeding grounds during my hike around the Beaver Boardwalk in Hinton Alberta. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:26 12:20 |
|
Location:
Beaver Boardwalk |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/9.0, 1/1250 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8503325-Hinton.AB-BeaverBoardwalk |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: I was excited to finally find a Northern Waterthrush on its breeding grounds during my hike around the Beaver Boardwalk in Hinton Alberta. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:26 12:20 |
|
Location:
Beaver Boardwalk |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/9.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8503339-Hinton.AB-BeaverBoardwalk |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: I was excited to finally find a Northern Waterthrush on its breeding grounds during my hike around the Beaver Boardwalk in Hinton Alberta. |
Date Taken: 2022:05:26 12:22 |
|
Location:
Beaver Boardwalk |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/9.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8503359-Hinton.AB-BeaverBoardwalk |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: I don’t believe a single day passed during my fall migration visit to South Padre Island that I didn’t meet at least one Northern Waterthrush. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:15 13:44 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/125 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8503187-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: I don’t believe a single day passed during my fall migration visit to South Padre Island that I didn’t meet at least one Northern Waterthrush. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:15 13:42 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/200 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8503140-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: I don’t believe a single day passed during my fall migration visit to South Padre Island that I didn’t meet at least one Northern Waterthrush. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:15 13:42 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/200 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8503131-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes bounce as they walk through the moistened understory on South Padre Island, in search of invertebrate morsels. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:08 13:02 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/125 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8509829-SPI.Convention.Ctr_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes are entertaining to watch as they forage in the damp places they love. I met them in Canada this spring, and both there and here on South Padre Island, their bob-bob-bobbing-along dances make me smile. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:06 15:54 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8509211-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes are entertaining to watch as they forage in the damp places they love. I met them in Canada this spring, and both there and here on South Padre Island, their bob-bob-bobbing-along dances make me smile. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:06 15:54 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/200 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8509207-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes breed in latitudes as far north as Alaska and Canada. Traveling south for the winter, a few may stay in southmost Texas, but most will continue into Mexico, or even as far as northern South America. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:05 10:17 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Covention Cen |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8508589-SPI.ConventionCentre |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes sang their loud songs throughout these woodlands. The best location in Fort Nelson to meet birds is Demonstration Forest at the northwest corner of town. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:24 10:23 |
|
Location:
Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: NorthernWaterThrush_8504096-FortNelson.BC_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes sang their loud songs throughout these woodlands. The best location in Fort Nelson to meet birds is Demonstration Forest at the northwest corner of town. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:24 10:40 |
|
Location:
Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/4000 |
File Name: NorthernWaterThrush_8504168-FortNelson.BC_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: Northern Waterthrushes sang their loud songs throughout these woodlands. The best location in Fort Nelson to meet birds is Demonstration Forest at the northwest corner of town. |
Date Taken: 2022:06:24 11:09 |
|
Location:
Fort Nelson Demonstration Forest |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/6400 |
File Name: NorthernWaterThrush_8504215-FortNelson.BC_ |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Northern Waterthrush(Parkesia noveboracensis) |
|
Description: I spent time with Northern Waterthrushes in Canada during my 2022 expedition through North America. It’s likely this bird will move south to Mexico, or further for the winter. Spend a day at the SPI Bird and Nature Center (BNC) and there will surely be some interesting birds for your entertainment. |
Date Taken: 2022:09:03 10:46 |
|
Location:
South Padre Island Nature Center |
|
Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/640 |
File Name: NorthernWaterthrush_8507953-SPI-BirdNatureCenter |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Click map markers to reveal further information
