Common Yellowthroat

This male Common Yellowthroat spent a lot of last weekend singing away in this tree at RNWR.

Common Yellowthroat - Juvenile

I spent the late morning and early afternoon at Fernhill Wetlands today. Birding was relatively slow for this hot spot, but there was still interesting things to see. I saw one of the three Clark's Grebes that had been common here this Spring and some shore birds are starting to show up now that the water levels are starting to lower leaving some nice mud flats.

The most numerous birds, though, wasn't a species, but an age. There were plenty of juveniles to be seen.
I found this juvenile Common Yellowthroat near Dabbler's Marsh. That area was probably the busiest, with juvenile Song Sparrows, American Robins, House Finches and Tree Swallows. Also a few I haven't figured out yet.

Common Yellowthroat

Picture taking opportunities are starting to dry up as Summer approaches. This is due to a couple of factors. First, the Spring migration is pretty much complete reducing the number of birds and their activity. And they are less accessible because of tree foliage and grass growth. One bird I have been hearing a lot lately is the Common Yellowthroat. Only trouble is "hearing" is not necessarily "seeing".
Along the north service road, west of the outlook at TRNWR, there is a short stretch that tends to be more active with a few birds. I've seen Lazuli Buntings, Cedar Waxwings, Rufous Hummingbirds and Yellowthroats fairly reliably and within close range of the trail.
The sequence of pictures above are of a female Yellowthroat that I saw along this stretch. It was less obstructed sitting in this Blackberry brier than it would have been in a bush or heavy grass. It sat there long enough for me to get several shoots off.
Note the insect in its beak.

Common Yellowthroat

I keep commenting on how difficult it is to take pictures of Common Yellowthroats even though I keep posting pictures of them. :-) I came across this pair of male and female Yellowthroats in the tall grass along one the newly opened road paths at TRNWR. I first saw the male sitting on a weed stock before it flew away and then saw the female in a similar situation. This is the first time I've seen a female. At first I thought it was some type of warbler, but started suspect it was a female as it seemed to stick close by the male. I also suspect they were building a nest as I walked past the same area a few times and found them there each time. Also, notice that the female has a dried blade of grass in its beak.

Common Yellowthroat

As I said in an earlier post, it's hard to get a good picture of a Common Yellowthroat. They aren't as flighty as say a Bushtit, but they like to stay down in the bushes. I'm starting to see more of them, but like I said, they are elusive. This one was sitting just above me on a branch of a bush in the opening on the lookout deck at TRNWR a couple of Friday evenings ago. It sat fairly still for an unusual amount of time from my experience. I was able to slowly creep closer, taking a few shots every few steps.

Common Yellowthroat

I would have missed this Common Yellowthroat had it not been singing. It was hanging around in the bushes by the first small ponds at TRNWR. It was hard to get a clear shot as it moved around a lot and liked to stay hidden. With a little cleanup this image turned out pretty good. This is the first time I have seen a Yellowthroat in Oregon. I saw a few when I was young in Minnesota, but only during migratory time in the spring.