Do you know how many warblers there are!?! In this SW USA area and those also migrating through, I count more than 20 warblers. It is no wonder I am overwhelmed when trying to simply identify one! Thankfully a good photograph allows me the chance to narrow down which of the many warblers I am actually looking at in the moment.

I am looking at the bird thinking, is it rufous-capped, blue or yellow headed? Actually I am not thinking any of that because I do not even realize the warbler’s head comes with such variation. Instead I am focused on whether the bird is red or yellow faced with a split eye-ring or not and if its eyebrow is narrow white or tapering pale yellow. Only if I have my binoculars focused on the bird at the right angle may I even see any of that, while wishing I had my camera focused too to capture a photo.

A townsend’s warbler, according to the field guides, “actively gleans insects from the canopy” so for the photographer it means the bird will be bouncing around in the tree and it may be possible to get a clear photo. This warbler is one of the easier ones to identify because I relate its look to one wearing a black mask. The field guide states “dark ear patch outlined in yellow”. A hermit warbler is another warbler migrating through our area. Recent genetic studies show the hermit warblers are being absorbed by townsend’s warblers. When entering ones bird sighting into eBird the hybrid is an option, and here I had just learned the 2 birds so I am sure to not know if I am even seeing a hybrid!

I can identify a Wilson’s warbler, red-faced warbler and maybe a yellow-dumped warbler, but then I am more than stumped with any others. I remind myself not to give up. I will continue to look for warblers and take notice of each rump, undertail, flank, throat, eyebrow, eye-ring, and face with hope of identifying more of them. In the meantime, I am happy with the townsend’s warblers recently migrating through our local mountain forest for me to see, identify and photograph!