Slow and steady was the name of the game today. Yellow Warblers no longer continue to dominate the way they have over the last week or so, as Lincoln's Sparrow numbers are inching upwards, as were Warbling Vireos. Overall, there were a number of birds in the woodlot and surrounding area, but it was quieter today than the last few days. A new flock of Yellow-rumped Warblers, a Golden-crowned Kinglet (likely the same as yesterday), and two Common Nighthawks were the noteable birds of the day. No big influxes of ducks or shorebirds into the area were noted. The ducks that are here are presenting interesting ID challenges as they are all in eclipse plumage. You can easily figure out the Northern Shoveler and Green-winged Teal, but the others still require a careful look for a positive species ID.
Here are two photos taken today of a after hatch-year (AHY) and a hatch-year (HY) Yellow Warblers. Note the slate gray bill, both upper and lower mandible in the AHY and the bicoloured bill (gray and a ivory colour) in the HY bird. This is something banders use when ageing Yellow Warblers in the fall and can be seen when birding as well.
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