Mike Powell

I was shocked and thrilled last Tuesday when I managed to find my Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) friend yet again at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge. This was the third day on which I have spotted this little beauty during a week-long period. I do not know for sure if he will overwinter with us or is just passing through the are, but every time I visit the refuge now, I search for him.

Each time that I have spotted the yellowthroat, he has been in a slightly different location, but always in the vegetation to the side of a trail that runs along the water’s edge. As you can see from these photos, arguably the best I have shot of this bird, the yellowthroat spends a lot of time foraging for food on and under the fallen leaves. It is not unusual for him to disappear from sight momentarily as he weaves his way through the vegetation, but his bright yellow throat makes him relatively easy to spot when he pops up in a new spot.

If you missed my earlier posts about this Common Yellowthroat, a warbler that is not usually present in our area during the winter, you can check them out at Yellowthroat in January and Yellowthroat Redux.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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I was so thrilled to see a Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) this past Wednesday that I returned the following day to see if I could find it again and, hopefully, get some better shots. I had a general idea where I had seen it the first time, but I honestly did not know if the little bird was territorial and would hang out in the same area all of the time.

Imagine my excitement when I actually managed to spot the colorful warbler again as it poked about in the leaves and vegetation on the ground. The yellowthroat was in constant motion and often disappeared from view, but it seemed to be moving in one general direction and I was able to follow it on an adjacent trail. My telephoto zoom lens has a minimum focusing distance of almost 9 feet (274 cm), so I had to keep my distance as I tracked the bird’s movement, which probably helped to keep me from spooking the bird.

Eventually the yellowthroat disappeared from sight and I moved off in search of other subjects. Amazingly I was able to find the yellowthroat later in the day when I returned to the same stretch of trail from the other direction and I resumed my efforts to photograph it.

I am not sure how many Common Yellowthroats are currently residing at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge, but I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for them in my future visits this winter to the location. My shots below provide a pretty good view of the facial markings of what I believe is the same yellowthroat. If I am fortunate enough to see one again, I will examine carefully that facial area to try to determine if it is the same individual.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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I was thrilled yesterday at Occoquan Bay National Wildlife Refuge when a passing birder pointed out this Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) to me. I thought that they were already gone until the spring, but a more experienced birder later told me that it is normal that some overwinter with us.

Like most other warblers, Common Yellowthroats generally head south for the winter. I wonder why this one stayed behind. Was he a procrastinator who got left behind or maybe a natural contrarian? Is the range of this species gradually creeping northward, perhaps because of global warming? (The range map shows that Common Yellowthroats are present year-round in the coastal areas of North Carolina, which is just to the south of Virginia, where I live.)

Whatever the case, it was really nice to spot the brilliant yellow throat of this masked warbler. I too was wearing a mask, but I don’t think it made look as cool and rakish as this Common Yellothroat.

© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.

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