An even later date for Common Yellowthroat today

 

Common Yellowthroat, Slobody Farm Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Jan 28, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, Slobody Farm Conservation Area, Amherst, MA, Jan 28, 2023

I moved my latest date ever for a Common Yellowthroat out a few more days after seeing one today in Amherst.  I set my previous late date just four days before when I had a different individual along the rail trail in Amherst.  Both of these individuals are continuing in the same general location they have been in since December or early January.  I almost didn't even bother to check on this individual this morning as it was a bit breezy but I was passing by the spot so decided to stop.  I have checked this spot a couple other times over the past week or so without seeing or hearing it (I last had it on January 7th when I got some decent photos).  I checked the spot where I had it last and had no luck but as I was walking out I thought I heard a yellowthroat occasionally calling and after a bit of waiting got a recording and a very brief look.  I then spent the next 45 minutes looking and listening and got a few more brief looks as well as another recording as it would call a few times and then go silent.  The bird stayed down low and hardly ever showed itself.  Eventually I got a few blurry photos to go along with the recordings for documentation.  With no big change in the weather until the end of next week when it is forecast to get very cold, I hold out hope that at least one of the two individuals will hold out in the area into February....time will tell.

Record late date for Common Yellowthroat

After a little snow yesterday that kept me inside working on photos from my recent trip to Florida, I headed out this morning to see if either of the two Common Yellowthroats I had in Amherst before I left for my trip were still around.  I struck out on finding the first one that I have only seen once back on the 7th and originally found earlier in the month by John Y.  I then headed to the location of the second individual that I last saw on January 5th...I originally found this individual in early December.  I made it down to the edge of the very flooded marsh and had the bird fly across an area of open water to some other marsh grass and quickly disappear.  It called just once and then did not make another noise.  I then spent the next 45 minutes trying to relocate it to get a photo or recording but no luck.  This becomes my latest date ever for the species by almost a week.  My previous late date was January 17 in 2019 in the exact same area.  I will return to check both locations in the next several days to see if I can get any photos.

Florida Warblers on a trip to the Orlando area and Atlantic coast -January 14-21

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 15, 2023

Palm Warbler 'yellow', Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 15, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 15, 2023

Yellow throated Warbler, Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 15, 2023

Palm Warbler 'western', Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 15, 2023

Orange crowned Warbler, Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 15, 2023

Black and White Warbler, Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 15, 2023

Prairie Warbler, Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 15, 2023

Northern Waterthrush, Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 15, 2023

I'm recently back from a brief trip down to Florida to escape the winter cold back here at home.  I arrived to a rather cool and breezy Orlando on Sunday the 14th and after getting my rental I started working my way north to my Airbnb in northern Orlando with a couple brief stops on the way where I started adding warblers for the trip with the first two being the abundant ‘western’ Palm Warblers and only equally abundant ‘myrtle’ Yellow rumped Warblers.

On my first full day in Florida I headed out on a very frosty morning to Lake Apopka. My first stop was to the North Shore Trailhead in Mount Dora where I arrived before dawn. Once it started getting light the warblers started calling with the vast majority being Palm Warblers, Yellow rumped Warblers and Common Yellowthroats. With the sun up and the temperatures slowly starting to climb I found more new warblers for the trip including Northern Waterthrush, Orange crowned Warbler and Prairie Warbler. I then walked a portion of a nearby loop trail and came across a decent mixed flock that held nine species of warbler including my first Ovenbird, Black and White Warbler, Northern Parula, Pine Warbler and Yellow throated Warbler of the trip. I hit a few other areas along the northern portion of Lake Apopka through the rest of the morning and into the early afternoon and added a new subspecies for the trip with a single ‘yellow’ Palm Warbler. By the end of the first day I had seen eleven species of warblers...a nice start to the vacation. 

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 16, 2023

Palm Warbler 'western', Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 16, 2023

American Redstart, Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 16, 2023

Wilson's Warbler, Trimble Park, Mount Dora, FL, Jan 16, 2023

Wilson's Warbler, Trimble Park, Mount Dora, FL, Jan 16, 2023

Orange crowned Warbler, Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 16, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, Lake Apopka North Shore, FL, Jan 16, 2023

The second day of the trip once again found me heading over to Lake Apopka. It was cool morning but just a couple spots of frost so not as bad as the previous morning. I made my way to the wildlife drive right at dawn and enjoyed having the place much less crowded than the day before. I tried in vain to find a Yellow Warbler as I covered a large portion of the drive. The Common Yellowthroats, Palm Warblers and Yellow rumped Warbler were around in good numbers. After the wildlife drive I headed back down to the North Shore Trailhead to walk the small loop trail where I had a great mixed flock the day before. I walked in and had a few species right away including an unusual American Redstart and got a few marginal photos of it. Otherwise the trail was quiet. I saw a post about another unusual warbler nearby so I headed north to Trimble Park to try to see the Wilson’s Warbler (I have only had the species once before in Florida and that was down in the Everglades back in 2001). I arrived in the park and walked out to the area where the bird has been and seen and after a bit of searching through tons of Yellow rumped Warblers I found it and got some photos. The male showed fairly well and another birded nearby got to see it too. The individual is unique in that it is missing part of its lower mandible but seems to be feeding fine. The park held a total of half a dozen species of warbler. I made a few other short stops on my way back to Orlando and added a couple more warblers for the day and ended the day with ten species of warbler. 

