Primetime Television...

This is prime time television viewing at the McDowell's. Since we don't have cable and NEXRAD revealed substantial bird migration over the eastern half of the country, what else could we do but haul out the Schmidt-Cassegrain?



I coupled my Coolpix 995 to the telescope and ran the output via video cable to our 12" television. The C8 has a clock-drive so the Earth's rotation wouldn't require periodic adjustment to keep the Moon in the field-of-view. For the next hour Becky and I watched passerines, shorebirds and geese pass over the Moon's disc as silhouettes. Providing the soundtrack were various seeps, churps and honks as birds passed overhead.

As great movie directors say - it’s not what you see, but what you don’t see. Bird migration is represented as tiny silhouettes but we know what’s going on above us – our imaginations run wild. Is it a Black-throated Blue, or how about a Golden-winged Warbler? Swainson’s Thrush? Bobolink? What's it like up there? Where will they be in the morning? Such perfect timing for my field trip...I can hardly wait!

Update - 09/06/06:

It was quieter than I expected in Pheasant Branch, but things picked up for the last hour of the field trip. Especially nice were close-up views of Yellow-throated Vireo, Blue-headed Vireo and Philadelphia Vireo. Here's the complete list of bird species for the morning:

Great Blue Heron
Canada Goose
Mallard
Merlin
Ring-billed Gull
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Great Horned Owl
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Red-headed Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Yellow-bellied Flycatcher
Blue Jay
Black-capped Chickadee
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Swainson's Thrush
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Blue-headed Vireo
Yellow-throated Vireo
Philadelphia Vireo
Red-eyed Vireo
Tennessee Warbler
Northern Parula
Chestnut-sided Warbler
Magnolia Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
American Redstart
Northern Waterthrush
Common Yellowthroat
Wilson's Warbler
Northern Cardinal
American Goldfinch

Field trip participants:

I checked Cornell BNA and there is no recorded instance of Chestnut-sided Warbler X Northern Parula hybrid. However, Northern Parulas have hybridized with a few other warbler species: Yellow-throated Warbler, American Redstart and Yellow-rumped Warbler. I located two images of a 1st year male Northern Parula that shows olive on top of the head similar to the bird we observed this morning at Pheasant Branch. I concede that the underside of our bird (including the throat) was paler and that its olive cap seemed more distinctive and separate. Also, the double wing bar seemed more prominent like that of a Chestnut-sided Warbler. Nevertheless, this sort of puts the hybrid hypothesis into doubt and I'm leaning toward calling it a pure 1st year Northern Parula. Still, it sure seemed like there was something different about our bird. Too bad I didn't bring along my digiscoping gear!

From Cornell's BNA on-line:

"Juvenile plumage: Acquired by complete Prejuvenal molt Jul–Aug. Sexes similar. Upperparts deep grayish olive washed with olive green, wings and tail similar to female Definitive Alternate plumage but wing-bars narrower and duller, chin and throat pale yellow, breast dull gray, rest of underparts dull white."

From Powdermill Avian Research Center:

1st year male Northern Parula - Image #1

1st year male Northern Parula - Image #2

All images © 2006 Mike McDowell