Yellow-rumped Warbler arrival, Home

Although the weather doesn't seem to be encouraging birds to migrate, there's at least some evidence of a changing of the avian guards.  For example, the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are definitely gone, and if you check out the various Rare Bird Alerts in the region, it's clear that other species are on the move. Most observer eyes are now on the warblers, those winged jewels that have recently molted their bright feathers in favor of traveling drab. Fall warblers, in fact, are typically hard to identify, and this one, that put in a quick appearance on a holly tree near the house, is a fine example of identification confusion. It took me a while to come up with a reasonable ID, but I'm going with what's now called a Yellow-rumped Warbler, a.k.a. "Butterbutt." With any luck, I'll get a shot that displays the reason behind... sorry... that evocative and apt common name. For the present, the broken eye ring and yellowish shoulder patches are descriptive enough field marks to give the bird a proper place on the Tree of Life.