Common Yellowthroat, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Jan 17, 2023

Orange crowned Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Jan 17, 2023

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Jan 17, 2023

Yellow rumped Warblers 'myrtle'  feeding on lily pad insects, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Jan 17, 2023

Yellow throated Warbler, Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Jan 17, 2023

Yellow breasted Chat (still an honorary warbler to me), Orlando Wetlands Park, Christmas, FL, Jan 17, 2023

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', LeRoy Wright Rec Area, Cocoa, FL, Jan 17, 2023

For my last morning in the Orlando area I headed east with a dawn stop at the small LeRoy Wright Park in another fruitless search for a reported Yellow Warbler at the location. I spent over an hour trying to locate the bird without any luck. The habitat looked good for the species but it did not want be seen during my time there. The only warblers at the location were the expected Common Yellowthroats, Palm Warblers and Yellow rumped Warblers. My next stop was up to the Orlando Wetlands Park in the small town of Christmas. I had most of the morning free before I had to go to the airport to pick up Sherri and continue the vacation on the coast and I spent the next three hours at the park with the main goal being to find the overwintering Magnolia Warbler there. I had a frustratingly brief look at the bird down low in some dense vegetation before it disappeared again not to be seen again despite devoting almost half my time there trying. All was not lost as the park was good for other stuff including seven warbler species in total (plus a bonus Yellow breasted Chat, which although no longer considered a warbler it once was). The rest of the day was spent driving with the final destination being the coast outside Fort Pierce. 

Prairie Warbler, Round Island Conservation Area, Vero Beach, FL, Jan 18, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, Round Island Conservation Area, Vero Beach, FL, Jan 18, 2023

Black and White Warbler, Round Island Conservation Area, Vero Beach, FL, Jan 18, 2023

Ovenbird, iPhone shot, North Hutchinson Island beach, Fort Pierce, FL, Jan 18, 2023

The next four nights were spent on North Hutchinson Island and I explored a variety of nearby areas. Wednesday I went as far north as Pelican Island NWR and then worked my way back south over the course of the morning. No new warblers but some decent views of a variety of species with multiple Ovenbirds and Prairie Warblers among a total of seven species for the day. 

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Jack Island State Preserve, Fort Pierce, FL, Jan 19, 2023

American Redstart, Wildcat Cove Preserve, Fort Pierce, FL, Jan 19, 2023

Thursday was another warm day and the first morning I had to contend with mosquitoes. I decided to try a variety of areas close by including Jack Island State Preserve, Wildcat Cove Preserve and a few other beach areas. Overall it was very quiet for birds and I only had five species of warblers with the best being an adult male American Redstart at the end of a multiple mile walk.

Yellow throated Warbler, Fort Pierce Inlet SP, Fort Pierce, FL, Jan 20, 2023

Orange crowned Warbler, Fort Pierce Inlet SP, Fort Pierce, FL, Jan 20, 2023

Palm Warbler 'western', Round Island Conservation Area, Vero Beach, FL, Jan 20, 2023

On Friday I was out early again to some nearby spots before taking a kayak trip at Fort Pierce Inlet SP. I hit Round Island Conservation Area and walked a few miles but didn’t find anything beyond the three expected species there. Kayaking took up most of the rest of the morning and the mangroves also didn’t hold any unexpected warblers. After a quick lunch I headed back to Fort Pierce Inlet SP and despite the heat of the day had a few more species of warblers, bringing the day total up to half a dozen. 

Black and White Warbler, Round Island Conservation Area, Vero Beach, FL, Jan 21, 2023

Northern Parula, Pepper Beach Park, Fort Pierce, FL, Jan 21, 2023

American Redstart, Pepper Beach Park, Fort Pierce, FL, Jan 21, 2023

Prairie Warbler, Pepper Beach Park, Fort Pierce, FL, Jan 21, 2023

Palm Warbler 'western', Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington, FL, Jan 21, 2023

Black and White Warbler, Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Wellington, FL, Jan 21, 2023

On the last full day in Florida I had a couple hours free in the morning before we started the drive south to eventually end up near the Palm Beach Airport for an early flight home on Sunday morning.  I started off at Round Island (both the conservation area and the waterfront park) and had the expected species there.  I also briefly tried Wildcat Cove but the mosquitoes were too bad to go too far.  I was about ready to just head back to our lodging to pack up but instead decided to try the small Pepper Beach Park nearby and I was glad I did.  I ran across a great mixed flock that contained seven species plus a very interesting calling individual that I was never able to see in the mangroves.  I ran out of time and had to tear myself away.  We then drove down south with an hour plus stop at Jonathan Dickinson SP mid morning (featuring a lot of Pine Warblers) and then a nearly two hour stop at Peaceful Waters Sanctuary in the afternoon.  This small park was quite active but I failed to turn up a hoped for Yellow Warbler once again.  Overall a nice day for warblers with a total of ten species.

