Posted by Roberto on July 29, 2002 at 17:27:26:
Just got back from Matheson Hammock where I was collecting some plants, and saw something I'd never seen before. Please help identify. The bird is about the size of a parula (lots of them there now)but a little slimmer. Color is reddish-brown, like a bright rust. Tail underneath is white, with a wide, black band at the end. The most distinctive feature is a very distinctive red bar on the head, just over the eyes. I think the bar is on both sides of the head, couldn't tell if it is a cap since I did not have binoculars, but the bird did come fairly close and stayed for a while. It was heavily calling, with a two-part, high-pitched sort of whistling call. Please don't ask me to try to repeat it! Does anyone have any idea what it is. I saw it on the western Matheson trail (the dog trail)leading away from the parking lot on the west side of Old Cutler. If you go about 200 yards down the trail, you will get to a spot about 50 feet before the first left bend that has some trees on the right with very few leaves. The bird was calling in one of those trees. Look forward to a response! With my luck, it's probably a trash bird, but one I never saw before. Other birds include parulas, red-eyed vireos, and tons of B/G gnatcatchers. Thanks.