I had thought the warblers below to be a female Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) having returned to Flower Hill Farm. Indeed I was wrong in identifying this nimble Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla) that was busy gleaning the Crabapple orchard of tiny insects from within a profusion of blossoms.
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Nashville Warbler in Crabapple exhibiting gray head with olive green back – a Common Yellowthroat is more olive brown on both head and back.
Life is simple for now, but soon this small songbird will mate and help to raise a family. The female may use a few porcupine quills in her nest and she will find a good supply of them under a beloved apple tree . . . before the blueberry field . . . that . . . alas! . . . the porcupines are particularly fond of gnawing.
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Upside down Nashville Warbler eyeing me
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Upside down Nashville Warbler exhibiting a white belly . . . so I thought but actually the white is further down from the belly.
This passerine darts quickly about the branches . . . at times reminding me of a trapeze artist.
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Nashville Warbler peeking out of Crabapple blossoms with distinct ‘eyering’ aglow.
Unless I have made the same mistake previously, this will be my first ever capture of a Nashville Warbler here at Flower Hill Farm. I offer below some other photos of what I believe to be a female or immature Common Yellowthroat. The two can be confusing and since I was so familiar with the Common Yellowthroat and expected to see her again, I too quickly assigned a misnomer.
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Immature or female Common Yellowthroat checking me out in July 2011
The head of this warbler is not gray . . . there is no distinct eyering . . . and the color of the head and back is more olive brown. There is a tiny bit of a black line beginning from the bill just under the eye, however. The Common Yellowthroat is a larger bird than that of the Nashville Warbler.
I think I did hear a Nashville Warbler today along with the calls and songs of a Common Yellowthroat. Hopefully I will not be fooled again. Many thanks to ‘Chlorophonia’ for the proper identification of the Nashville Warbler.
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Carol Duke
Carol Duke is an artist and farmer who has worked with the land on a Western Massachusetts hillside for over thirty years. During this time her land has evolved into a diverse wildlife habitat. Carol features the flora and fauna that live and visit her farm on her blog http://flowerhillfarm.blogspot.com/ As vital wildlife habitats are destroyed daily, Carol hopes to inspire others to garden for wildlife, while becoming activists for wild places the world over. Her nature photography has appeared in magazines, books and newspapers.
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