Tennessee Warbler

A 1st -year tennessee Warbler in Espensceid Forest Preserve, Rockford, IL; 10/1/2011.

On October 1st of this year I was hiking in Espenscheid Forest Preserve just south of Rockford hoping to see some great fall colors and do some birding.  I caught on camera a yellow bird (Above), that at first I thought was a Yellow Warbler, but upon researching photos, I realize it was a 1st year Tennessee Warbler. I was happy to finally get a somewhat clear shot of this bird, since my other photos of the tennessee were not that good. This is the 3rd time I've seen a Tennessee Warbler this year.  On May 8th, I identified a Tennessee (my first) in Rock Cut State Park and it became #292 on my Life List. I probably have seen them before, but didn't know I did. Then just a week later I saw another one at the Colored Sands Forest Preserve, just north of Rockford near Rockton, IL. In both Rock Cut and Colored Sands I wasn't able to get a good pic (Below).

A very soft image of an adult Tennessee Warbler, Rock Cut State Park, Rockford, IL; 5/8/2011.

In the summer months, Tennessee Warblers are a northern warbler found in mostly in the boreal forests of Canada and in the northern edges of the U.S. (Northern Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Maine). In winter they will migrate south to central America, and the northern regions of South America.
As an adult (Above), Tennessee's yellow feathers will give way to a more olive green on their back, wings, and tail. Their heads will be mostly gray with a prominent white eyebrow, as well as white underparts.