I've been watching birds with a passion since 2003 and started keeping a list in 2004. Since then, my wife, daughter, five cats and I have seen or heard 60 species on our 1/3 acre plot in the suburbs of Washington DC. The latest showed up two days ago. My daughter called it a warbler and even guessed that it might be a common yellow throat. Tough call in the Fall!
I saw it (her) this morning--sadly camera-less--but looked up the bird the moment I came inside. I'm pretty sure my daughter is right. We've got at least one female or immature Common Yellowthroat. Interestingly, yesterday, the bird was quiet and almost sluggish. Our guess is that she had spent the night in flight and was exhausted. She apparently heard our local birds and stopped for a bite. Today, (or yesterday now that we're right at midnight) she was much more active, gleaning insects from our goldenrod, rosa rugosa, and redtwig dogwoods-- chiking as she gleaned. Could she have been calling to another of her species? That's why I caveated by saying at least one.
I love the fall because I never know what new bird is going to show. I'm sad to think that we will probably not see anymore Scarlet Tanagers, since the Town of Vienna (TREE TOWN by the Arbor Day Foundation) allowed the almost clear cutting of three acres of woods two blocks from our house a few years ago. We subsequently learned from a visit to the USDA's Greenbelt facility that the Scarlet Tanager needs three acres of uninterrupted woods to survive. We've not seen the Brown Creeper or Brown Thrasher, or heard the Barn owl since then either.
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