Late yesterday afternoon I stopped for a few minutes on Rt. 648 at
the bridge over Mills Creek, just before you get to the county
landfill, and heard what I thought was an indigo bunting singing from
the top of a tree. I walked back to get a better viewing angle, and
noticed that the song was weird -- high-pitched and "screechy" but
with the notes slurred together and then trailing away, rather than
being in distinct pairs. Also, the tone lacked the harsh "burry"
quality of an indigo bunting. Soon I detected movement at a branchlet
on the very top, directly above me, and was surprised to see not dark
blue feathers but light gray ones. As the bird turned his head while
preening I got a stunning view of a bright yellow throat and a bold
black and white face pattern (black crown and cheeks, white eyebrow).
The tail was small and thin, with barely a trace of darker trim. The
angle of the afternoon sun was perfect for viewing, and I was able to
observe the bird for several minutes before it flew away to a stand
of pine trees. No doubt about it, this was a Yellow-throated warbler,
a life bird for me, and apparently the first of this species observed
in Augusta County since 1992, according to YuLee Larner's book "Birds
of Augusta County."
YES!
--
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Andrew G. Clem
Staunton, VA
agclem@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://home.earthlink.net/~losclems
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