[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]
Posted by Trey Mitchell on 18:17:47 11/26/05
This morning I went into ENP looking for Nuthatches and Sparrows with out any
luck.
My oldest son, Matthew (18) went along for the ride. We hit all of the regular
stops and had a fun morning seeing many of the expected birds.
Matt hadn't been with me to the park before, nor has he ever birded with me. It
made for a much more enjoyable time seeing many of the more common species. I
was surprised by his excitement seeing and photographing birds and other
wildlife he hadn't seen before.
Anyway around 10:30 am, at Mahogany Hammock I spotted what I thought was a
Black-throated Green or a Blackburnian Warbler. I thought to myself it can't be
a Blackburnian because the color on the face was yellow instead of orange, but
the ring around the eye on the face was black and it had a black cap. So I
thought it was a Black-throated Green because of yellow on the checks, but once
again the black around the eye and the black cap didn't fit.
The only bird with these particular features is the Townsend's Warbler, but that
doesn't fit because it is a California bird.
I got a good look at the bird, but while I was looking at it I didn't realize
that I may be seeing a Townsend's. By the time I pulled up the camera and
followed the bird in and out of the branches, it flew behind some brush and I
didn't see it again. I checked the call of the Townsend's in my guide and heard
something like what was described, but the Black-throated Green has a similar
call. I looked for around a half hour but we had to start heading back home.
What I saw looked just like the Townsend's warbler in my guides, but I sure
would like to have seen it again after realizing what it was or gotten a photo
to confirm what I saw. If this was a rare eastern bird I would say for sure that
I saw a Townsend's Warbler, but being that it doesn't belong here causes me
doubt, but not much.
I plan to make another trip down just to look for the Townsend's and get a
photo, but it would be nice if someone else could confirm what I saw.
Boy its tough being a photographer when you miss an opportunity like the one I
had this morning. Also comes the expectations that I should get the photo,
especially with an uncommon sighting.
Here are some photos from today.
Great Blue Heron
Black Vulture
Flower ???
Dwarf Cypress
White-eyed Vireo
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Northern Parula
American Kestrel
American Alligator
Butterfly ???
Life is good, but I sure want a photo of the bird that I saw at Mahogany
Hammock.
[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ TAS BirdBoard ] [ FAQ ]