A very urban Blackpoll Warbler

Lovely landscape - we've got a Taco Bell, a dumpster for the refuse, and a McDonalds in the backdrop. After being gone for a big chunk of the last month, I found myself homebound last weekend, playing catchup. And when such is the situation, I make a habit of early morning runs to that McD's for a jot or two of their delectable (to me, anyway) java.

I was there last Sunday morning, and was pleased to hear the thin piping lisps of a male Blackpoll Warbler filtering down from the tops of those ornamental locust trees. But not that surprised - I often hear Blackpolls, Tennessee Warblers and other long distance Neotropical migrant warblers in such places. But lo and behold, when I went back for more coffee (no McMuffins, I swear!) yesterday, the Blackpoll was in the same spot, still singing away. So I ran home, grabbed my lens, and went back to try for a photo.

Well, it isn't much of a photo, but after a bit of stalking I managed to locate the neat black-and-white bird with the lemony legs high in one of the trees.

Blackpoll Warblers amaze me. This warbler winters further south than any of its ilk, and the chap above was somewhere deep in South America just a scant few weeks ago. And its got a long way to go - Blackpolls breed as far north as trees occur, and it's possible this one could make it all the way to Alaska. Probably not; it'll likely end up in spruce/fir forests somewhere north of us in Canada, but any way you slice it, this bird will have traveled one heck of a long way, no mean feat from a magical little charm of feathers that weighs not much more than a Vegas poker chip.