Mount Tabor.

I was really anxious to get back up to Mt Tabor after seeing Rhett's recent post about all the awesome birds he saw there... I arrived around 7 a.m. this morning and was not disappointed!

First off there were several Lesser Goldfinches feeding in the grass and trees...


Orange-crowned Warblers were everywhere, even more so than the Yellow-rumpeds...


One even showed me his orange:


I found a couple Nashville Warblers and proceeded to take terrible photos of them...



I found a Black-throated Gray Warbler too.


...and a couple Townsend's Warblers...


Ok, now for my mystery flycatcher... Any help or guidance would be deeply appreciated!


I have some more shots of a mystery flycatcher but honestly I'm not sure if it's the same one... They were taken just a few minutes after the last one though...



Before heading downhill back to my car I stopped to watch the lion at the watering hole...


On my way back to the car something yellow caught my eye at the top of a tree... A Western Tanager!


Awesome morning!!  Tomorrow I head east to visit the family and do some Massachusetts birding!

Comments

  1. Congrats on the lion! And all the good birds as well.

    Good luck with the Empid. All I can say is that the primary projections look shortish. Dusky? With the exception of getting great looks at Pacific-slope and Gray Flycatchers, it helps me to hear the full song.

    Good birding, as always :-)

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  2. Nice seeing you up there! Have a good trip east.
    Laura

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  3. Love the lion at the watering hole - who knew? I'm with Rhett on the Empid, well at least insofar as to say "good luck" - I love those little birds but can't tell one from the other! Nice shot of the Black-throat too.

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  4. The empid is definitely either a Hammond's or Dusky (bill length looks right for Hammond's to me). Its hard to get a good gauge of the primary projection in these pictures though, which is one of the relatively few other ways you can tell them apart.

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  5. Great hike and love the lion!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  6. Yes, the Empid is Hammond's or Dusky.

    Only the first photo shows the primary extension, necessary for ID.

    Usually the longer extension past the tertials would have me say Hammond's. However, the wing tips themselves are very blunt (at least from this angle), which is usually indicative of short primary extension that would have me say Dusky.

    Man in black: "You've made your decision then?"

    Vizzini: "Not remotely!"

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  8. Lots of great birding going on out here, Jen. Mount auburn has been a hot spot this week and Swan Point Cemetery in Providence is also showing signs of warbler heaven. I could spend a month at Mount Auburn and not get enough at this time of year. Haven't heard much from Plum Island. Good luck! Cape May here I come.

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  9. Hope you have a great trip, Jen!

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  10. Wow! What a treasure trove of great spring birds! I really should make a trip over to Mt. Tabor. Have a great trip back east!

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  11. WHOA..what a great assortment of warblers!! IT must be crazy trying to see all of them!! The lion at the watering hole is pretty cute!!

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  12. What a great birding day. I love all the birds and the photos. Especially the Orange-Crowned Warblers.

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  13. So many wonderful shots of beautiful birds! A fantastic variety. I never tire at viewing warblers. Looks like a fabulous place for birding. Terrific post, as always!

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  14. You had better success than I did on my trip to Tabor. I find it a hard place to photograph birds. I did get some grainy shots of a MacGillivray's Warbler peeking through the tree branches.
    Nice job!

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  15. Sounds like a great day out--I really miss those western warblers! I don't trust myself with flycatcher ID, either, but I'm glad you got a nice shot of the bird.

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