My First Illinois Warblers of 2015!

Saturday 18 April 2015 58 °F

Today was an extremely busy day for me - I was in my choir concert as well as a composition competition in the afternoon, both on opposite sides of Chicago. The commute was a bit streesful but luckily the concerts went very well!

Just before I left my house in Oak Park during the morning, however, I thought I could here the ringing song of a Pine Warbler outside of the window.

I quickly grabbed my shoes and camera, went outside, and started scanning the trees. Soon, I found my first warbler of Illinois this year, a YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, in an elm tree, but it was not the one for which I was looking.

I turned to my left and suddenly I was staring at a gorgeous male PINE WARBLER sitting in our apple tree! Although this is not a life bird, it is the first Pine Warbler I have ever seen in my yard before! What a great bird!