Bay-Breasted Warbler at Bidgood Park

 Sweet! Trying to quiet a bout of restlessness, I headed out birding this afternoon. I rarely go birding after lunch, but today the weather was warming as the day went by so I went out.

 I wasn't at Bidgood  Park very long before I spotted the Eastern Kingbird shown below. I figured that made the drive across town worthwhile.

 Also interesting were three Hairy Woodpeckers fly catching. I stopped at a good viewing spot to watch the woodpeckers and kingbird vie for the many swirling flies. In the mix were quite a few warblers and sparrows.

 Then, I noticed one small bird behaving differently from the usual warblers in the area. I got a glimpse of its underneath and thought it was curious.  Over the next few minutes, I saw bits and pieces of the bird making me realize this wasn't a bird I had seen before.

 Finally, it popped up and I was able to see the rich browns. Wow! I spent the next few minutes snapping pictures. I think it liked the little beep my camera makes during the autofocus process. Whatever, it was.... the bird felt safe and stayed close.

 I made a quick call to verify the ID. Honestly, I thought it might be a Bay-breasted Warbler, but since I had never seen one before ... I was hesitant to say. With Bruce's help, the ID was made and the alarm was sounded.

 I saw the bird singing several times, but I never heard a sound despite how close I was. I have to say, the hunt is always exciting as I await the next surprise to pop up. However, there is really nothing like it when one special bird does actually appear.

 I also checked Third Pond and Mundy Pond but found nothing out of the ordinary.

The Magnolia Warbler is back on Power's Road.