Yellow-rumped Warblers at Batiquitos Lagoon

Friday, Nov. 7, 2014

Going for my walk about noon today due to the high tide in the morning. Stopping by San Elijo Lagoon hoping to see some shorebirds or some new duck arrivals at low tide. The tide channel was quite empty of bird subjects so I decided to drive north to Carlsbad and check out the Batiquitos Lagoon...

The trails at The Batiquitos Lagoon run East to West. Located between El Camino Real and Interstate Hwy 5.The far east side of the trail is my favorite side for birding. This lagoon can be wonderful for birding/photography especially when the Egrets and the Herons nest there but a little difficult if you are trying to photograph any water birds because the trails are at least several hundred feet or more from the edge of the lagoon.

Here is a shot I took at the east end of the lagoon with my 400mm lens showing a White Pelican on a sand bar and maybe a few cormorants nearby. Yes, it is way too far for bird photos. The sand dunes in the foreground is a nesting area for the species recovery program for shorebirds such as our California Least Terns so it is fenced off with no public access.

Walking west on the trail, I notice that many of the Eucalyptus trees have been removed and replaced with native vegetation. I see many Warblers and sparrows all flighty and busy foraging for food in thick native growth. I finally reach an area where there are some low growing native vegetation with several Yellow-rumped Warblers hopping around and feeding on insects in a semi-cleared area. This photo shows the field marking that identifies a Yellow-rumped Warbler aka... "Butter-Butt"... it does look like there is a pat of butter smeared on his rump.

There are two types of Yellow-rumped Warbler. The Audubon's and Myrtle. The Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler has a whitish throat. The Audubon's Yellow -rumped Warbler has the bright yellow coloring on its throat. The Warbler in this photo is an Audubon's.

Just to be able to take a shot of these little Warblers made my day. They are usually moving too fast hidden in-between branches, darting from branch to branch gleaning insects as they hover. It was great to finally get a few of them out in the open with the lighting on my side.

Showing us the little yellow spot on his head. The male will show a bright yellow spot when in breeding plumage. 

Yellow-rumped Warblers measure 5.5 inches long with a wing span of 9.25 inches. All info on Yellow-rumped Warbler is from the book by David Sibley The Sibley Guide to Birds .

They have a longish tail which flares out slightly at the tip as you can see in this photo.

One lands in a bush nearby. The yellow coloring on the Warbler matches the yellow flowers perfectly... 

They eat mainly insects in the summer but in winter and migration when insects are lacking, they will also eat many types of fruits, berries and seeds. But there are plenty of insects for them to eat at the Batiquitos Lagoon.

A Yellow-rump lands on a fragile looking stem after hovering for insects... 

He spots a little spider between the buds....

Got it...

Looking for more bugs... and look how well he blends in with his surroundings. Beautiful camouflage.

Jumps on the ground to forage...

Nice look at the Yellow coloring on his rump...

This one appears a little bit brownish in color. Could be a juvenile or a female.

 Nice side view showing off the yellow spot on the side and the yellow on the rump.

They are on the move constantly... always looking for food. We get a good look at the under arm area with the yellow spot at the side.

Here is the one with some pinfeathers on his chin. He appears to be going through some changes in plumage.

As he hops away we get a good look at the beautiful markings on the fanned tail, lol... reminding me that we are coming up on the Thanksgiving holidays.

  

I turn the camera towards the lagoon and I believe I see pair of Buffleheads and several dozen Ruddy Ducks. But they are so far away it's really hard to tell for sure. This lagoon is  host to hundreds of water fowls and a great place to observe through scopes and binoculars. 

This has been a beautiful walk and now it's time for me to head for home.

Be sure to have a wonderful Saturday everyone.