May Is for the Birds! With Guest Artist

"Brewster's" Warbler. Photo by Timothy Achor-Hoch

It was a glorious day for birding -- warm and sunny, the "peak" weekend for spring migration. I met my friends Kate and Tim this morning at a section of the rail trail in Granville just south of the village. It is bordered by farm fields on one side and woods on the other. 

Tim, who is a bird/nature artist and photographer, took this picture of one of the many Blue-winged Warblers (Vermivora cyanoptera) that were singing their "bee-buzz" song along the path. On closer inspection, however, this appears to be a Blue-winged x Golden-winged Warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera) hybrid of the "Brewster's" type (the genetically dominant Blue-winged hybrid); note the white under the throat, which would be bright yellow in a pure Blue-winged.

If there are any birders among you, you will appreciate that this was a "life bird" for me! The first hybrid I've ever seen. Almost as exciting was the pair of Black-billed Cuckoos (Coccyzus erythropthalmus) we briefly heard and then saw dashing in flight over the fields toward the woods. With their very long tails, cuckoos can't be mistaken for anything else. 

Later on we met up again to see a performance of a play by a local Vermont playwright. It was very enjoyable and had many Vermont references, such as to the state's favorite treat, the maple creemee. (I have yet to experience one of those, but now that summer's almost here, it will be any day now!)

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