Yellow-breasted Chats in New York
Earlier today I uploaded this video of a notorious skulker, the Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens), to our YouTube Channel. The bird was foraging for prey in dense brush and thickets. This behavior is typical of the often hidden species. While it is not necessarily shy – this individual feeling comfortable enough to feed as I filmed shows that much – it certainly knows how to stay out of sight for the most part. It made me ponder the current status of the species as a whole in Western New York and the surrounding region. Back in Connecticut I actually saw several...
Read MoreChestnut-sided Warbler close-ups
Today while conducting field work for several hours at a few sites in Pennsylvania I enjoyed numerous great looks at Chestnut-sided Warblers. These birds of shrub/scrub habitat and secondary growth are distinctive and beautiful in appearance and song. Whenever I see them now I am reminded of Twan and Sean and RTPI’s work in the tropics. In Costa Rica in the Chestnut-sided wintering range they enjoy watching the birds turn into little “meatballs” as they fatten up for the flight north. In fact a Chestnut-sided Warbler banded in Rara Avis was recaptured twice over a four year...
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