4 Could 2024
As I discussed on Thursday morning, I spent a number of days this week at Magee Marsh boardwalk the place I skilled the quiet days earlier than The Largest Week in American Birding. On Thursday 2 Could the climate was nice, there have been extra birds to see, and there have been 5 instances as many individuals in comparison with Tuesday. That’s once I re-learned some great benefits of birding with a (small) crowd.
I occurred to be on a quiet part of the boardwalk once I seen a crowd forming forward. Many individuals have been focusing binoculars and cameras on the spot the place two guides have been pointing and explaining a hen. I rushed over to search out out what was up.
On my first have a look at the hen, I assumed “golden-winged warbler” due to its yellow wing, yellow crown, and whitish chest (see instance at high), however one thing wasn’t fairly proper. Phrase was spreading by way of the group that this was a Brewster’s warbler, the hybrid offspring of golden-winged x blue-winged warblers. Although not technically a species, for me it was a Life Fowl.
The massive distinction between a Brewster’s and a golden-winged is that the Brewster’s appears pale with a white throat (not black) and a black eyeline (not a wider face patch). Right here’s a side-by-side comparability of a male golden-winged warbler vs. a Brewster’s warbler.
This diagram embedded from Cornell Lab’s All About Birds reveals the warbler’s dad and mom on the left and the Brewster’s within the high proper nook. The dad and mom may also produce one other variation: a Lawrence’s warbler (backside proper) which I’ve by no means seen. Click on on the caption to examine their genetics.
I left Magee Marsh yesterday morning whereas it was raining steadily so I missed the Brewster’s reappearance however my pal Kathy Saunders noticed him on 3 Could in the identical place because the day earlier than.
Yay! Finest Fowl!
(credit are within the captions)
