Local birder Dominic Sherony shares thoughts on Kentucky and Connecticut warblers
Kentucky Warbler is a rare spring migrant overshoot in Rochester. They are occasionally found in early May if they appear at all in our region.
It is a rare breeding bird in the southern part of the state; the 2005 Atlas data shows that it has diminished greatly as a breeding bird since the 1985 Atlas.
Kentucky Warbler © Jill Church
Connecticut warbler is very, very rare here and it is always in dense underbrush. The BBBO banding station bands one or two a year. Birders rarely see them and I have never photographed them except a couple trapped at the banding station.
Connecticut Warbler at banding station © Dominic Sherony
I took the first of these two photos at the banding station and cropped as a head portrait. The second, below, was taken in Michigan by a friend of mine, Mark Hubinger.
Birders should have some awareness of the actual shape, size and appearance of a Connecticut Warbler. I think that this species is often miscalled in the field, easily confusable with poor views of Mourning Warbler or Nashville Warbler.
Connecticut Warbler – Michigan @ Mark Hubinger
