Blackburnian Warbler

 Having just returned from an unplanned and exhausting trip to Arkansas, I was longing to get out in the open air. Getting a later start than usual, I headed to Cape Spear. What a difference a week makes. There were very few birds along the way. I did have one dull yellow warbler with no wing bars fly in front of me on Cape Spear Road. I quickly turned around and set out to find it. Try as I might, I could not coax it out.

 However, I was pleased to see this lone warbler sitting atop a tree. Closer looks told me it wasn't one I see everyday. I got a few shots and continued to look around. With little else in the area (chickadees and kinglets), I gave up the hunt.

I was pretty sure this was a Blackburnian, but with all of the rare warblers turning up, I checked with Alvan Buckley who confirmed it was, indeed, a Blackburnian. The only other activity I found was at the end of the Bus Shelter trail. There, I found two Baltimore Orioles and a Red-eyed Vireo, one Swamp Sparrow, a Sharp-shinned Hawk that has been in that area for over two weeks and the usual complement of chickadees and kinglets. It certainly looks like fall birding is winding down quickly.