Another secretive migrant turned up on our Littleton farm this morning. Known as an orange-crowned warbler due to the male's plumage, his colorful head stripe is almost never visible in the field.
These ground-hugging songbirds nest throughout the forests of Canada and the mountain forests of Western North America; they winter across the southern U.S., from California to Florida, and southward through Mexico. In all regions, they favor thickets, shrubs and small trees that line streams and forest clearings. Insects are their primary food source but they also consume berries; nests are generally placed on the ground, protected by dense vegetation.
Initially mistaken for a house wren that was calling nearby, this morning's visitor was foraging in the tangles of our "wild corner" where chokecherries, lilacs and host of small trees border our primary brush pile. His rather drab plumage blended with the background of limbs and sticks and his fondness for the shadows kept him mostly out of sight. Nevertheless, I appreciated his visit as he heads for the foothills and mountains.
