Common Yellowthroat: Summer Warblers in Northern Illinois

The Common Yellowthroat is common throughout North America, Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Wisconsin; 5/29/2011.

The second featured bird in my "Warbler Week" series is probably the second most common warbler (after "Old Yeller" yesterday's post 7/4/2011) found in my area of northern Illinois  is the Common Yellowthroat (Above). Which is not surprising as it fairly common throughout the entire country, most of Canada and the higher elevations of Mexico as well.

The same Common Yellowthroat, Horicon Marsh NWR, Wisconsin; 5/29/2011.

I have heard the Common Yellowthroat's loud "wichety wichety wichety" song in every part of the country that I have visited - usually in brushy or marshy areas as it flies hurriedly from reed to reed and usually hidden in the thickets. I hear this little 5" bird before I catch a glimpse of its bright yellow throat flashing in between branches. Very seldom it sits still long enough to get a decent picture, but I lucked out with the one (Above) at Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, as it stayed in the open for several seconds before it disappeared into the lower cattails.

Sunset of the Day

A beautiful Lake Superior sunset, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park,
Upper Michigan; 5/25/2008.

As promised, my sunset of the day is from a Memorial Day weekend trip that Val and I took in 2008. We rented a cabin in the Porcupine Mountain Wilderness on the shores of the beautiful Lake Superior, and each night we were treated with awesome sunsets (Above).