Locality: Circle Creek, Seaside, Clatsop Co.
(UTM 10 427831E 5090145N)
Date: Sep 23,2004
Time of Day: between ~09:15
Reporting observers address:
Mike Patterson
1338 Kensington Av.
Astoria, OR 97103
Light conditions: bright overcast
Optical equipment: 8x42 Bushnell Binoculars
Distance from bird: less than 30 meters
Duration of observation: 1 minute plus
Habitat: Mixed alder spruce wetland.
Behavior: the bird was actively feeding in an alder about 10m up. It was gleaning from leaves. It spent most of its time in plain sight working the outer crown.
Description: My first impression was Nashville Warbler which I eliminated based on the wing bars. I did not have a bird book with me, so I called Steve Warner on my cell phone, because I couldn't remember if Canada Warbler had a yellow rump or wing bars. His answer quickly drove me toward Magnolia.
Overall impression: Gray-green above with yellow rump, yellow below with white undertail coverts.Similar Species: Both Nashville and Canada, the wingbars and details of the tail. Yellow-rumped Warbler by the details of the tail and bright yellow breast. Palm Warbler by behavior, white undertail coverts, face.
Head: Gray cape, face and auriculars, slightly darker at lored. Very thin white eyering. Throat yellow, not quite as bright as the breast. Faint hint of a neck band.
Back: Greenish-gray, uniformly colored, brightly contrasting yellow rump.
Wings: dark with to conspicuous, wing wing bars.
Breast: bright yellow, faint, smudgy streaks at flanks, undertail coverts white.
Tail: dark slate with distinctive white inner webs that on the middle third of the rects. Basically a dark terminal band, a black and white zebra stripe middle third and solid dark again (see sketch).
Previous experience: I have seen adult Magnolia Warbler at Malheur.
