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In the first and second photos, I think this bird looks most like an uncharacteristically streaky pine warbler.  The "expression" on the face (forgive the non-technical terminology, but that has made the difference for me in ID's before) was more pine warbler than yellow-rumped warbler, and I definitely think it's one or the other.  I don't see an orange-crowned warbler in it at all.  In the last photo though, it looks more like a yellow-rump.  The undertail pattern could fit either bird just as well, with maybe a slight yellow-rump lean.  I'm not used to seeing that much defined streaking on a pine, and I'd like to see more defined wingbars for it to be either bird (although I do see very small ones in the first and second photo).  So while I think it's either yellow-rumped or pine, I can't seem to make it definitively into either.  When I first glanced, I thought yellow-rump, but the more I looked at it, the more I was leaning pine.  If only we could see its rump!

Looks pretty good for a Cape May Warbler.  The only problem is the wingbars but you can see faint wingbars in the first photo.  Everything else matches up really well for a first winter female Cape May.

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Eric Ripma
http://nuttybirder.com/

eripma:

Looks pretty good for a Cape May Warbler.  The only problem is the wingbars but you can see faint wingbars in the first photo.  Everything else matches up really well for a first winter female Cape May.

I think you're right!

I had initially dismissed Cape May because of the very weak face pattern and lack of striping on the back of this bird.  However, on second thought it seems to solve more problems than it causes.  It's consistent with the undertail coverts and tail spots.  It explains the lack of yellow spots for a Y.R. and the too-heavy streaking for a Pine.  It is also a nice fit with the head shape and fine, pointy bill.  Clearly this bird isn't a perfect anything, but good suggestion, Eric, and I'm leaning heavily in this direction now.

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Randy

im likin' snowy's posts on this!

 

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"You can shoot all the blue jays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." Atticus Finch

The more I look at it, the more I'm seeing a Cape May, especially in the third photo.  I also took a look at the first-winter female Cape May in my Peterson's warbler guide, and it mentions the unstreaked grayish upperparts, streaking below, hints of yellow on the face and breast, and greenish remiges.  All of these things are visible on this bird (and the greenish remiges were one of the things I had taken particular note of).  I think they rule out yellow-rumped (correct me if I'm wrong, but the only colors in the wings of a yellow-rumped warbler in any plumage are black, white, and gray/brown).  The undertail pattern makes it impossible that it's an orange-crowned, as they show no white in the tail whatsoever.  That would leave (of the choices that have been proffered here) only pine and Cape May, and with the streaked underparts, along with what I read in the Peterson guide, I'm feeling confident about Cape May warbler.

PoorMatty:

The more I look at it, the more I'm seeing a Cape May, especially in the third photo.  I also took a look at the first-winter female Cape May in my Peterson's warbler guide, and it mentions the unstreaked grayish upperparts, streaking below, hints of yellow on the face and breast, and greenish remiges.  All of these things are visible on this bird (and the greenish remiges were one of the things I had taken particular note of).  I think they rule out yellow-rumped (correct me if I'm wrong, but the only colors in the wings of a yellow-rumped warbler in any plumage are black, white, and gray/brown).  The undertail pattern makes it impossible that it's an orange-crowned, as they show no white in the tail whatsoever.  That would leave (of the choices that have been proffered here) only pine and Cape May, and with the streaked underparts, along with what I read in the Peterson guide, I'm feeling confident about Cape May warbler.

Actually Cape May was the very first species I thought of because of the streaking, but the face looked wrong and wing bars are missing.  Sometimes the best you can say is, "I don't know for sure, the photo is inconclusive."

I always get confused with these warblers.

Look at it this way.. we know for a fact, it's NOT a European starling for once!

I agree, I had thought 1st winter Cape May because of the streaking, but those darn wingbar missing are killing me!

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