Chirps and Cheeps

Willie D'Anna found a Yellow-throated Warbler at Amherst SP yesterday.  This is a regional rarity, although we usually are lucky enough to see at least one each year.  When I arrived, Joe Fell had the warbler within his sights.  The bird was staying nice and low and was unusually cooperative.  This was my best experience with this species!

Also in the park that day, I saw some fiery orange throated Blackburnian Warblers.  They have to be about the prettiest warbler there is!  As it is, I'm quite partial to the color orange - and that combination of orange, white, and black just knocks my socks off.

A sleepy Eastern Screen-Owl was out sunning himself in a nearby tree yesterday too.  Joe and I were glad that Nate J took time out from his birding to show him to us.

The very next day at the very same park, both a Prothonotary Warbler and and a Golden-winged Warbler were reported.  The Prothonotary would be a county bird for me, so I cut my birding at Beaver Island SP short to go see these two rarities.  I ended up spending pretty much the entire rest of the day along with many others searching for these birds with no luck at all.  I even went back in the evening when someone thought they saw the Prothonotary Warbler at the top of a pine tree.  What?  Yep!  That's what they said...  But neither I nor a couple of others who returned were able to find it.

One nice thing that came out of visiting Amherst SP again the next day was that the Yellow-throated Warbler had stayed and was still giving some nice views...

Back at home, Pine Siskins continue to frequent our feeders and today, I had a lovely surprise of a male Indigo Bunting come to the feeders.  He stayed awhile too!