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I was watching some thrushes through binoculars this morning when this little bird appeared in the shrub by my window. It’s a good thing I snapped a few quick photographs before it flew away because I just assumed it was another thrush.
It wasn’t until I downloaded the photos that I noticed it had a white throat and orange crown, and that its breast markings were a bit different from any of the thrushes. My visitor was an Ovenbird.
Ovenbirds get their name from their interesting nests. The female builds a dome-shaped, covered nest on the ground with a side entrance. It resembles a little oven.
Ovenbirds are short-lived and their populations are declining. This is the first one that’s ever visited my yard.
