I’ve sighted several Common Yellowthroats at Theler this year, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a juvenile Common Yellowthroat, and this little guy seemed almost as curious about me as I was about him.
Normally, you get one quick chance at getting a shot of a Common Yellowthroat before they disappear into a nearby thicket.
This juvenile acted more like the nearby Marsh Wren than a Yellowthroat, hanging around for a good ten minutes while I snapped shot after shot.
when you manage to sight a Virginia Rail. You’re just plain lucky, or patient, if you manage to get a decent shot of them.
The highlight of one of our recent trips the Theler Wetlands was finally managing to sight this Virginia Rail
as it wove its way in and out of the reeds searching for food. Even more exciting was seeing the chick following it.
I’ve never seen one this young before and was a little shocked that it appeared to be jet black.
Normally I move on after I’ve sighted a bird, but having seen the chick that I’d never seen before, I stuck around awhile longer until both of them were in better light.
The adult colors seemed quite different in full sunlight,
and the mud provided a nice contrast to the chick’s black feathers.
Pretty clear why they stay in the reed’s shadows most of the time.