Common Yellowthroats Are Hardly "Common"

 

Today I saw (and heard) the distinctive looking and singing wood warbler, the Common Yellowthroat.  (Here's another grainy photo of mine taken no less than a dozen years ago--ha!) I was walking downstream with my two large dogs Rosie and Henry on Marsh Creek, here in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 

I first heard the song of the male, which is easily identifiable. It sounds something like witchity, witchity, witchity. But birds don't always sing their songs loudly and fully. For instance, sometimes, when they're feeling a bit tired or uninspired, a bird might sing a partial phrase, like "ity, ity" . . . as in the case of this particular yellowthroat. 

I kept hearing phrases, like scattered puzzle pieces not "snapped into place."  You can imagine my delight when a bird flew from the bushy undergrowth by the creek bank onto a lower, dead branch of a tree to perch long enough for me to get a good look at him! Thank you, Dear Yellowthroat. You are an exceptionally attractive bird with your bright yellow breast and black mask bordered with a white head band. Don't ever believe that you're "common"! Far from it!

If you love birds and enjoy reading fiction that highlights them, then visit my web site for information on my middle-grade trilogy Of the Wing.  By the way, many an adult likes them, too!  Here's hoping to see you there!

https://www.pkbutler.com

Till next time . . . Keep birds in your heart!