Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Prothonotary Pursuit

More images of the prothonotary warbler (edit: male has wrist bands and is bright yellow; the female is not banded and is slightly darker):





Eating a crane fly
As Anni mentioned in the comments section of the last post, the name "prothonotary" refers to clerks of the Catholic church whose robes were bright yellow. Prothonotaries are one of only two warbler species that nest in cavities (the other is Lucy's warbler). Nesting boxes are also utilized, which is what they are currently using at Bluebonnet Swamp. The prothonotary lives in swampy areas and bottomland forests. Their diet consists mostly of insects such as crane flies, moths, beetles and spiders. They may also supplement with seeds, berries or nectar. The male selects a nesting site and entices the female by laying moss in the cavity or box. If she accepts the site, she continues to line the nest with other soft plant material. The male protects her while she finishes nest building and laying eggs. During breeding season, both males and females are extremely territorial and can become snappy.

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48 comments:

Andy said...

This guy was really showing off for you. I like how the yellow shows up in you photos.

Roan said...

This is one gorgeous bird. Love the hovering shots.

Bas. said...

Geweldig mooi en wat een temperament toont hij.

Willow said...

A male that daringly decorates the house before inviting you to move ~ excellent :)
They are beautiful birds !

Lisa @ Two Bears Farm said...

That's a bird with a big name to live up to! Thanks for explaining about the name - I was wondering. Beautiful shots.

Optimistic Existentialist said...

Oh my gosh you can totally tell that he's singing!!!

Unknown said...

What a beautiful bird and fantastic captures!

Debbie said...

WoW, WoW....what amazing captures!! i just adore the wings spread open!!

Stephanie said...

Such a beauty! The yellow is so vibrant and beautiful!

Grandma Barb's This and That said...

Debbie expressed my thoughts exactly! Just wonderful captures.

Karen said...

What a sweet little bird, so bright! Beautiful captures, and I love the wingspread one!

TexWisGirl said...

he's just a beautiful boy...

Bill said...

I can't wait until the warblers arrive back in these parts. Wonderful photos!

hootnonny said...

Big name for such a wee bird! Its colors are wonderful. Love how you tell a story with your shots.

Nancy said...

Such a pretty, vibrant bird -- thanks so much for the history and facts -- much appreciated! xo

Jane of Levant said...

What an amazing little bird - vibrant colours and I love your shots of its wingspan and thankyou for the information -Jane UK

Wally Jones said...

Wonderful series of excellent photographs on one of our most beautiful warblers!

I chased one the other day and never did get a picture. Thank you for showing it can be done!

Waldameise Andrea said...

Oh, welch hübsches gelbes Vögelchen. Es wirkt so klein.

Niedlich ist auch der kleine Hund im anderen Eintrag. Ist das dein Hund?

Danke für deine freundlichen Kommentare und liebe Grüße,
Waldameise

Maude Lynn said...

Such a gorgeous color!

Elizabeth Edwards said...

gorgeous wings. ( :

The Cranky said...

Goodness Gail, these are gorgeous captures!
One wonders how such a wee bird can fly whilst carrying such a big name.

Anonymous said...

Such beautiful creatures. Your portraits are awesome.

Unknown said...

Awesome shots of this beautiful bird!

sunshine said...

Wow, interesting species and a beautiful bird.

HansHB said...

Gorgeous serie of photos!
Well done!

Rohrerbot said...

Awesome captures!!!! I hope to see this warbler some day! Thanks for the name info on this one.

Shug said...

Picture #5...I would buy in a heartbeat!! All of these are great, but I just love how the bird is behind the limbs....Ok, so which lens did you use with these photos, and what was your distance? I'm trying hard to learn about these cameras!! lol
Always something good when I visit you...

Brian King said...

Wonderful shots! Singing its little heart out!

eileeninmd said...

One of my favorite warblers! Beautiful photos, Gail!

Anonymous said...

The yellow is beautiful but the pictures with the spread wings are absolutely stunning and my favorites. We saw this bird when we stayed in Port Aransas TX one winter/spring (pre-camera) and I remember a guide telling us that story about their name. But in my (long-ago) Catholic childhood I don't remember any yellow vestments ever. Do you?

Melissa said...

Are you photographing both the male and female here? They both seem really colorful.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful, vibrantly colored bird!

Evelyn S. said...

"Snappy," huh? I imagine so! What beautifully vibrant yellow birds! There doesn't seem to be much, if any, differentiation in the color, either.

Ruth Hiebert said...

Beautiful shots. I love seeing those wings outstretched.

Kerry said...

What a pretty pretty pretty little bird. I don't know my warblers and my bird book isn't much better. There's a chapter called "Confusing Spring Warblers."

Suzan said...

Such a pretty little yellow bird. Thank you Gail for giving some information about the prothonotary. Love the color, but wonder why it's so bright in color and such an easy prey?

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

I love those shots with the wings spread. They're just beautiful birds, and it appears that the missus has accepted the nesting site.

Spare Parts and Pics said...

Love those wing-spread shots!

Unknown said...

Amazing my friend. Love the bright vibrant color.

Hugs~

Indrani said...

Wow! Well documented in pics.

Margaret Birding For Pleasure said...

Ww! Stunning captures of a very pretty bird.

Stewart M said...

What a remarkable looking bird looking bird. I'm surprised it does not have the word "lemon" in its name!

Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

Anvilcloud said...

They are beautiful little birds.

thewovenspoke said...

Totally beautiful birds! I like the history and information in your post too.

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful little bird. You are so fortunate to be so close to a place where you can easily capture them.

Dave said...

Very well photographed, and its a gorgeous species.

LC said...

A tasty bit of ornithological history to accompany your capture of this species' extravagant beauty. I wonder if it was one of this species of warbler that stopped by our backyard a number of years ago. He was the same amazing yellow but, as I remember, seemed a bit tubbier.

Kenneth Cole Schneider said...

Beautiful images. Would love to see them nesting somewhere in my neighborhood!