I added a new bird to my life list this week. Over the weekend I spotted one of these busy little birds at a rural park in a marshy area. The next day I was shocked when one of them showed up in my backyard. This is a Common Yellowthroat:
Unlike most warblers that like to zip around in the tree tops, this species prefers to scout around on the ground looking for insects and spiders. I thought that would make him easier to photograph than the birds 50 feet above my head, but I was very wrong. I followed this adorable little bird with the black mask for 30 minutes and still only managed to get a couple of useable photographs. He never stopped moving.
Common Yellowthroats love thickets and hedges, so my bird was quite comfortable jumping in between the stems of even the densest of perennials. He covered every inch of each one of my flowerbeds and when he was done, he started all over again.
He’s more than welcome to eat all the bugs he can find. In fact, I hope he brings some friends.