Day 134: May 13th – Mine Road Revisited

Sunny, warm (80) and calm

       A voice-mail from a birding friend has alerted us to the presence of a Kentucky warbler on Mine Road.  I hiked through Doodletown just two days ago in search of the same species and had briefly heard the bird but failed to get a good enough view to document it.  The song of the Kentucky is a distinctive series of “chuuree”  calls and once learned is hard to mistake for another warbler.  The phone message we received was quite definite as to the location of the bird, and when we arrived at what we believed to be the spot, we heard the Kentucky calling.

Yellow warbler

     We quickly pulled over to the side of the road and began to listen intently, trying to pinpoint the source of the call.  It is absolutely incredible and infuriatingly frustrating to hear the call so close and not be able to locate the bird visually.  But, talk to a dozen birders who have gone after this bird and you’ll find at least half of them have heard but not seen the Kentucky.

       Some birds, like the Yellow warbler for example, will sing and stand out at center stage for you to see, as if they are so proud of their ability to croon that they would not want you to miss the star attraction.  One Yellow warbler performed just in this manner as we were seeking the Kentucky. 

     Another bird who successfully stole the limelight from the Kentucky was the Veery.  The Veery has one of the most ethereal songs in the forest.  It was so close to us, you could not dismiss its song, even though we were trying so hard to find that Kentucky.  As if trying to steal center stage, this magnificent thrush came in close and not only sang but posed for the camera.  I simply could not pass this opportunity up as I vainly attempted to locate the warbler.

Veery       

       Even after photographing the Veery, we heard the emhatic call of the Kentucky warbler, but the best we could do was a brief sighting of what we assumed was the warbler flitting across the trail. 

       Eventually, we gave up on sighting the Kentucky and moved on down Mine Road in search of whatever else it had to offer.  Far off the roadside, we could hear Scarlet tanagers, Yellow warblers, many Redstarts, Magnolias, and Blue-wings. 

Blue-winged warbler

       We know that we will return to this warbler haven in the near future and still have hopes of getting a Kentucky to acquiesce and sit still for a close up portrait.  Until then, we will have to be content in the fact that we have heard this elusive warbler at very close range.   We know where he is and we will revisit this site to try for that one “classic” shot again.