Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Appearance:
Small songbird
Olive upperparts
Grey wings with two white wing bars
Yellow breast with streaks on flanks
Yellow face with dark cheek patch and stripe across eye
Yellow crescent below eye
Thin, pointed bill
White outer tail feathers
Male: (photographed)
     Black cap, cheek patch, eye stripe and throat
Female & Immature:
     Olive cap, cheek patch and eye stripe
     Yellow throat
 
Listen to its call.

This handsome bird stopped into the Pedder Bay banding station on the weekend, along with a variety of other warblers. Migration is in full swing as these birds head south to winter in Mexico and Central America.

Learn more about the Townsend's Warbler. 

MacGillivray's Warbler

Geothlypis tolmiei 

Appearance:
Stocky, sluggish warbler
Olive upperparts
Yellow underparts
White crescent above and below eye
Full gray hood, covering head, nape and throat
Male:
     Dark, charcoal gray hood
     Black area in front of eyes
Female:
     Paler gray hood
Immature: (photographed)
     Whitish-gray chin and throat

Listen to its call.

I haven't read anywhere that MacGillivray's Warblers have particularly short tails but this little one sure did. In fact, it was almost non-existent as can be seen in the picture below.  Anyone have any insight on this?

UPDATE:  Since my original post, I have discovered that this hatch year bird was probably going through its preformative molt. Typically during this molt, not all of the feathers are replaced.  However, I read that juveniles sometimes lose their entire tail prematurely and when it regrows it features adult rectrices.

Learn more about the MacGillivray's Warbler. 

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Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Appearance:
Small songbird
Yellow underparts and face
Olive green back
Dark wings and tail
Male:
     Black cap

 Listen to its call. 

Day two of banding turned up a number of new birds for me, including this hatch year, male Wilson's Warbler.  What a handsome bird! It's not surprising they call a group of warblers a 'bouquet'.

Learn more about the Wilson's Warbler.

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icteria virens

Appearance:
Medium-sized songbird
Thick bill
Long tail
Bright yellow chest and throat
Olive-green back
White spectacles
White belly and undertail

Listen to its call.

This bird, a rarity for Victoria, has been sighted many times in the last week feeding on suet in a private yard in Gordon Head. I had the good fortune to catch sight of it on my first visit to the residence today, which was a relief. It felt rather odd to be loitering in a stranger's driveway, camera in hand, waiting for the bird's appearance. Some of the neighbours must have thought so as well as we were getting some funny looks from people in the cars passing by.

Learn more about the Yellow-breasted Chat.

Black-throated Gray Warbler

Dendroica nigrescens  

female

Appearance:

Small songbird

Black-marked, gray upperparts

White face and underparts

Black streaks on flanks

Black mask and crown

Male has black throat

Dark wings with two white wingbars

Small yellow spot in front of eye

Black bill and legs

Listen to its call.

immature

I have to admit, the bird to the left really had me stumped. I couldn't find anything like it in the bird books. So, as usual, I contacted a birding authority for advice. She identified it as a young Black-throated Gray Warbler; apparently only the adults have black throats. In spite her expertise, I'm still a bit hesitant about this identification because of its yellow-tinged underparts. So, please feel free to correct (or confirm) this classification.

Learn more about the Black-throated Gray Warbler.

Yellow Warbler

Dendroica petechia

Appearance:
Small songbird
Bright yellow underparts
Yellow-green upperparts
Plain yellow face
Prominent, dark eye
Yellow eye-ring
Thin, pointed bill
Short-tail
Yellow tail spots
Male: (not photographed)
   Reddish-brown breast streaks
Female:
   Duller, no breast streaks
  
Listen to its call.

This is just one of the many birds I saw at Rithet's Bog last weekend. Although its yellow plumage is similar to many female and immature warblers, there are a number of features on this bird that I was able to use for identification. The large, dark eye and yellow in the tail feathers are characteristics unique to Yellow Warblers. However, I'm not sure whether it's a female or a young bird (or perhaps a young female). Although the slate-coloured bill in the photo above is typical of the adult Yellow Warbler, the pale bill in the photo below suggests a young bird.  This is an example of how the wrong light angle can result in problems with identification.

Learn more about the Yellow Warbler.

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Appearance:
Olive above
Plain wings
Whitish-gray belly
Yellow throat, breast and undertail
Male:
  Black 'bandit' mask, bordered by white above
Female: (not photographed)
  No mask
  Browner

Listen to its call.

This small warbler led me on a merry chase this afternoon in my attempt to photograph it. It was foraging in the dense undergrowth near Panama Flats, almost hidden by the thick vegetation. To get this shot, I had to wade through the shoulder-high grasses in which he was skulking. Who knows what else may have been in there? Thankfully, I didn't think of that until after I was back on the walking path. 

Learn more about the Common Yellowthroat.

Orange-crowned Warbler

Vermivora celata

Appearance:
Small bird
Yellow underparts
Yellow undertail coverts
Blurry streaks on chest
Grayish-olive back and wings
No wing bars
Orange crown patch rarely visible
Thin, pointed bill
Dark line through eye
Broken eye-ring

Listen to its song.

Finally, a new bird!  It seems like forever since I've seen one.  I'd just about given up hope. 


Taking advantage of the sunshine this afternoon, I went for a walk up Mount Tolmie. To add to my enjoyment, a large number of birds were out and about. I spotted this little fellow perched in a tree by the side of the path. Most field guides describe this bird as rather drab and non-descript. However, the bright yellow plumage on this one made it jump out at me. Well, not really; I was speaking figuratively. Actually, he just sat there checking things out before scooting into the shrubbery to hide. On further research, I discovered that there are actually four subspecies of the Orange-crowned Warbler. The Pacific Coast form, lutescens, is the brightest yellow.

Learn more about the Orange-crowned Warbler.

Additional photos:

Yellow-rumped Warbler

Dendroica coronata

Audubon's Warbler - spring male

Appearance:
Small, active bird
Thin, pointed bill (sturdier than most warblers)
Broken eye ring
Yellow rump patch
Small yellow patch at side of chest
White spots in tail
Myrtle:  White throat (may be dull buff in some young birds)

Audubon's:  Yellow throat
Male:

    Dark gray head and back

    Small, yellow, crown patch

    Black patches on upper breast extend as streaks onto flanks

    White underparts

    White wing patch
Female: 
    Brownish-gray head
    Brownish-gray back with black streaks
    Indistinct to absent yellow patch on side of breast
    Blurry dark streaking on breast and flanks
    White wing bars

Listen to its song.

My avian quest took me to Blenkinsop Lake today just as a storm rolled in. Fortunately, I was able to get a couple of photos of this bird before the rain really hit. Although the pictures are pretty blurry due to the poor lighting, the brilliant yellow throat and sides are striking. I didn't notice a yellow rump, but it was probably obscured by the wings in its perched position.

Learn more about the Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Additional photos:

Myrtle Warbler

Audubon Warbler - winter