A Winter Visit with Yellow-rumped Warblers

Despite the predominance of cold and gray, winter is a fun time of year to get reacquainted with feathered friends that only visit the yard during this season.  Besides the pleasure of having red-breasted nuthatches visiting the feeders daily, there are some other birds that I'm always delighted to see.

Some times yellow-rumped warblers make an appearance and because they are very busy, shy and acrobatic, they disappear before I can catch any images.  At other times, like this occasion, I just happen to be at the right place, still enough that they ignored me, and close enough that I could enjoy some intimate looks.

A warbler gleaning insects from around the brim of the bird bath caught my attention from the window and I stepped out with my camera a few minutes later to see if maybe he/she was still around.

 

I think I will always remember a speechless moment I had while attending the New River Gorge Birding and Nature Festival in West Virginia in 2010. We were all there to see warblers returning to their breeding territories and singing. On one day in the field we found a beautiful male yellow-rumped warbler along our walk. Having  previously only seen this species in the winter in Tennessee, I was delighted to see breeding plumage and snapped a bunch of images while he lingered on an eye-level branch.

I was lagging behind the others, as I often did, and a lady walked over to me and asked what I was photographing.  When I showed her, she waved her hand dismissively and said, "oh, I've seen a million of those".  

 

I had no words to respond.  It is doubtful that I will ever see a  warbler often enough to have no interest, especially this sweet annual visitor.   I'm still snapping images of  American robins when the opportunity arises.  There is always something new---different lighting, different behavior, a different color combination in their plumage, a different expression.

And these images were smile worthy.

 Do you think she's looking at her reflection?

Yellow-rumped warblers on this blog.  Click the link to see the warbler I was photographing in West Virginia
Cornell's all about birds:  Yellow-rumped warbler

Eastern Bluebird Family Pays a Visit

The female eastern bluebird that nested in the nest box during the 2011 breeding season paid me a visit this morning and brought her juveniles along.  I could not be more delighted than when this family pays a visit.  The parent female is indistinguishable from her daughter in plumage, but I can recognize her behavior. 

Above you see her staring at me from the nest box.  She had just checked the mealworm feeder and found it empty.  There is a message in that look.

When the family arrives, they flutter up to gazebo shelves to take a look around from up high before approaching the feeder.  Sometimes they arrive chattering, but this morning they were silent.  I just happened to be outside.  On this occasion, the parent female identified herself by what she did next.  She flew to the shepherd's hook closer to where I was standing and wing waved.  Can you imagine what pleasure that gives me?!

I gladly went inside to get mealworms and suet.  I put both out from time to time and the titmice and wrens happily check the feeder every morning and empty it of all contents, including the cornmeal crumbs.  The bluebirds scattered when I walked to the feeder, so after adding food, I whistled.  Never worry that you can't whistle very well.  Your whistle will be recognizable and birds will associate it with you and the food you bring.  

Above you see the female feeding and I believe the other two are her juveniles.  The male typically joins her inside the feeder.    

Along with the bluebirds, I had dark-eyed juncos and white-throated sparrows visiting, in addition to the titmice, chickadees, red-bellies and downies.  And the sweet little yellow-rumped warbler that likes to hang around made an appearance today.  I rarely catch him/her in an image, so I was doubly delighted when she paused long enough to allow this one.

A bluebird, titmouse, cardinal and robin are all featured in my Autumn Birds note card set, a boxed set of 4 x 5 blank cards featuring new watercolor images of some favorite birds in autumn settings.  Creating these cards and working with a printer has been a fun project and I am excited about the beautiful results.  

Visit my cards online at my Vickie Henderson Art website.  If you are near the Knoxville area, you can also find them at Knoxville's Wild Birds Unlimited.

Links and Resources:

Recommended for quality printing:  High Resolutions

The Hooded Crane is still at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge near Dayton TN.  Visit my post about this unusual crane appearance.  And check out the young birders in the Chattanooga Times Free Press article on the crane.

Visit my bluebird family posts about the fun experience I had watching this family during the 2011 nesting season.  You will also enjoy seeing the gazebo and the fun action that happens around it from time to time that I call "magic". 

In 2009 I followed the nesting season of a pair of red-shouldered hawks.  Watch for my Red-shouldered Hawk sketchbook to be in print soon!  

