Saturday at the wetlands, I was quietly watching for birds and spotted this little yellow beauty....
Prothonotary Warbler....such a weird big name for such a pretty little bird! It sang and flitted around so much that I now know what it's voice sounds like. (NOTE: I looked up the name on the Audubon site and found the following, "In the shade of America's wooded swamps and river bottom forests, the Prothonotary Warbler is a dash of gold. Its common name refers to Catholic notaries privileged to wear golden hoods." )
Some are not as bright yellow....this one was in the low vegetation along the water's edge.
I'm not sure how many I saw....a pair and at least one extra, I think.
The really bright one decided to sit out in the water on these stumps.
Casting a nice reflection
This is not the bright yellow one from above.....but I saw it land on this dead stump in the water and go in the hole! I started watching it and it became obvious that there were a pair of them going in and out preparing a nest.
Seeing if the coast is clear
The pair of them together! Bringing in nesting stuff.
Bringing something back out?
A couple times one of them would "hover" like this in front of the hole.
Flying away
I went back on Sunday to check on them again and this one was back down at the water's edge in the low bushes.
Prothonotary Warbler....such a weird big name for such a pretty little bird! It sang and flitted around so much that I now know what it's voice sounds like. (NOTE: I looked up the name on the Audubon site and found the following, "In the shade of America's wooded swamps and river bottom forests, the Prothonotary Warbler is a dash of gold. Its common name refers to Catholic notaries privileged to wear golden hoods." )
Some are not as bright yellow....this one was in the low vegetation along the water's edge.I'm not sure how many I saw....a pair and at least one extra, I think.
The really bright one decided to sit out in the water on these stumps.
Casting a nice reflection
This is not the bright yellow one from above.....but I saw it land on this dead stump in the water and go in the hole! I started watching it and it became obvious that there were a pair of them going in and out preparing a nest.
Seeing if the coast is clear
The pair of them together! Bringing in nesting stuff.
Bringing something back out?
A couple times one of them would "hover" like this in front of the hole.
Flying away
I went back on Sunday to check on them again and this one was back down at the water's edge in the low bushes.I'm excited.......the nest hole is in an easy to watch spot, so I will enjoy watching them in the next few weeks.
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19 comments:
That is a really pretty bird!
It is so fun to watch them coming and going from a nesting site. I've got Eastern Bluebirds nesting in my front yard this year, which I am pretty excited about. It's been fun watching them come and go. I can see them from my kitchen table, which is nice. I will post photos of them eventually. But I'm not to those photos yet. I'm still posting my April photos at the moment. LOL
Great shooting Mary, what a lovely bird.
WOW - Great captures!!
The greenery was the wrong colour You know what you ladies are like about decor. you got some great captures and hopefully more over the next few weeks maybe we shall see some fledgelings.
Great pictures of a beautiful bird that I never see in MS! I can't pronounce his name, but he's really pretty!
Wow! This is an amazing series of pictures.I especially love the reflection shot.I smiled all the way through this post.Thanks and I'll be waiting to see more of these beauties.
Blessings,Ruth
Debbie: That will be exciting! I put up a box, but nobody moved in.
Roy: Thank, but every time I look at a so-so photo I think about your great shots and wish I could improve.
Kerri: Thanks! A case of the right place at the right time.
Tony: I think you must be right :-) Decorating is so important to make the perfect nest!
Dorothy:They live in MS, you just haven't found any :-) The name is so hard to remember and spell!
Ruth: I was so lucky to look at that stump just as one landed...their yellow color helps a lot!
What a mouthful of a name for such pretty little bird!! Very nice set of photo's Mary!!
Grammie G: I know! I should look up why it is called that.
A lovely little bird ... and some good shots of them!
Never heard of them, never seen one of them, but sure going to be on the lookout. They are gorgeous little birds.
You really did a wonderful job photographing this one Mary!! I tried to get one on one of my birding trips and the pictures didn't come out well at all. Lovely!!!
Not being clever Mary. but wiks is helpful. it sure describes the bird,
The word prothonotary is recorded in English since 1447, as "principal clerk of a court," from L.L. prothonotarius (c.400), from Greek protonotarios "first scribe," originally the chief of the college of recorders of the court of the Byzantine Empire, from Greek πρῶτος protos "first" + Latin notarius ("notary"); the -h- appeared in Medieval Latin. The title was awarded to certain high-ranking notaries.
Cicero: It was a great find and I can't wait to watch them more.
Rose: I had not heard of them until I saw a sign at the wetlands listing them, and spotted one a couple years ago.
Eve: One of those lucky accidents of being in the right place when it wasn't hiding.
Tony: Yes, the yellow hood the dignitaries wear is where the name comes from. Kind of a silly reason to name a bird, but I guess it is appropriate even if hard to spell!
What a marvelous catch Mary. I would love to see this myself.
We have these warblers here, but they are so secretive.
B.
Wow Mary.... You captured a GREAT one.... I love that gorgeous GOLD Warbler.... Glad you checked on the name --since I was wondering how that little cutie got such a long name!!!! Thanks!!!! I LOVE them--all of them...
We're having a great time at the beach. Wish you were here.
Hugs,
Betsy
This is a fantastic sequence Mary, you got some really terrific shots.
Wow!!! Lucky you! You'll have to keep us posted on the progress (and then it will be lucky us!). I just painted a Prothonotary Warbler last night--one of my favorite spring migrants!
I was reading about them on the Cornell site and it says they build "dummy" nests as well as the real one, so I hope this isn't a dummy! I will check it as often as I can.
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