Warbler ID please

[Julie Brown]

Shot at Eagle Creek Park, Indianapolis, IN. 9/11/11

[Paul Guris]

I'm pretty sure the bird is a fall Cape May. Do you have any other shots that show the side of the head? Cape Mays should show a paleish patch behind the ear coverts.

[Julie Brown]

Hi Paul. Here is another pose that shows the patch you mentioned. Is this bird a female? BTW, right after I posted last night, I checked Birdfellow and saw your fall Cape May images. But I am still curious about the plumages. Do the males totally lose all of their yellow coloring as well? I thought that they just lost the red cheek patch and the black cap. For an example, check out this bird on my smugmug site.

[Paul Guris]

With this little yellow in the bird, my guess would be that it is a first-year bird and probably a female. Adults should still show yellow, though not as intensely as in the spring. The bird you linked too has lost its red but also has dimmer yellow and a less intense white patch on the wing than a spring male.

If you want to do a little more in-depth study, I'd recommend the Field Guide to Warblers of North America by Garrett and Dunn. It's full of great information by two of the best birders in N.A. and is also full of great pictures.

[Julie Brown]

Hi Paul. Thanks for looking at these images and giving me more info. I love warblers-they are my favorite group of birds, I think. I have that book too! Now I just need to study up this winter to be ready for spring migration.

[Dave Irons]

Julie,

Definitely a Cape May. One of the good field marks on immatures is the pale creamy yellow that wraps from the throat up behind the auriculars (cheek area) onto the side of the neck. Young Cape May Warblers can be exceedingly dull and almost colorless, but they will always shows extensive heavy streaking below and pale cream to creamy yellow extending up behind and framing the darker auriculars.

Dave Irons
Content Editor www.birdfellow.com