A few minutes before sunrise this morning, Alex and I made our way to the start of our first transect for the day – Tuckahoe State Park in Caroline County, Maryland. Alex and I are working together this fall, where we are conducting surveys for migrants throughout Delaware and Maryland. Anyway, Alex went ahead and started the bird survey, while I hung back to do the fruit and insect sampling. As I was waiting, I heard a Common Yellowthroat chipping, then caught a glimpse of another birds whose ID eluded me. I heard another chip from behind me. I turned around and saw a bird hop from some tangles to a downed cherry tree. I got it in my bins and couldn’t believe what I was seeing – a Connecticut Warbler! I watched the bird for ten seconds or so before reaching for my camera. You heard that right, a ten second, unobstructed view of a Connecticut Warbler. Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either. The bird stayed on the branch for a total of 30 seconds before hopping out of sight. Of course, my camera settings weren’t adjusted properly for low-light photography, but I managed to snag a documentation photo. After Alex finished his survey, we tried to refind the bird, but like many Connecticuts, it didn’t show itself again.
Connecticut Warbler at Tuckahoe State Park, Caroline County, MD on 20 September 2014. Photo by Tim Schreckengost.