BIRD OF THE WEEK NO. 22
Yellow Warbler
OVER THE YEARS, Barbara and I have occasionally visited a friend who built a home in the middle of a forest near Chiloquin, Oregon. Klamath territory. In 2021, fires burned over four hundred thousand acres in southern Oregon, including our friend’s forest. He was evacuated and, when he returned, a thick layer of ash had coated the ground where the trees once stood. But firefighters saved his home.
TWO YEARS later, amidst the charred, spindly trees that remain—most have been cut and dragged into uneven gray stacks—new aspens have grown waist high. Several of the tall white pine trees, though blackened around the base, have survived, saved by their thick bark. And there are birds. A pair of Stellar Jays are harvesting needles from darkened trees to build a nest nearby. Last night, two Western Bluebirds alighted on metal posts that mark the driveway, popping down at intervals to retrieve bugs from the ground. A White-headed Woodpecker flew to a pine tree just outside the new picture windows that replaced the ones cracked by the heat. And just down the road, I saw an Osprey watching over an enormous nest and others fishing at a nearby wetland.
THAT WETLAND—the Wood River Wetland—has the most varied and abundant bird life I’ve observed anywhere. The wildlife refuge begins on a wide path that sits atop a levee and ends at Agency Lake, on the northern edge of the Klamath Lake basin and not far from Crater Lake. The aspen and willows that line the path appear to have escaped the fire and are now filled with birdsong. Though vocal, the small birds within, especially the warblers and finches, are elusive to the eye, let alone to my lens. This morning, I became obsessed with the Yellow Warblers. The Hammond’s Flycatchers helpfully perched on the bare branches at the top of dead trees. The Cliff, Barn, and Tree Swallows are difficult to photograph in flight, but they don’t hide in the brush. Dozens flew bug-collecting missions from under a bridge near the end of the marsh. The Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds conducted noisy territorial battles on cattails easily visible from the trail. But the warblers! They skitter about the center of the bush, rarely venturing out on branches where I can get a clear focus and an uncluttered and well-lit picture. My phone app told me that Common Yellowthroats were about, but I caught only glimpses. The Yellow Warblers—aptly named for their gorgeous yellow feathers gently streaked in red on the breast and only on the breast—were numerous and easier to spot. I spent two wonderful hours with them, watching and waiting for them to offer me a clear view, and they did.
Nikon D500, 300mm, 1/640 sec @ f5.6, ISO 560
Postscript. In the last edition, I wrote about the American White Pelicans who began visiting Whidbey Island seven years ago. I’m used to seeing them in July and August, but they are already here. I saw a large flock fishing together in Lake Crockett while I was waiting for the ferry in Coupeville. Some had the bump on the bill, indicating that they are breeding. By the way, the phone app I mentioned above is called Merlin and is managed by the ornithology department at Cornell, of course. They now have a feature that enables you to record and identify the birds songs and calls around you.