Cranberry Glades and a Porch Full of Bloggers

The 750 acre Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, located in the Monongahela National Forest, protects the largest area of bogs in West Virginia.  In the midst of these bogs, a magical boardwalk has been constructed to enable visitors like me to stroll through a portion of these bogs as easily as walking through a backyard garden.  Needless to say, curiosity about this habitat and its unique plants formed the highlight of this scenic trip.

Bogs are acidic wetlands more commonly found in the northern US and Canada.  These WV bogs are located 3400 ft. above sea level in a natural mountain bowl.  Historically they were influenced by the movement of glaciers 10,000 years ago.  While the glaciers didn't actually reach this area of West Virginia, many northern species of plants and animals migrated south and still remain here at there southern-most location.  One of these interesting plants is the carnivorous Purple Pitcher Plant pictured below.

The bog floor is covered with Sphagnum moss and beneath its surface, dead and decaying moss extends several feet, creating the sponginess that is characteristic of bogs.  The trail took us through open, tree-less areas as well as wooded areas where shallow-rooted Red Spruce, hemlock and yellow birch survive the wet conditions.  The same shallow root structure that aids their survival also makes the trees susceptible to winds.   Many fallen trees criss-cross open areas and in turn, nurse logs are formed to aid in the re-establishment of seedlings.

Marsh Marigold (above)

Bog Rosemary

I'm not sure what was more fun, the collection of unusual plants found in the bog, or the intimate moments with birds.  The first was a very vocal group of Ruby-crowned Kinglets (below), foraging and chattering at eye-level.  This was the first time I had heard this kind of kinglet interaction and I could have lingered for another hour just listening and watching.

A little further down the boardwalk we encountered this very cooperative Yellow-rumped Warbler (below).  While many birders seem to take this bird for granted, I counted seeing him at such close range among my satisfying warbler moments.  While he wasn't a new warbler for me, I more often see him in his duller (but still beautiful) fall plumage. To have this male catching insects and even singing at eye level was an exceptional treat.

And how many times do you get to see all three yellow patches visible in one pose?  (Don't miss the yellow spot on his head.)  An experience worth taking time to enjoy...

and time to sketch.

Below, a Skunk Cabbage in bloom...

and one of the few bog cranberries the birds and animals had not plucked!

Below, fellow blogger and bog explorer, Debbie Barnes, drops to her tummy on the boardwalk to get a close-up view of a violet.  There's actually a camera in those hands.

And at the very end of our tour, we enjoyed some good looks at an Eastern Comma butterfly near the parking area.  The name-sake comma marking is visible only when the butterfly's wings are closed.

As with each day at the New River Birding and Nature Festival, our day of exploring the glades was followed in the evening by a dinner gathering, presentation and a chance for everyone to compare their finds for the day.  And this particular day-end ritual had an extra perk, the arrival of blogger, writer, NPR commentator and artist, Julie Zickefoose, along with husband, Bill Thompson III, blogger and editor of Birder's Digest and the rest of their clan, Phoebe, Liam, and the infamous Chet Baker.  This was my first time to meet  them in person and it was great fun to enjoy their company and talents for the remainder of the festival.

Julie with Boston Terrier, Chet Baker

Our New River "Flock" of nature bloggers gathered on the porch for a photo opportunity.  Bill Thompson III was gracious enough to hold the camera.

Back, l to r:  Nina Harfman, Debbie Barnes, Murr Brewster, Kelly Little Orange, Julie Zickefoose, Phoebe Thompson, Front, l to r:  Vickie Henderson, Susan Kailholz-Williams, Sarah Stratton, Mary Moore Ferracci.

Links and Resources:
Cranberry Glades Nature Center
WV's New River Birding and Nature Festival
National Park Service, New River Gorge Website
Nina Harfman - Nature Remains
Debbie Barnes-DJB Photo Adventures
Murr Brewster-Murrmurrs
Kelly Little Orange-Kelly LittleOrangeGuy
Julie Zickefoose-Julie Zickefoose 
Susan Kailholz-Williams--Susan Gets Native
Sarah Stratton-Little Orange Guy
Mary Moore Ferracci- Mary's View
Bill Thompson, III- Bill of the Birds