After walking for 90 minutes on my field trip around The Beanery, I still had no bird photographs. Despite the group's enthusiasm, I started to feel that I had wasted my time. I wanted to quit the tour, leave the group, and return to the car. However, I didn't relish telling Bhavna we had driven two hours in the rain to return home empty-handed. We heard trills and high-pitched chips as we approached a pond near one of the farm buildings. We could see rapid movement in the vines growing on the other side of the pond. Someone called out, with a surprisingly disappointing voice, that we were looking at Yellow-rumped warblers. Finally!
The Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata) is a well-known bird species. Yellow-rumped Warbler species exhibit sexual dimorphism, meaning males and females have distinct appearances. While editing my photos, I realised that I had photographed females only. Female Yellow-rumped Warblers are referred to as "Myrtle."
Like most warblers, Yellow-rumped warblers are primarily insectivorous during the breeding season, feasting on insects and other invertebrates. Pond flies were buzzing around the pond as I photographed the birds hopping between the leaves of the thick vines and the branches of the dead shrubs near me.
The Yellow-rumped Warbler plumage provides camouflage in various environments where the warbler lives. During the breeding season, Myrtle females have grayish-olive upperparts with streaks on their back and wings. Their throats and undersides are pale yellow. However, the prominent feature of Yellow-rumped Warblers is the yellow patch on their rump. The colour is more subdued in females than males but still noticeable.
After the early morning disappointment, seeing these Yellow-rumped Warblers in their natural habitat was rewarding.
The Yellow-rumped Warble species is one of the most widespread and most commonly encountered but I have photographed a Yellow-rumped Warbler only once before; during the fall migration and my first visit to the The Beanery at Rea Farm. There are two main populations: "Audubon's" found in the western U.S. and British Columbia mountains, and…
@peterbrash.bsky.social thank you for the bird identification. I’m getting better at it but I still have a lot to learn.
Ah! Fond memories of The Beanery, Prothonotary Warblers and mosquitoes that looked like Darth Vader. The bird on the right is a western Palm Warbler.
thank you for the bird identification. I’m getting better at it but I still have a lot to learn.
Bridgy Response
Terrific shots and depth of field.
Thank you Egídio.
(Myrtle) Yellow-rumped Warbler: https://islandinthenet.com/yellow-rumped-warbler/