C Is For Common Yellowthroat

With the name Common Yellowthroat, you’d think these little songbirds would be a more common sight.  A couple of years ago while observing the rookery of Great Blue Herons while they could still be seen–all the leaves had not yet come out–I heard an odd little buzzing like sound in the tall grass.  Every once in a while I’d hear what sounded like a low warning chirp.  Taking my camera closer I looked and looked but couldn’t see anything.  Eventually I saw a little movement in the grass and blindly pointed my camera in that direction and took a few shots.  I didn’t know what that little masked bird was but it was so fluffed up and cute I could hardly wait to get the bird book out and I.D. it.  This year I found a pair of them not far from our house.  Sadly, a housing development was coming in and they mowed all the grass where they were living.  I hope they were able to get at least one brood raised.

Speaking of their broods–they raise 1-2 per year with 1-6 eggs.  In less then a month the chicks leave the nest.  Eggs are incubated 12 days, and in 12 days they’re ready to leave the nest.  Common Yellowthroats migrate and are found breeding all over the US accept Alaska but winter over in the Southern states and Mexico.  Maybe that’s why we don’t see them much around here.

Today I remembered to take pictures of the process.  They are posted after the finished painting if you care to see them.