Most warblers forage in the forest canopy and I have to strain my neck to search for them. Palm Warblers (Setophaga palmarum), however, mainly forage on open ground or in low vegetation. When I saw a flash of yellow in some low bushes last week at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, I therefore suspected that it might be a Palm Warbler.
I watched and waited and eventually the bird hopped up onto a branch and I managed to get a clear shot of it. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure that it was a Palm Warbler, but the color and markings looked about right and I could see the rust-colored cap on its head, another identification feature for a Pine Warbler. Some experts in a Facebook forum confirmed that “my” bird is indeed a Palm Warbler.
The warblers are with us for only a limited period of time in the spring before they continue their migration northward, so I don’t know how many more times I will have a chance to photograph them. At this time of the year, though, colorful flowers are popping up and insects are reappearing, so I won’t suffer from a lack of subjects when the wablers depart.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Lovely.
They also often bob their tails. Another quick and easy ID feature. Thanks for all you do sharing your finds with us!
Thanks, Cindy. I appreciate all the help I can get with bird identification. I love sharing my finds as a way of encouraging others to investigate their surroundings. I take most of my shots at places within about 25 miles or so from where I live.
Excellent capture of this cutie, Mike, where your patience paid off. I like the composition with the branch.
Maybe he’s one of the many Palm Warblers that took up residence here in Florida and recently headed north. We see them everywhere in the winter.
Very nice Palm Warbler Image Mike!