The labor day weekend was spent at home with the family. I did get out for some local birding but I could not turn up anything interesting in this heat. Tuesday I made a trip to Raleigh to get some immigration paperwork straightened out and I managed to get a Blue-Winged Warbler at Schenck Forest but he flew before I could get a picture.
Today started out super slow. I dropped my mom at the airport and headed to the Battleship to see if I could scare up a Virginia Rail before work. No luck in that dept.
So I decided to check Governor's Rd to check on a potential Northern Waterthrush that Greg heard a couple days before. Dipped on that too.
Finally I swung by Greenfield Lake on the way home and checked the Amphitheater. BINGO!! Persistence pays.
This little warbler was different than nearby Pine Warblers and just had a different jizz. After getting a couple decent looks I knew this was a Bay-breasted or a Blackpoll, so the process of elimination began.
Although the bird had some white near vent, it was mostly yellow/orange all the way to tail. Also, the legs were definitely not yellow which is hard to tell from these photos but I got great looks with binos. I watched the bird for a good 15 minutes and I was convinced this was a Bay Breasted in fall plumage.
Whitish wing bars, yellowish nape and sides of neck, yellow all they way to vent.
There was some very faint streaking on breast but it was not enough to convince me this was a Blackpoll. All the other field marks point to Bay Breasted.
Here you can see Yellow color near vent. A Blackpoll would not have this. Also, legs are clearly dark here.
I had a Bay Breasted with breeding plumage at Jackson Park in the Spring but did not get a picture, so this bird is helping me catch up on the gap between seen and photographed birds which is about 15 strong now.
Update: Greg thinks this is just a weird looking juvenile Pine Warbler. I value his opinion enough that I am not going to count this bird. Oh well, I will have to find another Bay-breasted with more definitive field marks.
I agree, it is most likely a weird-colored Pine Warbler. I saw one today that was much too yellow - probably fresh plumage. As for your list, you are about to hit 300 birds photographed in NC in a year! That is a wonderful accomplishment - considering you have a fulltime job and a family. Once you're retired, you can try to beat your own record....!
ReplyDeleteMost people don't SEE 300 birds in NC in a year, let along photograph them. Wow!
I know the frustrating of missing out on migrants. I got out on Monday 9/1 and saw basically nothing (except the White-Rumped Sandpiper, that was nice... sorry!) My trip on Saturday was also dull. Too hot and sticky for migrants.. and yet everyone around me seems to be seeing fantastic things! Plus,I threw my back out Tuesday, so I missed a trip to American Turf Farm on Sunday 9/7. My friends got Life Birds and all I got was a nap in my EZ chair with some pain medicine!
Anyway, I am so impressed with your accomplishment, and you really have a lot of migration time left, and a big chunk of late fall/early winter to get the missing birds.
Erla
Your list of "Most Wanted" birds is very helpful.
ReplyDeleteI guess your best bet is to keep checking the carolina listserv and ebird for sightings.
"I get by with a little help from my friends" (and fellow birders, whether I know them or not).
I aligned your list of "missing" birds with birds that have been reported in September in NC.
Most are out of your range, but a couple of them are within striking distance.
The big problem is, so many of these birds are "one day wonders".
They are MIGRATING, so off they fly that night, never to be seen in these parts again.
Still, it may be worth checking out these various ebird checklists from September.
Good luck!
(Hope these links will be allowed to appear in the comments).
Seen in NC Sept 2014 as of 09/07/14
Gray Kingbird:
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19644334
Hudsonian Godwit
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19641260
Nashville Warbler
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19647506
Northern Waterthrush
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19760329
Olive-sided Flycatcher
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19763330
Swainson's Thrush
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19759728
Tennessee Warbler
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19642907
Wilson's Warbler
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19736013
Yellow-headed Blackbird
http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S19637892
= = = = = = =
Erla
One more comment (not to be a nuisance): HOW do you decide which bird makes it onto your "wanted" list? To clarify: I KNOW you are listing birds that have been recorded in NC but have NOT been photographed by you... but some birds are missing from your list. Like the Ruff/Reeve... which is a vagrant, but has been seen several times in NC. Erla
ReplyDeleteHello Erla, it's definitely not a comprehensive list, I used the little pocket checklist they gave at the CBC meeting. However anything not on that list will show up on my eBird alerts. Thanks for linking those eBird reports of birds I don't have. However I already get those reports via email. The Gray Kingbird was only seen by one person and so I didn't chase it as it's 5-6 hour drive. The godwit I definitely have some regrets about but that's a five hour drive too. The yellow-headed blackbird was six hours drive and I have one for the year, just need a pic. The warblers I plan to get this weekend, stay tuned.
ReplyDelete