Wilson's Warbler

The woods are filled with splashes of yellow these days. There is the American Goldfinch, the Yellow Warbler featured in my last post and now there is the Wilson's Warbler, all among many others.

The Wilson's Warbler is a very small bird ranging from 10 to 12 cm. They may be seen perched atop a tree like this one, flicking its tail.  They eat a variety of insects. It would be good to have a flock of these in the yard when the flies descend on us this summer.

The yellow of the Wilson's Warbler does not seem to be a bright as that of the Yellow, and they don't seem to be as prevalent. The yellow on this bird is mixed with an olive green color while the face and neckline are a brighter yellow. One very clear distinction is the shiny black crown.

This little bird winters in the Caribbean, along with many other Canadian "Snowbirds." Smart bird. When it returns to Newfoundland in the summer is may be found in areas where there is significant water. This includes boggy areas, ponds or lakes.

This Wilson's was photographed just off Cochrane Pond Road in Goulds.  It was really shy and would hardly show itself until suddenly, it changed its mind and perched atop a tree just before the group of birders left.

I first saw this warbler at Long Pond but it stayed deep in the tree next to the truck. There were too many branches to get any good pictures, not to mention the dark undercover of the tree, and of course, no sunshine. Keep your eyes and ears open and you just may come eye-to-eye with a Wilson's Warbler who is willing to sing and display itself.