Gray-crowned Yellowthroat

The bird popped up out of the grass at Estero Grande at about 8:00 this morning and stayed up long enough that even the tripod set got great opportunities. I was standing next to a gentleman who had flown in from San Diego just to see the bird and had to catch a flight out tomorrow so he could get back to work on Monday. He was a little giddy. It was really great for him to get an opportunity to see it. After he missed the White-throated Thrush he was heading for the Old Port Isabel Road and the Aplomado Falcon.

The Gray-crowned really lit up in the morning sunlight. I shot a dozen pictures, but at some point they pretty much all look alike. This shot is about as good as any of them. Sue Keefer actually gave me a high-five for the sighting. 

Later we went over to the south end of the "tropical zone" where the White-throated Thrush had been reported for the second day in a row. Some people saw it, some claimed to have seen it, and a number of others actually died of eyestrain. I did not see it, but I am happy to have survived the ordeal. In a week or two the crowds will be gone and the bird will likely still be there. I'll try again then. (Quick aside, while all this shit was going on there was a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet in a tree right across the road that virtually everyone was ignoring. ???)

Part of an odd mixed flock. Lorna in the middle. Again, for me, the best shot of the day was of the hopeful birders rather than the bird itself.