Total warblers for the trip came to 14 species (Ovenbird, Northern Waterthrush, Black and White Warbler, Orange crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, American Redstart, Northern Parula, Magnolia Warbler, Palm Warbler, Pine Warbler, Yellow rumped Warbler, Yellow throated Warbler, Prairie Warbler and Wilson’s Warbler).  I tried to find some new warblers for my Florida list but no luck on this trip so my Florida list stays at 22 species of warblers.

Information on birds and other stuff for the trip at the following link.

Another Yellow rumped Warbler

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2023

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2023

Yellow rumped Warbler 'myrtle', Mitch's Way, Hadley, MA, Jan 10, 2023

After getting out of work this morning I headed across the river to Hadley to try again in relocating a Yellow rumped Warbler I had in the area during early and mid December of 2022.  I tried to find the individual a few days ago but came up empty and I was afraid something had happened to the bird but I thought I would give it a few more tries before giving up on it as overwintering warblers can be tough to track down sometimes.  I was happy to see it is still surviving the winter in the same general area.  This makes at least four individual warblers in the county for the month with another Yellow rumped Warbler in the East Meadows and an amazing two Common Yellowthroats in Amherst (individual #1 and #2).  With no big cool downs or snow storms on the immediate horizon perhaps they will all continue into February...time will tell.  I will certainly be looking them all again as well as trying to turn up others in the area.

A second Common Yellowthroat in January!

 

Common Yellowthroat, Amherst, MA, Jan 7, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, Amherst, MA, Jan 7, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, Amherst, MA, Jan 7, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, Amherst, MA, Jan 7, 2023

Common Yellowthroat (second individual seen nearby a couple days before)., Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jan 5, 2023 

Hot on the heels of one I had a couple days ago I had another Common Yellowthroat this morning in Amherst.  This individual is different from the one I had along the rail trail on Thursday with the one on Thursday having a partial mask and the bird today being a female with no mask.  The one today is almost certainly the same one John Y. found in the same area several days ago.  I had tried for this bird a couple days ago and failed to relocate it.  I was out in the area again this morning and although I was really starting to fade, I decided to give the bird one more try before I headed home to rest a bit.  I walked in along a muddy and slushy path to the general area where John had it and started looking for it.  There was a group of chickadees in the area and as I watched them I thought I heard a yellowthroat call.  I pished a few times and saw a flash of yellow deep in a thicket and a quick look with the binoculars showed a beautiful Common Yellowthroat...a great way to finish my morning and make me forget how tired I was getting.  I got a few photos as it worked its way through a marshy thicket.  The bird only called a handful of times so would be easy to overlook. Having one Common Yellowthroat in the area is amazing but to have to within just a short distance is on another level for this area in January.  Before these two birds I had only had a single Common Yellowthroat sighting in the entire time period of January-March here (my first was in January 2019) in Hampshire County.  There are just a handful of records for the species in all of western mass for winter.  I suspect the continued above normal temperatures and lack of snow cover is allowing for the species to survive into winter.  I'm sure there are more individuals out there just waiting to be found so I encourage everyone to take a look and listen in any marshy areas.

Common Yellowthroat in January!

 

Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jan 5, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jan 5, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Jan 5, 2023

Common Yellowthroat, Rail trail, Amherst, MA, Dec 6, 2022 (comparison photo showing same plumage as the bird today)

I was feeling better enough to go out for a longer walk today and I decided to follow up on a Common Yellowthroat sighting from yesterday in Amherst.  I initially didn't think I would get a chance as the forecast called for freezing rain/drizzle early but that never materialized and the plain rain ended early so I was able to get out for a bit.   The sighting yesterday from John was in an area in Amherst somewhat near where I had one in early December and I sent him some photos from that date and he said the plumage was different so a different individual.  I checked the area where he had his sighting but I failed to turn the bird up but not surprising as John said his sighting was brief and the bird did not show well.  Since I was already in the area I decided to try the spot where I had my bird in December but I didn't expect to have much luck.   After a bit of moving through some flooded areas I had a brief view of a yellowthroat.  I tried to get a better angle on the bird but the flooding was too much and I didn't feel like getting soaked.  I waited and waited and eventually the bird flew further away from me but at least was out in the open a bit and I got some photos.  The bird appears to be the same individual I had in the same spot in December so there are at least two individual Common Yellowthroats in a relatively small area of Amherst.  This bird didn't make any noise at all during the entire time I was watching it so easy to overlook it.  This species is very rare in winter with only a handful of records in all of western Massachusetts.  I have only had the species once before in January and that was back in 2019 on the 17th of January.  With our above normal temperatures and lack of snow cover I suspect there are other individuals out there waiting to be found.  This becomes my second warbler species of the month in Hampshire County after finding a Yellow rumped Warbler on the 2nd in the East Meadows...perhaps with the next cold snap and snow the Pine Warbler will return to Marcia's feeder in Northampton...time will tell.