Blackburnian Warbler, Setophaga fusca


Blackburnian Warbler
Blackburnian Warbler


On my visit to the birding mecca of Magee Marsh on the Ohio shore of Lake Erie in May 2010, the breeding-plumage male Blackburnians allowed me only the very distant shots above, but I post the blurry resulting images anyway as a record of my first time photographing these beauties, among the most spectacular of American songbirds. 
Blackburnian Warbler
The female Blackburnians in non-breeding plumage above and below are much less spectacular, but the bird above was an impressive rarity for the SF Bay Area when it lingered for an extended period during the winter of 2011-12 in and around Rinconada Park in Palo Alto. The bird below was seen during September in Bodega Bay, on the Northern California coast; Fall migrants of this species are rare but not startling in this area.
Blackburnian Warbler
Another west coast female Blackburnian in Fall.