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Mourning Warbler

A couple of weeks ago I went on a morning bird tour around Goulds. It was very interesting to watch a professional birdwatcher do his job. He was patient, knowledgeable and excited for us to see every bird. We went to three spots on Cochrane Pond Road. At each of these locations, Dave Brown heard and identified the song of each bird long before we saw them.
 It is easy to be dubious when someone tells you they hear five different species of birds in the woods when I don't hear a thing. That soon faded. Dave heard a bird, showed us a picture on his iPod Touch screen, called the bird and right on cue - the bird appeared.

This was the case with this Mourning Warbler. Dave cautioned us that the Mourning Warbler doesn't often show itself and that we might not see it. Nevertheless, there is was right before us all. It didn't stay long but I did manage to get a couple of shots, albeit not great ones but definitely good record shots.

The Mourning Warbler was named for its dark hood and upper breast. It is a common bird in Newfoundland and is more often found in areas of deep woods, where it frequents low areas around a water source. I just read that there are a number of warblers and a flycatcher at Long Pond this morning. That means it's time for me to go for a walk!