Two days ago I found another mixed flock of songbirds in the mountains. This male Yellow Warbler was one of them.
1/4000, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
It might seem like he was singing in celebration of the bountiful berries all around him but he wasn’t feasting on berries, although Yellow Warblers sometimes do. Instead, he was gleaning tiny insects from the foliage and just decided to break out into song for a moment.
I suppose it’s kind of a cluttered setting but the background directly behind the bird is mostly clean, I enjoy having berries in my photos and I like the fact that he’s singing. But perhaps the thing I appreciate most about the photo is the good look we have of his dorsal plumage patterns and colors.
I think this pose reveals a lot about the physical features of Yellow Warblers but I’ll admit to being slightly confused about one of them. Male Yellow Warblers typically have black bills but his bill doesn’t look black to me.
Maybe this is a juvenile. Juvies have pinkish-buff bills.
Ron
Was out early this morning with no time to check your post, but now at almost 2 pm logging in. Really nice photo of the Warbler. Very interesting re the bill. I just looked up Warblers and looked at a tone of photos and saw some with a lighter than dark, but not one this light.
I hope you had a pleasant morning, Everett – possibly with birds.
I don’t think I’ve seen one this light before either. Or maybe I just didn’t notice.
With not one but two feasts around him of course he couldn’t help himself and broke into song.
Another delightful shot – and Frances is right about the Japanese air.
Thanks, EC. The Japanese connection wouldn’t have occurred to me but then I’m wanting in most of the finer points of art.
“…good look we have of his dorsal plumage patterns and colors.”
Really good!
Glad you agree, Michael. It’s perhaps the best look I have of the dorsal plumage of this species in my portfolio.
Yellow Warbler Amongst the Berries..this reads like a line from a poem. I love it.
Take Care,
Kaye
Glad you like it, Kaye. Thanks.
Nice shot! I too like the clean background behind his head. And yes, I too noticed the dark streak along the top of his bill. I wondered how you could tell he was eating the insects on the bush? They must be so small.
I certainly can’t make them out but maybe you could with a heavy zoom or heavy crop. As is so often the case here in your posts, it was a nice new tidbit to learn and one I will keep in mind next time I see one on my bushes.
” wondered how you could tell he was eating the insects on the bush?”
Granny Pat, I could tell by his behavior. He was picking them off under the leaves and it’s typical behavior for the species. He wasn’t eating berries.
Hi Ron – I thought that I might have lost my marbles when I first saw this picture – it seems quite unusual for you, looking almost Japanese. Despite the raucous, lively, almost-but-not-quite-chaotic background the warbler is utterly uninterfered with and stands out clearly. Love it.
Thanks, Frances. If it’s “unusual” for me, we can thank the bird.
Wonderful shot, thanks for sharing!
Charlotte Norton
Thanks, Charlotte.
Wonderful colors in this photo– I think that yellow-green and red -violet is one of the most dynamic combos. I was interested in Judy’s
observation that the Warbler’s bill had a dark streak, indicating that
the color was turning–hadn’t known before that body parts besides
plumage changed in color as a juvenile matures.. I love that stuff
from you and your posse–I learn something almost EVERY DAY !
“I learn something almost EVERY DAY !”
Good. Thanks, Kris. So do I.
Nice! The wings have sometimes confused me with Gold Finches. Suspect the bill is just turning as there seems to be a black streak down the middle on top. Definitely a feast available for berry eaters! May be a feast till available for the winter birds like Waxwings later if you get them in the area – we’ll probably have Chokecherries at least as they haven’t been cleaned out yet.
Thanks, Judy. There was actually at least one Cedar Waxwing in the bush with the Yellow Warbler.