Hello birders,
This morning Allen Bryan and myself observed an apparent immature
female MacGillivray's Warbler in Hopwell VA. The location co-ords are
below which will work with Google maps etc.
37.306297,-77.275788
Please use extreme caution at this location as traffic, although
light, travels at speed though here, and includes semis and tanker
trucks. There is little parking and the roadsides are narrow. I was
also asked what I was doing by one the industrial plant security
personnel. They seemed concerned I was taking photographs.
Anyway the following is a brief description from the notes I took, and
circumstances of the find. Allen also managed some record shots that
show key features (I believe he will post a link later).
This is a spot we normally check when birding this area, and today was
just a like any other. Upon arriving Allen almost immediately found a
bird low down in the vegetation that he thought was going to be an
Orange-crowned Warbler. As soon as the bird showed it's self more
fully, we locked on to it and Allen commented "that's no
Orange-crowned" to which I replied - MacGillivray's.
We watched the bird in and out of the thick vegetation for the next 2
or 3 minutes, twice getting brief but very good looks at the whole
bird. The bird then disappeared from view and we spent the next hour
and a half or so looking for it without success.
The upper parts were bright olive green, with the head being slightly
more grayish. This gray tone extended down onto the upper breast
giving a ghosted, but clear hood effect. The under parts were bright
yellow and extended to the under tail. The whitish eye crescents were
very noticeable. Overall the bird was much brighter than
Orange-crowneds we see in this area (2 were seen also today).
Hopefully it can be re-found.
Good Birding,
Arun Bose
Richmond
