Hiding in the reeds

There were a number of common yellowthroats foraging in the large phragmites patch alongside the railbed this morning. It was difficult to get a shot, as they are constantly in motion, but I did manage to get this female.

Common warbler

This female common yellowthroat was busily moving about a downed gray birch tree at the marsh on Saturday. I heard its chep call before I saw it. Checking last year's photo catalog, I found that the latest shot I had of one of these birds was on November 4th. Although September is their usual departure time, apparently it is not uncommon for some to remain on their breeding range through winter.

Bird menagerie

Yesterday, in the same chokecherry tree in which I had seen the male common yellowthroat on the 15th, I found a female, perhaps his mate. Actually, the tree was full of birds, likely attacted by the berries. Besides the yellowthroat, I saw in the tree or saw fly out of it, a yellow warbler, a purple finch, a robin, and a very indignant catbird! Here's the female yellowthroat (bottom), and the female purple finch (top).

Making an appearance

I was happy with this find this morning. I first saw the female common yellowthroat, and then as luck would have it her mate appeared in the tree nearby. I find these birds especially difficult to catch out in the open.

Evasive wood-warbler

I heard the sharp pik of this female common yellowthroat this morning, as it was moving around some blackberry bushes. When she flew up on this dried weed stem, I was able to get a shot.

He may be masked, but he's no threat

Yesterday I got this year's first glimpse of a male common yellowthroat. I have heard these warblers singing their witchity, witchity, witchity song occasionally at the marsh, but they're not always easy to spot. Some call the yellowthroat our only true wetland warbler, as they favor marsh edges and other brushy areas near water, although they have also adapted to drier habitats. It may be partly for this reason that their numbers appear to be increasing, unlike many of the other warblers.

Late leaver

The nicer weather today seemed to bring out more birds at the marsh, including this one which I'm pretty sure is a female Common Yellowthroat. I found it in a multiflower rose bush; I certainly didn't expect to see one here in November! (I applied a poster edges filter to sharpen the image.)

Leaving soon

I was surprised to see this female Common Yellowthroat at the marsh this morning, but apparently they remain here into early October. So it might be the last sighting I make this year.

Calling the wild

Fog to start off with again today. Several bird calls greeted me from among the cattails alongside the the trail. I 'returned the call' and waited to see what would appear. Eventually a swamp sparrow, a savannah sparrow, and then this female Common Yellowthroat emerged from the vegetation. It takes patience to get them to come out in the open, but well worth the wait.

Warbler of the marsh

Several varieties of songbirds were also present at the marsh this morning. I saw a number of Common Yellowthroats moving about in the undergrowth close to the water's edge. I was happy to see them, as it had been some time since I had sighted one. I worked hard to get a shot of one; this shot of a juvenile male was the best I could do. You can see his black face mask beginning to show.

The Masked Warbler

The marsh is ideal habitat for the Common Yellowthroat. This male was seen on May 12th.