Image Up Advertising & Design

Nashville Warbler is one of nearly 60 wood-warbler species in North America, almost always known just as "warblers," which are not closely related to the "warblers" of Europe. Both male and female Nashville Warblers have a gray head fading into a greenish back and wings, a white belly, and a yellow throat and breast. They have a complete white eye ring and a thin pointed black bill for eating insects. Nashville Warblers breed in two distinct areas, one in Canada and the northeastern United States, and another in the western United States in our local mountains and points north to British Columbia. Although named after Nashville, Tennessee, the Nashville Warbler only visits that area during migration. They winter from southernmost Texas and California southward across Mexico to northernmost Central America. Nashville Warblers are observed at Four Seasons only during migration, mostly in the fall, such as the two birds observed during the Sept. 1 bird walk. This species has been observed in landscaped areas as well as in our riparian woodlands. ~ Steve Edelman Birding CLUB Bird of the Month FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2018 59 The Birding Club welcomes beginning and experienced birders to start or hone bird identification skills. Our main activity is a monthly bird walk along Four Seasons' nature trails, which follow native riparian woodlands. We keep a list of all species observed at Four Seasons (currently 81) and take field trips to nearby birding hotspots. On our Sept. 1 bird walk, we had good photos and bad looks at good birds. Fall migration was in full swing – of the 18 species identified, three were firsts for the monthly bird walk (Great Egret, Orange-crowned Warbler, and Bird of the Month, Nashville Warbler) and two more were Four Seasons first records (Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and Ash-throated Flycatcher)! On Sept. 6, I had a Great Blue Heron fly over our yard, species #81. Sept. 8 was our field trip to Oak Glen, where saw an impressive total of 40 species, many of which have not yet been seen at Four Seasons. After a morning of hard birding we enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Los Rios Rancho. We meet on the first Saturday of the month at 8 am at the Trail A trailhead (Lodge parking lot) then after the bird walk meet at the RCN Lobby to review the morning's sightings. Email steve.h.edelman@gmail. com for current schedule and other information. ~ Steve Edelman Orange-crowned Warbler (top) and the Nashville Warbler photographed during our Sept. 1 bird walk Photos by Dave Kettering, Birding Club member Four Seasons Birding Club enjoying lunch on Sept. 8 Field Trip to Oak Glen. Photo by a waitress at Los Rios Rancho

• Cover