Yesterday evening I returned to Kissena Corridor Park, site of an amazing array of rare and difficult-to-see birds over the weekend, and enjoyed birding with some fellow Queens birders. We refound several of the birds that had been seen earlier in the day and on Saturday. But the wood-warbler in these images caused a disagreement as to its identification, largely due to the long range at which we saw it and the evening light made gloomier by heavy cloud cover. In the field I was pretty sure of my identification but once I got my digiscoped shots on the computer I started to lean to the other birder’s call though I am not 100% either way as of yet. I want to see what folks out there on the internets think before I decide if I am even going to put a name to this bird.
So as not to prejudice your opinions I will present these three images of the same bird without further comment other than to say that they are heavily cropped and then resized but not altered in any other way. What do you think this bird is?
You can click each picture for a bigger version. And if you comment about your thoughts as to its identity please say why as well.
It’s one I would have been really happy with this weekend.
Confusing fall warbler that I would like to add to my state list. My first thought is a nashville but as I have no bird book handy to see if my first thought is correct or remotely close to being correct take this with a grain of salt.
Not that I’ve ever seen Mourning or Connecticut Warblers, but just with a few field guide comparison’s, I’d lean toward 1st winter Mourning Warbler. In the photos I see a touch of yellow in the throat. You can’t see the full wing on any photo, but I sense that it is shorter. They eye-ring does appear to be broken, rather than complete. Anyway, that opinion should probably cost me two bits, so it’ll be interesting to see what those with experience say about it.
My first instinct was Mourning. CT tends to have a whiter throat and Mourning a yellower one, but it’s hard to tell from the pic. I also don’t have a huge amount of experience with either.
It’s a bird I’d be delighted to see on my patch.
Fairly confident it is a first year Connecticut Warbler. FY Mourning does not show such a complete brown hood. Also Mourning would show a more yellow throat on an incomplete hood, brighter yellow belly, darker lores, and brighter supraloral area. Also the structure here looks more consistent with CONW than MOWA. Were you able to observe whether it preferred walking to hopping?
well, my first impression was of a Mourning Warbler, but after looking at the photos & field guide I am wondering if it might not be a MacGillivray’s Warbler, or a Mourning/MacGillivray hybrid? In any case, to me the eye ring does not look bold enough for CT.
I’d say COWA, mostly because it has a complete hood. and that yellow belly. However, I could be easily convinced to call it a MOWA as well…
I lean strongly towards COWA…the giant hood makes it hard for me to think otherwise. It also seems longer-billed than MOWA/MACG, particularly in that third picture.
I’m leaning towards COWA here too, the lack of a yellow throat in that 1st picture, with the at least outline of a hood, makes me lean in that direction. The bird also appears sort of dull over all. I would expect MOWA to be more “bright”.
No shots of the tail / undertail coverts or wings and we never saw it on the ground. We couldn’t even close on the bird because we were trying to get other birders good looks (which is also why I did not get more shots because I wanted other folks to get scope looks at such a cool bird).
For the record, I was thinking Mourning Warbler while fellow birder Jeff was thinking Connecticut. Tough bird and I think it will have to stay in eBird as I entered it as a CT/Mourning Warbler.
Corey- I think this is a COWA. The complete hood, honking bill, long legs and overall gestalt seem right for COWA and not Mourning. The eyeing is not as strong as one might expect but I do think it is complete.
Corey, I’m sticking with my opinion from the field that the bird in the photos is a COWA, not a MOWA. The bird has a brownish hood with no yellow in the throat. The underside is a pale yellow. It has a big-eyed look. I think the eye-ring is complete, it’s only the poor light that makes it look partial. The Peterson Warbler field guide comments that COWA frequently are seen sitting motionless for a few minutes at a time on a tree branch as this bird was doing. Corey, thanks for posting these pictures and giving people a chance to comment.
Jeff
I just saw a couple of MOWA today, and I have seen a number of CONW before. I’m willing to say for sure this is a CONW. MOWA is less likely to sit still for a photo, and the structure of this bird is very in line with CONW. This is a first year bird, and as said before a HY/first year MOWA would be quite yellow in the throat, with an in-complete hood (verses this birds complete brown hood on the breast). The lighter throat is more buffy on this bird, which is right for first year CONW. Instead of the overall brownish olive color of this bird, a MOWA would be a richer green, dark lores in all plumages, more gray headed, with a smaller bill, and the wings and breast would be very yellow. The other possible bird is an adult female MOWA which would still have darker lores, and a plain gray head and breast with a less rounded outline. If you’d like, I can some warbler experts on this photo as well to confirm it for you.
Most assuredly a Connecticut Warbler. Will post as to why in detail but even though eyering isn’t as distinct as what would be thought should be present, the overall shape, posture, giss, bill, brown hood (extensive) lead to Conn.
Why does everyone think it is a Colima Warbler?
My first guess from a glance at the first shot was that it was going to be a MOWA, but the latter shots tell me that it is a CONW.
Corey — I agree that this is a Connecticut Warbler due to hood.
FYI – COWA is the correct 4 letter description for Connecticut, not CONW.
I found this comment thread while trying to sort out why the banding code for Connecticut Warbler is indeed CONW rather than COWA (see http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/bbl/MANUAL/speclist.cfm).
It’s to avoid confusion with Colima Warbler, COLW.