July 1, 2009 | 
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Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina)
The goodies from my trip to the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas just keep on coming. 
This Hooded Warbler (Wilsonia citrina) was a first for me. He visited on two different days, and really hammed it up for the camera. This warbler is every bit as striking “in-the-feather” as he is in the photograph.
Bird Guide by Chester A. Reed, ©1909
This antique field guide says that the Hooded Warbler is one of the “liveliest” of their family, and that the genus is (was) referred to as “Fly-catching Warblers.” Interesting – this is the first time I have heard that description. The artist-author, Chester Reed, painted a pretty good likeness, though the color in real life was more lemon than golden. That said, I suppose the colors in this 100-yr old book could have changed a little from their initial printing.
Hooded Warbler - thought he heard something...
I didn’t see any references to the Hooded Warbler having a crest, and couldn’t find a record of raising a crest in my bird behavior book. Maybe the photo above has simply caught the warbler in the middle of preening his feathers – I certainly can’t remember. According to The Behavior of Texas Birds1 (Yep, Hooded Warblers can be seen in Texas), they will “usually approach an observer who sits quietly.” That’s my MO, and perhaps how I was able to get such a great look.
Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius)
I spotted this Orchard Oriole (Icterus spurius) high in a tree, and this was another first! He had an interesting call which really helped me to find him in the trees. He was a bashful fella, and I felt lucky to get a few glimpses.
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
I love it when a bird looks at me like this. It is so darn cute – my dogs do the same thing, to great effect. Cardinals are the loveliest bird that I most often fail to photograph. Truth be told, they are pretty skittish and have been a little tough to capture. Most of my pictures of cardinals are blurry or in poor light. Still, they are residents where I live in far north Texas, so I know I’ll always have another chance to get that perfect cardinal photo. Now, if it would just snow…
flycatcher-I'm not even going to try to ID
I don’t know my flycatchers very well, and I’m not even going to try to ID this one. If I had to guess, I’d say she is an Eastern Phoebe – but that is just because they are the only species I sort-of recognize (and this one looks about right). Just for grins, here’s the backside:
flycatcher backside
I should be able to wrap up the photos from my Ozark Mountains trip in one more installment. I’ll close by sharing a photo of a really neat mushroom that was growing along the rocky road near the cabin I stayed in. It was really this color!
Mushroom (Super Coolius)
- The Behavior of Texas Birds, by Kent Rylander, ©2002 by the University of Texas Press ↩
Posted in Birding
Beautiful! I have never seen a Hooded Warbler and used to live in the heartland but wasn’t as much of a bird enthusiast as now. Awesome pictures you took too! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Carole
Your Hooded warbler images are beautiful. And I love your cardinal expression. I have found cardinals timid too and it has taken many tries before I’ve finally been able to catch some good images.
[...] Absolutely one of the prettiest North American Warblers. Hooded Warbler. Good photos. [...]
Amber, wow! What excellent photos of the hooded warbler! Very nice that this lifer sat so pretty for you. And to capture such an excellent pose! Way to go!
Laura
It looks like the Ozark Mountains were good to you Amber! Your Hooded Warbler capture with the “crest” standing up is exceptional. He is really paying attention to something.
The Orchard Oriole would be a lifer for me and a handsome fella he is too. The expression on the Cardinal is priceless. Kinda like the RCA Victor dog (if anyone remembers that). I am also amused when I get that look. It always rings a smile to my face.
I have a guess at your flycatcher. I think it is a Western Wood-Pewee only because it looks like it’s wearing a vest on the breast and the lower mandible of the bill looks pale. The Eastern Phoebe has a lighter breast and the bill is all black. Those flycatchers do have subtle differences that are tough to ID. Notice I said I have a “guess”
The mushroom speaks for itself…a beautiful shade of yellow-gold.
Vickie-thanks for the compliments. It is reassuring to hear that others have had trouble getting that perfect cardinal photograph, when all the magazines make it look easy!
LauraK-I couldn’t believe my luck with the hooded warbler. As a fellow blogger, you know that half the fun of a good sighting is knowing that you can share it with others who will share your excitement!
Larry-You betchya, the Ozarks were amazing! I remember the RCA Victor dog! I’ll do you one better…how about the Little Rascals dog – kinda similar.
You may be right about the Wood-Pewee, but probably the “Eastern” instead of the “Western” variety.
[...] but to have captured a picture as well. This was my 2nd Orchard Oriole this year – click here (and scroll down) if you would like to see a better picture of the one I saw a few months ago in [...]