a confusing fall warbler and a Great White Shark nursery

This morning's weather was almost a duplicate of Friday's -- cool, clear and dry with light northerly winds. The influx was smaller but included some interesting birds. There were three warblers: Black-and-white, Black-throated Green (a young one without the black throat but unmistakeable; first of the season for me) and a stumper. This confusing fall warbler was a small gray bird -- something like the smooth olive/gray coloration of a Warbling Vireo but definitely a warbler not a vireo (smaller, active behavior eating Red Cedar berries, sharp bill, etc.). My next thought was Tennessee Warbler but that didn't fit either (back too uniform, touches of yellow below especially on the undertail coverts, very faint breast streaking, broken eye ring and just a touch of an eye stripe). The solution was Orange-crowned Warbler, a close relative of the Tennessee, but quite variable according to subspecies and season. I have never seen one with so uniformly grayish and with so little yellow underneath but this is apparently possible, even common, in young birds (especially females) of the Eastern subspecies. Many Blue Jays and Northern Flickers still around along with Red-eyed Vireos and Eastern Towhees and the flocks of House Finches have returned; the Goldfinches seem to have almost completely disappeared. Butterflies continue on the move with numbers of Monarchs, Red Admirals and at least one of the Commas. This has been the best Monarch migration in several years! An addendum: went to the SOFO (South Fork Natural History Museum) board meeting in the afternoon and had the pleasure of seeing a male Kestrel shooting across the Vineyard Field (in back of the museum). This once common breeding bird and fall migrant has been achingly scarce in recent years. One of the fascinating things discussed in the board meeting was SOFO's participation in a Great White Shark tagging program. Apparently the ocean just off shore is full of bunker or menhaden and there are Humpback Whales and Great White Sharks feeding on them. Even more remarkably, these waters, just off the South Fork, have become a breeding nursery for this legendary creature! Eric Salzman