Mourning Warbler at Jacobsburg State Park ~ May 15, 2024

I saw a text from Adam Smith that he had found a Mourning Warbler at Jacobsburg State Park. I had an appointment that I had to go to in the late morning but, afterwards, I decided to take a "long shot" and see if I could refind it. It was at best a "long shot" because I didn't get there until around 1:00. Not only was it the middle of the day, but this warbler is known for skulking in the brush and is tough to find even when it is singing. Chances are it wouldn't be singing this late in the day, so the odds weren't good.

I got to the area where Adam had the bird. An Ovenbird was the only bird singing. I quietly stood there for a while, watching for movement. Two Wood Thrushes were the only birds seen moving around. I 'spished' a couple times and then stood quiet again. When I 'spished' the third time, I noticed a warbler-sized bird zip by me across the trail and land in some vines on the other side. It was the Mourning! I slowly brought my camera up and got this photo.

Mourning Warbler

It worked its way up the vines and surprisingly perched for about 30 seconds, allowing me to get more photos of this normally-sneaky bird.

Mourning Warbler

It eventually flew back across the trail back to the same area it came from. It never did make a sound during the five minutes I was there.

I left there and headed for Green Pond to see if the 4 Glossy Ibis that I found there yesterday were still present. They were, but most of the shorebirds I saw there yesterday had moved on.

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