Common Yellowthroat

This is a new "yard bird" for me! Probably just migrating through - they don't winter here, but they might well breed here. I've seen them in West Virginia at the birding festival (that wasn't held this year because...) but never here at my house. This particular bird is an immature male - his black mask is just starting to come in. The common yellowthroat is one of the wood warblers.

I was VERY close to him because he had apparently bumped into one of our windows and was just standing on the porch looking puzzled. The Husband and Bugsy walked right by him coming into the house and The Husband said "you need to come look at this bird and see if it's all right." First I took a few photos of him, and then I stooped down slowly to try to pick him up, thinking I would put him in a quiet place to recover. But he said "EEEEEP!!!!!" and flew into the boxwood at the edge of the porch, and then away. So - I guess he was okay.