Nashville Warbler

 Persistence paid off! It is hard to know what to do when there is a bird around that I want to see badly - keep looking or wait for it to settle in somewhere. The Nashville Warbler presented me with this delimma .  It was first spotted on the lower Rennie's River by Paul Linegar on November 9, 2012.  I had hoped it would be as easy to relocate as the Wilson's. I was wrong.

Returning to the area time and time again, I only got one fleeting glimpse of this bird as it moved around tree branches. I didn't really see it. Worried that if I didn't see it, the bird might just vanish and the opportunity would slip away.

However, if I had been patient, I could have saved myself a lot of time.  The Nashville Warbler has now settled in at Kelly's Brook where it has been seen regularly by many people over the last two days.  

If the bird stayed around, it was likely that it would find its way to Kelly's Brook with its swamp-like habitat. There is actually an interesting mixed flock assembling in the area.  On site yesterday was the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (first found by Bruce McTavish on November 9), a Yellow Warbler and the usual array of juncos, chickadees, teal and the frequent visiting Belted Kingfisher.   While watching for the warbler yesterday, a Sharp-shinned Hawk swept in chasing a Black-capped Chickadee without success.

All of these small birds are steadily moving up and down the brook. Now, that they are in this area with a small range of movement, the chances of getting a good look at the migrating birds are quite high. Dave Hawkins and John Williams have taken some remarkable photos of these birds over the last few days. To enjoy their work, please visit their links provided on the right side of this screen under the heading, "Bird Links."