2022-09-11 Saturday on SPI | shadeTreeImaging

Blackburnian Warbler - Setophaga fusca — *What a treat to be in the company of Blackburnian Warbler on South Padre Island. This bird was on its way to northern South America.*

I spent Saturday morning with the birds and birders visiting the SPI Convention Centre, and met Black-and-White Warblers, Blackburnian Warblers, Canada Warblers, and Nashville Warblers.

Of the birds on this list, the Blackburnian Warbler was the Belle of the ball. Initially, I thought it was a Yellow-Throated Warbler, a bird I’d seen briefly earlier in the week. But where the Yellow-Throated bird has a white line over its eye, this bird’s eye-line was yellow. I’d met a bright spring male Blackburnian Warbler in the spring of 2021, and there was an orange tint to the yellow markings. So either the male loses this tint before heading south in the fall, or this bird was a female. A review of my Sibley’s guide says it was a female.

By the time noon rolled up, the day’s heat and humidity wore me out, so I packed up my gear and got checked into my new space at my Andy Bowie campsite, and finished up publishing my blog about my visits to some of the island’s hotspots on Wednesday and Thursday. I’d already done most of the work, so it did not take me long to finish the job. I used the rest of the day to process the morning’s images, relax, and other chores.