Black -throated Gray Warbler

It was a gloomy morning at San Elijo Nature Reserve and not many bird subjects were available for birders. I was ready to start for home when the sun finally came out. Deciding to give the boardwalk area one more try, I walked east looking above into the arroyo willows. Hoping to see something interesting, I noticed thousands of tiny caterpillars hanging from the willows. All of a sudden a group of birds flew in from the south and they were busy feasting on the tiny caterpillar worms hanging from the leaves.

At first, I thought the tiny birds that flew in were just a big flock of bushtits. When I finally got a chance to focus on one of the birds, I was delighted to see that they were mostly Yellow-rumped Warblers but one was different. One friendly warbler came close and posed for me for a few minutes. Here are some shots of the Black-throated Gray Warbler.

Black-throated Gray Warbler, Setophaga nigrescens measures 5 inches long with a wingspan of 7.75 .

This appears to be a 1st winter juvenile female.

Side view.

Still has a few natal feathers on back of her head.

The Black-throated Gray Warblers are located in western states. Warblers migrate down as far as Mexico.

They eat insects found on dead leaves or fly after them in classic warbler chase.

Look at the underside. This female has a white chin but a male has the classic black chin. A birder nearby said that he spotted a male Black-throated Gray Warbler when walking on the boardwalk. He had a very nice shot of him on his camera. I search for the male but was unsuccessful . Will try again soon.

Look at the underside of this young warbler.

Flight shot to show the tail and wing pattern. This is the only flight shot I could get. They are so quick by the time you click your camera they are in another tree!

Breeding season is around March. Females lay around 4 to 5 eggs which they incubate. The male helps to feed the chicks.

 

This shot shows the gray coloring on the back.

The markings on the head are very bold. Darker gray and white with a dot of bright yellow in front of the eyes.

Side shot. She sees something on the ground and gets ready to flutter down.

It's a caterpillar. She grabs it and quickly consumes it.

Looking for more food. We get a good look at the back and tail.

Another underside view.

She poses nicely flying closer and closer towards the camera.  At times I had to back up a few steps.

A cutie.

She is a delightful subject.

A closer look.

Found something on the branch. We get a good look at the top of her head.

Tasting it.

Lots of tiny caterpillars hanging from the leaves on super thin spiderlike strings. The caterpillars were less than 1/8 of an inch long and white.

Looks like she has one of the caterpillars in her beak.

Last shot of this beautiful warbler and it's time for me to head for home.

Have a great weekend everyone!