Thursday, June 14, 2012

Magnolia Warbler - 2012



The Magnolia Warbler is so named because it was first spotted and recorded in a Magnolia Tree in Mississippi.  This infrequently seen warbler is a show-stopper when it does show up. 
I returned to Power's Road (where the first Magnolia of the season appeared) last week on two occasions to see if it was still around. Disappointed, I left having found no sign of it.

What a thrill when I found this one last week on Cochrane Pond road! I couldn't help but wonder if this was the same Magnolia seen on Power's Road. 
 I compared the two pictures above with the three shots below to see if it might be.  I came to the conclusion it was not.  While both birds are males in breeding plumage, the Cochrane Pond Magnolia does not have the bold, bold, wide stripes on the chest as the Power's Road Magnolia did.
While the markings are clearly the same, each bird has a little variation, making each one unique.


The Magnolia Warbler is a slow-moving warbler and is most often found in lower locations where it feeds. In both cases, having located this bird, I found it by its call before I saw it. This bird says "wisha, wisha, wisha."  I "wisha I could go look for one today, but there are things I must get done.  With this great stretch of predicted good weather ahead, I will, no doubt, get out over the next few days.
I included these two shots of a fall Magnolia located on Cape Spear Road last September.  Of course, I didn't know what it was.  With the help of Anne Hughes, I got an identification of the bird. 
I completed a post dedicated specifically to the fall Magnolia. If interested in reviewing it, please run a search in the search box above.

Happy Birding!

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