Hi,
This was a life bird for me so I came home to do some checking
before posting. At 2:30 PM today I saw a yellow-breasted chat next to
the Ravine Trail in the FL National Forest in Hector. The bird was
first near the short wooden stairs that are just northeast of the turn
around point on the loop. I was enjoying watching a RB Nuthatch when a
strange cacophony started just up behind me, mixing sounds like a
playground whistle, a blue jay's call, and the way a crow might laugh if
a crow had a higher voice and was capable of laughter. I turned and saw
a smallish bird flitting in a hemlock tree about 10 feet away and got on
it with binoculars. It was bigger than a solitary vireo, which was my
first thought as I glimpsed the spectacles, although never thought a
solitary vireo was making those sounds and assumed I was on the wrong
bird, but then it sang. Was somewhat backlit making exact colors hard
to see, but had clear white spectacles, dark back & long slim tail,
lighter colored beneath, no wing bars. It moved around and briefly
fickered through better light, which gave an impression of a yellowish
breast, but I never got a clear look & can't say I got the full effect
of a brilliant yellow breast. However, having now compared the sounds
it was making with those online, and noting the size, bold spectacles,
and long thin tale, I am very confident of the identification. When I
saw the bird it was moving around in the hemlocks and small trees,
moving gradually north. It sang pretty consistently for 2-3 minutes,
then fell silent until several minutes later it sang from further north
and I found it again about a tenth of a mile further up the trail, still
on the same side of the little creek.
If you go, there also were at least three hermit thrushes, two BT
green warblers, a pair of scarlet tanagers, and ovenbirds (this trail is
extremely reliable for these four species in spring & summer), plus a N.
waterthrush, all singing at midday; among other common woodland birds
like juncos & chickadees and both nuthatches.
Alicia
--
Cayugabirds-L List Info:
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES
http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm
ARCHIVES:
1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html
2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds
3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html
Please submit your observations to eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/
--
