These pictures of a Yellow-breasted Chat have been a long-time coming! Suffice it to say, I have put in endless hours trying to re-locate the one I saw briefly a Cuckhold's Cove, the one spotted last year on Empire Avenue, the one located in the fall at Mundy Pond, and more recently, the one located off Elizabeth Drive. Time and time again, I came up empty-handed. 
I was particularly hopeful about seeing this one when Alvan Buckley located it yesterday and reported that it had returned to the area regularly all day yesterday. I could hardly wait to get going this morning in the hopes of seeing this great bird.
I was rewarded for all my efforts with about 10 seconds of viewing time. In bird-viewing time, that can be a lot. It was enough for me to fire off a few shots. It happened, and I could hardly believe it. The yellow on this bird is as vibrant as it appears in these pictures. Once it came out into the open, it glowed.
The YB Chat is the largest of the New World Warblers. There is much debate as to whether this bird should be classified as a warbler or not. By nature, it is shy and skulks low in thick shrubs making it often impossible to see. Not on this day. While it did imerge from the thickit, it certainly popped out on a branch and stayed just long enough to make me happy!
This sighting warranted a second post for the day!
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