A New Bird

Wednesday, October 14

New birds appeared this cool sunny morning, the most notable of which was a Vermivora warbler (a very recognizable shape with short tail and short primary extension) seen twice -- two different birds or the same bird seen in two different places. Fall Vermivoras are not always the easiest to ID but this one had some distinctive features: a gray head with a (broken) eye-ring and a supercilium extending from the eye to the beak (giving the effect of spectacles), olive-brown back coloring with barely a trace of wing bars, mottled yellow underparts -- brighter on the undertail, whitish on the belly, yellowish on the breast and whitish on the chin -- with blurry streaking. It was feeding low in shrubs and bushes just off the trail between the taller vegetation and the marsh. It all adds up to an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER, the first secure identification of this bird on the property (which makes a total of 233 species to date).

Also seen: Palm Warbler (the first of the season for me) as well as the usual Yellowthroats and Yellow-rumps. Yellow-rumped and Palm Warblers along with the Orange-crown add up to a trio of 'late' warblers, eminently suitable for a sparkling and colorful late October morning.

Another first of the season was the appearance of several Hermit Thrushes at the edge of the marsh and also further inland in the woods. A anxious chatter of Blue Jays and other birds brought Hermit Thrush, Brown Thrasher and other birds to a potential crime scene. But what caused the fuss? An owl? A hawk? Likely a cat but none was in sight. Perhaps instead of the usual predatory bird or feline, it was the garter or ribbon snake, sunning itself in the driveway, that was the likely culprit.

A few other good birds on their way: a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, Eastern Phoebes, Blue-headed Vireo and some Tree Swallows overhead. Shouldn't the main Tree Swallow migration already have passed by? These birds have been coming by in some numbers all through the past week.

A big footnote. Just as I was writing this sitting at the kitchen table, a movement out the window on my left caught my attention. It was a large raptor coming out of the woods and barreling toward the house. It lifted over the roof and, as I swiveled to look out the opposite window, I could see that it was a large, dark accipiter -- a Cooper's Hawk no doubt -- ducking under the trees and into the woods on the other side. Hope it didn't grab the Orange-crowned!

Eric Salzman