Greetings,

Several weeks ago I started my current position as a bird bander at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY. For the first time in my career as a bird biologist I was given the opportunity to work in the local area which I grew up in (I work one county south of where I live (Dutchess and Columbia respectively)). This was a very exciting opportunity; a chance to finally work in my field of choice in a region that means so much to me and is so close to my heart!

While the primary focus of my bird banding efforts is to catch 4 species (Gray Catbird, American Robin, Wood Thrush, and Veery), the chance to band some east coast passerines was most definitely exciting as this would be the first time for myself as a bander (prior banding experience is CA passerines and NJ shorebirds). So far this season has been fairly slow with bycatch species other than the 4 targets being limited to a few Cedar Waxwings, Yellow Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, and Ovenbirds. My luck on August 5th was to change all of this.

With an assistant (Lindsey) giving me a hand for the week, we decided to head up to a more densely vegetated area of the IES property (The Henrys) as we were working on a few leads for some Wood Thrushes which were becoming hard to detect (and catch!) in some of the other areas. After setting up our nets along the edge of the road dirt road we started to catch the first birds of the day. Not surprisingly the majority were Gray Catbirds, one of the more ubiquitous species on site. As the net checks moved along we noticed several birds in the first net closest to the car.

Walking up to the net, upon quick inspection several birds were readily visible. These included a Gray Catbird (yet another), a Black-capped Chickadee, and three warblers. All the warblers were a bright yellow out of the corner of my eye, but there was something suspicious about the one closest to me. It had a face pattern that looked very familiar, yet very different at the same time. Realizing this, I decided to give the bird my full attention.

Looking the bird over I quickly noticed the most distinct features: a yellow body and a black auricular (ear) patch and throat. As the bird laid in the net and stared back at me, there was no doubt as to its identity. Twenty years of birding, and many flips through various field guides told me that this bird was something I have never seen before, but had always wanted to. At that time I quickly turned and commented to Lindsey: “Oh my God…this bird is a LAWRENCE’S WARBLER!”. As we removed other birds around it I wished the bird would not escape the net before at least some photo documentation could be had. Even once the bird was safely extracted (including the other Blue-winged Warblers along side it), I was in pure disbelief…almost a shock!

For those of you unfamiliar with a Lawrence’s Warbler, it is a recessive hybrid offspring from a Blue-winged Warbler X Golden-winged Warbler crossing. It retains the face patterns of the Golden-winged, but the body pattern of the Blue-winged. The dominant phenotype for this hybridization is called a Brewster’s Warbler, a bird that has also been detected on IES property.
Taking the bird back to the banding station (my car), it was processed last to allow a few extra moments with the bird in hand. Marveling over the fortune of our catch, Lindsey and I to this day feel very lucky for getting a chance to look at such a wonderful specimen so close. Without the photos which were taken, it would be hard to believe that this event even happened!
What follows below are some of the photos of this male Lawrence’s Warbler, as well as a comparison shot of one of the Blue-wings that it was accompanying. Please, enjoy!