[texbirds] Blackpoll Warbler (warblers?) still in Lubbock
- From: Anthony Hewetson <terrverts@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: "texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <texbirds@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "leas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <leas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 1 May 2012 18:24:30 -0700 (PDT)
Greetings All:
I spent from 5:00 to 7:00 this evening doing nothing but working the berm that
separated the playas at Clapp Park. When I arrived, I was hoping to get on the
male Blackpoll Warbler seen by Cameron Carver and Clayton (Ross) Rickett the
day before ... but things did not work out that way.
On the way to the berm I picked up a late American Wigeon on the south Playa as
well as 1 male Wood Duck, 3 White-faced Ibises, 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, 2 Least
Sandpipers, 1 Gray Catbird, 7 Chipping Sparrows, and 1 female Painted Bunting.
The first warbler I saw at the berm was a Yellow-rumped (figures) and second
was a Wilson's (big whoop!). The third was, so far as I can tell from looking
at the National Geographic Guide, the Sibley Guide, and the Peterson Field
Guide to Warblers, a female Blackpoll Warbler. I only saw the bird twice; once
poking its head out from some foliage (I got a good look at the streaked crown,
the facial pattern and the pale throat) and once as it perched on a stick in
dense foliage (which afforded me good looks at the anterior 2/3rds of the bird
(good looks at two prominent white wingbars, white below with no hint of yellow
and several rows of black streaks running backward along the flanks, a
whitish/grayish face patch, a whitish line above the eye and below the eye -
split by a dark eyeline). I realize that some female Yellow-rumped Warblers
can be drab but even a drab spring 'Audubon's" should show some evidence of
yellow in the flanks - and would lack
the fine streaks on the crown. More to the point; we've got no shortage of
female Yellow-rumped Warblers in town right now ... and this was no
butterbutt. The abundance of black streaks along the flank and the absence of
yellowish-orange in the throat and flanks rules out female Bay-breasted
Warbler. So far as I know, there is naught else to worry about in the way of
spring female warblers.
At some point both Cameron Carver and Steve Collins showed up - and despite our
best efforts my warbler could not be relocated ... though Steve did have his
eyes on a likely candidate for a short time; a candidate that ultimately went
unidentified.
Cameron and I did, however, stumble across 1 Snowy Egret, 2 Solitary
Sandpipers, 1 Orange-crowned Warbler, and 1 Yellow-rumped Warbler while walking
along the berm.
At this point I returned to where Steve Collins was ardently working the
thicket and trees at the west end of the berm and we scared up 1 Hermit Thrush,
2 Orange-crowned Warblers, 1 Yellow Warbler, at least 3 Yellow-rumped Warblers,
1 female and 2 male Wilson's Warblers, and 1 American Goldfinch. Additionally,
Steve flushed out 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet and 1 male Orchard Oriole - though I
do not think he saw these birds. I know that I did not see as many canopy
birds as he did but am not too worried as I think it was just a small horde of
Yellow-rumped Warblers:)
The most frustrating thing happened at about 6:25 or so - when the male
Blackpoll Warbler popped up and posed, next to a male 'Audubon's' Yellow-rumped
Warbler on a bare branch - just long enough for me to identify it ... but not
long enough for Steve to work his way around to see it.
A Peregrine Falcon flew over at one point and was observed by all three of us.
Anthony 'Fat Tony' Hewetson, Lubbock; signing off and soon to be on his way to
Port Aransas for the spring TOS meeting - WooHoo!
Other highlights seen along/from the berm:
Other related posts:
- » [texbirds] Blackpoll Warbler (warblers?) still in Lubbock - Anthony Hewetson
