A New Bird!

While walking at a river park this week, I noticed lots of little, unfamiliar birds flitting about over the flooded shoreline.  They were too small or were the wrong shape to be the usual lot - robins, cardinals, woodpeckers.  They were fast, and barely rested on any given branch - so it was hard to get a good picture.

In the dim light I couldn't make out any distinguishing marks.  I just knew that they seemed unfamiliar.  The photo below is typical of what I saw.

The bird is below and to the right of center, sitting atop the branch sticking up out of the water - a fuzzy blur.  I took over fifty pictures - trying to get a good, clear shot.

When I got home, I was able to zoom in on the little creatures, and was thrilled to discover that I had photographed a new bird!  Just look at this beauty:

Yellow feathers!  I was amazed.  I didn't know we had any of these around here.  It was a yellow-rumped warbler.  Range maps show that they migrate through this area.  What a find!

The next day, at a different location, I had a similar experience.  There were some little birds in the brush and I couldn't tell what they were for sure, but I had my suspicions.  Here's a typical shot out of about thirty I took that day:

The bird in question is just below and to the right of center.

Imagine my delight when I got home and was able to verify what I had photographed:

This is a male.

Both birds shown here have yellow spots on their crowns, breasts, and rumps.  Both also have a thin, white eyebrow, which distinguishes the Myrtle yellow-rumped warbler from the Audubon's yellow-rumped warbler.

I'm so glad I was able to see these little birds in action as they swooped around the swamp and snapped up numberless midges, and played in the sunny brush near the water.  They will not remain here long as they generally arrive at their northern breeding grounds in late April.