Back on January 21 I shared a post with photos I took of a Common Yellowthroat. You can revisit that post here: https://www.danweiszphotography.com/p/from-yellow-flowers-to-a-yellow-throat
I began that post with this sentence: "The National Audubon Society describes the Common Yellowthroat as "abundant and well-known" and "found in practically every reed-bed and patch of cattails from coast to coast." Still, Common Yellowthroats, while common, are very difficult to get a brief glimpse of much less a long look at. They are skulky and often remain hidden in the reeds at the water's edge. Well, I was lucky to have another good look at a Common Yellowthroat at Sweetwater recently.
Apparently there were enough small insects on this sunny side of the reed island to keep the Yellowthroat at the reeds' edge.
Males have a black mask with a thin white line above it. Their throats, as their name suggests, is a bright yellow. (Females are more plain, with olive brown plumage and they lack the black mask that the males have.)
Most often, one can hear the Common Yellowthroat, even if it can't be seen. Their song is distinctive and has been described as a witchety-witchety-witchety. You can listen to a number of recordings of the Common Yellowthroat at the AllAboutBirds site as you enjoy these photos. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Yellowthroat/sounds
By the way, Spring Migration is well underway. If you are interested in what birds might be flying through your county at night, go to Cornell's Birdcast site to discover the stunning number of birds passing through your county-wide "neighborhood" right now! This Cornell Lab of Ornithology site is here: https://birdcast.info
What a gorgeous bird, and amazing captures Dan!
You just blew my mind with the Birdcast.....
Had no idea that was a thing and I can't believe it said:
601,500 Birds have crossed Arizona so far tonight (est.)
That blows me away! Thanks for sharing!
Your posts and pics help make life bearable these days. Thank you so very much.