Lifer! On The Property!

On Tuesday, March 17, I was out birding in the afternoon and ran across a warbler that didn't look at all familiar to me. That usually doesn't happen. I can normally tell without a doubt, at least with breeding-plumage males, which species I'm looking at. This one was not like that. I saw him at the top of a tree about 30 ft. away. At first all I could see was his breast. It was bright yellow with heavy black streaks on it over the yellow. My first thought was a Canada Warbler, but the streaking was too heavy and it's typically too early for Canada Warblers to be here. My second thought was a Magnolia Warbler, but it's very early for a Magnolia Warbler to be here. So I kept watching hoping to get a view of his face. He turned a little bit and I saw the white patch on his wings. That confused me even more. Finally, he showed his face to me and I got some really great looks of him. It was yellow with a rufous patch under his eye. I watched him for probably fifteen minutes before flew out of sight. I chased and did not find him after that. I didn't have my book with me, so I logged all the field marks I could. I got home, pulled down my Sibley field guide and started flipping through. There is no doubt in my mind that I was looking at a Cape May Warbler! They're not incredibly common here as they usually migrate on the Eastern Flyway (we're in the Central Flyway.) They do show up and I see reports of them every year on the rare bird alert of people seeing them at High Island or in the Beaumont area. It's a bird I've wanted to see since I've been birding. So, the Cape May Warbler makes life bird #367 for me and property bird #191. I always get excited seeing a life bird, but especially on the property! With the Cape May Warbler on my list, I've seen all of the eastern wood-warblers with the exception of the Connecticut Warbler and Kirtland's Warbler. Maybe they'll pass through the property at some point . . .