It was cool and windy yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge and most of the birds seemed to be taking refuge from the elements. I was therefore especially thrilled to spot and photograph my first warbler of the season, this Yellow-throated Warbler (Setophaga dominica).
This is the time of the year when a lot of colorful warblers pass through our area on their northward migration. Many of the warbler stay for only a short time, so it is a hit-or-miss proposition for me to find them. This is also the time of the year when the trees are budding, flowering and pushing out new leaves. All of this new growth is beautiful, but it makes it harder for me to spot the little birds as they flit about, often at the tops of the trees.
We had some spring-like temperatures a week ago and I was walking around in a T-shirt or at most a sweatshirt. Yesterday, though, the day started with temperatures below freezing and eventually made it up to only 47 degrees (8 degrees C) with almost constant winds of 15 miles per hour making it feel much colder. I dug out my heavier coat, insulated boots, and thermal underwear and was comfortable walking about, though most of the wildlife seemed to have taken the much more commonsense approach of simply staying sheltered.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Great image Mike!
Thanks, Reed. This little bird was bouncing around so much that I had trouble getting an unobstructed shot of it. The shot is a touch out of focus, but I am always happy when a new season starts to capture a photo, any photo of the new arrivals. Later, I hope, I will be able to capture better ones. 🙂
What an exquisite photo, Mike. And how exciting to see your first warbler of the season, this dapper male with his radiant throat. We don’t have this species in the U.S. west, so this is espec. wonderful to me. Warblers are nearly impossible to photograph, those flitting, flighty beauties, how fortunate you are to be so skillful and quick.
Thanks, Jet. I was so excited when I first saw the flash of yellow through my viewfinder yesterday. I knew it was some kind of warbler, though I initially did not have a good look over it. I was able to track it visually as it bounced all around the tree and was fortunate when it paused for a split second to give me this mostly unobstructed view. There might have been a little skill in getting this shot, but it was mostly the result, I think, of good luck and quick reflexes. 🙂
Gorgeous wee warbler, glad you captured the rich yellow colour!
Thanks, Liz. In several of my shots the head was turned away, so I was really happy when the warbler turned its head enough to give me a good view of the yellow throat for which it is named.
As opposed to a Yellowthroat. 🙂 Nice catch, Mike!
Yeah, it is a little confusing to have a Common Yellowthroat and a Yellow-throated Warbler. Fortunately there are enough differences that it is not too hard to tell them apart.
I love your uncommon sense captures!
Thanks, Molly. I hope that your Easter was a happy one. We continue to do our church services via Zoom, but look forward to being able to do some hybrid services relatively soon, with both in-person and on-line participants.