Migrant BW warbler, Home

I've always billed this blog as an account of natural history discoveries I've made and documented on my daily walks. But sometimes, those treks are more metaphorical than actual. This one fits the metaphor designation perfectly, since I noticed the bird, which turned out to be a Black and White Warbler, while scanning the trees in front of the house from my wife's office window. The feathered mote was working the twigs in the jittery manner, more like a woodpecker or nuthatch than a warbler, characteristic of its species, and when I rushed outside to try to see what it was, I didn't have time to grab the big Sigma supertelephoto I'm borrowing, so I had to hope the 55-200mm lens that's my default would do the job. The little bird was spending most of its time in the shadows, and though I clicked away, I had scant hope of getting anything usable. But luck—or maybe it was patience—was on my side, and in short order, the Black and White moved into the light. My identification prospects, to say nothing of my chance at grabbing a decent image, moved into the light, metaphorical and physical, as well: proof positive that the migrants are beginning to be on the move.