I was fortunate to be at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge this past Saturday the 14th when there was a great Warbler fallout. I saw at least 14 different species (most were life birds for me). I had a chance to get this OOF grab shot of what I think is an immature Ruby-crowned Kinglet but I have not seen the large white eyebrow in any of the guides I have. Is this a normal variation, or another bird? I have checked in Stokes, Sibley's, and Peterson's and one might argue for a Golden-crowned kinglet that does not have its crown yet, rest of the face is wrong.
What do you think?
Thanks.
Hi Jon, I think this is a female Black-throated Blue Warbler. The white line above the eye, the white below the eye and the white diamond patch on the wing, among other field marks, make this a BTBW! Nice!
Thanks all for the help. I now wish she had stayed around for a better shot. There were lots of male BT Blue and Greens around, but this is the only female I saw of those (or any other) species. I would also say that by far, Warblers are the most difficult bird photography I have tried to date - up here we do not get that many weekends a year to practice since they just move through.