[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

<Mourning Warbler



Hi - went out yesterday after the rain here at Weymouth Woods - SNP to
look for migrants and found a Mourning warbler. I had stopped to pish at
a small bridge on James Creek known as Moccasin Crossing, (named for the
fact that there is often a cottonmouth here), and was sorting thru a
mixed flock of chickadees, titmice, black&white warbler, black throated
blue etc.. I noticed a rather drab olive brown backed warbler with
conspicuous thin white crescents above and below the eye. This bird was
app. 30 feet away and I was able to observe it for app. 2-3 minutes.
This bird was yellowish below including under tail coverts with a
whitish throat and pink legs. The bird hopped along branches as it
foraged. There was also a female common yellowthroat in the same area
that I was able to compare it against. The yellowthroat was smaller,
often cocking its tail upright like a wren and had a complete eye ring.
In addition the yellowthroat was giving its raspy call note. The
Mourning warbler never vocalized. It also seemed to me that the bill was
more "substantial" than the other warblers around it. When I got back to
the office I looked at the Dunn/Garrett  Peterson warbler book and the
bird I saw looked like the first fall individual photograph shown on
page 501

Today, Sunday, had several Swainson's thrush, Wood thrush and Gray
cheeked type thrushes feeding on dogwood and grapes. Counted at least 4
Swainsons, 6 Wood and 2 Gray cheek types in the same area in about 10
minutes of observing.

Scott Hartley
Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve
Southern Pines, NC
weymouth@pinehurst.net