Palm Warbler

It turns out the Grasshopper Sparrow was not the only new life bird I saw this past Saturday at Fort Stevens' South Jetty.
When I arrived Saturday morning, the first bird I encountered was sitting atop a small pine next to the restrooms. I took a couple of quick shots, but then it flew off. I wasn't sure what it was as I didn't get much of a look, but assumed it would turn out to be something common when I viewed the images later at home.
When I did take a look last night, I realized this was something I hadn't seen before. Pipits came mind, but I soon rejected that after reviewing them in my guides. Then I thought Yellow-rumpled Warbler as it had similar white markings on the under side of it's tail. But there things that was wrong with that ID as the face was too intricate and the under-tail coverts where yellow, not white.
Paging through my Sybley's guide I came across a Palm Warbler. This looked very similar, even a hint of a rusty crown. Then I remembered that OBOL subscriber Mike Patterson reported seeing a Palm Warbler at South Jetty the day after my visit. Just to be sure, I posted the image above on Birdfellow's Mystery Bird group and Dave Irons was kind enough to verify the identification.
Add in a sighting of a Varied Thrush, Mew Gulls and a very close encounter with some trusting Least Sandpipers and it turned out to be quite an exciting visit.