While at the San Diego Birding Festival a few weeks back, there was a report of a Mangrove Warbler hanging about. Further inquiries led us to this green dumpster behind an office building and adjacent to a freeway.
Lo and behold, the adult male Mangrove Warbler was soon spotted foraging among the flowers of a tree adjacent to the dumpster. What brought this bird from its typical habitat in the mangrove swamps of Mexico and Central America to this particular spot is beyond me.
The Mangrove Warbler is a subspecies of Dendroica petechia, commonly known as the Yellow Warbler. At one point, ornithologists recognized the Mangrove Warbler as a separate species, but for reasons only known by ornithologists, it is currently considered the same species (until they change their mind again).
The Mangrove Warbler was one of a few new birds I was able to observe on my recent trip. Upcoming posts on other new birds include Mountain Plovers, California Gnatcatchers, and the astonishingly gaudy Grey Flycatcher!Stay tuned.....
