Yellow-rumped Warbler Identification

This past weekend it was gorgeous in New England. We had temperatures in the 90s in Bridgewater and I took advantage, doing yard work and going birding on Sunday. I've help out hope for the diversity of birds in the Stiles & Hart conservation area behind our house, and sure enough I saw warblers! And here I thought I had to travel all the way to Boston-area parks in order to see migratory warblers...

I picked up on their call and found a group of 3 or so among saplings and low bushes. The area small trees covered an area passing over a creek connecting two of the ponds in Stiles & Hart. I stopped and watched them for probably a half hour and even saw a Northern Waterthrush walking along and pecking at the edges of the creek but unfortunately didn't get a picture.

It was very difficult photographing them between the emerging leaves, but here are some of the best pictures. I will also point out some tips for male yellow-rumped warbler identification.

First, I notice the black inverted "V" on its breast:

Then I look for the tell-tale "yellow rump" and yellow mark on its crown:

Next I look for the yellow markings on the sides of its breast:

Here are some other great pictures I think help give different perspectives of the bird:

Difference Between Grackles and Starlings

I saw a sad sight today during my lunchtime jog—a dead grackle. Or was it a starling? I'll get to that in a minute. I was making my way down to the trail along the Charles River when I saw what I thought was an injured bird in the middle of the road. It was just sitting there and I figured it was just stunned or maybe had an injured wing. The bird probably didn't have much of a chance, but the least I could move it out of the road. As I got closer to the bird I saw it had its mouth open and then I realized the gruesome truth—it was dead and was frozen in that position. I just got shivers thinking about it. The poor thing. Anyway, so it got me to thinking 'What is the difference between grackles and starlings?' I use the two interchangeably and haven't really made an effort to sort it out. Until now. I like to use All About Birds from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as an online resource. The site is comprehensive and easy to use. (I also really like the 'Cool ...

Killdeer Chick in Yellowstone National Park

These were taken at West Thumb Geyser Basis, along the beach. It was really cool to get to watch these little chicks up close and personal. I had never seen Killdeer chicks before- only adults. These pictures are from our trip to Montana/Wyoming in July 2012.

Indigo Bunting at Mt. Auburn Cemetery- Lifer!

I was so excited to see my first Indigo Bunting today. I quickly ran over to Mt. Auburn during lunch to take advantage of peak warbler season before it's over. I'm going to be in San Francisco for work all next week so I fear by the time I get back the birds will have moved on. There were a lot of birders there today and of course lots of activity around the Dell. That's where I saw a flash of blue fly into the undergrowth at the edge of the water. None of the other birders with scopes set up were bothering to look at it. I'm assuming they had already seen it and were focusing on other more exciting birds- such as the pair of screech owls that have been reported at the Dell recently. Here is where I first sighted him at the edge of the water. There was also a female cardinal there splashing around trying to cool off. He then flew up into the bushes on top of the wall behind the Dell, where I got a better picture. I was very pleased with the day! It's addicting tho...

BirdingGirl

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