The fourth species we banded was a Magnolia warbler. It's hard to see in these shots, but there was pretty extensive black streaking on the flank and back of this bird, which sets this one off from fems of the same species. A good diagnostic mark for Magnolia warblers is the white tail band between the body and the end of the tail that you can make out in the second of the following two shots:
This turned out to be a hatch year male. If you know what an adult Magnolia warbler looks like you now know why fall warblers are so hard to identify--this little guy doesn't even vaguely resemble what he'll look like come spring when he's in his breeding plumage.
And finally, that black and white warbler in the net in the last post, is called a Black-and-white warbler (imagine that!
). This one turned out to be a hatch year male, and very feisty. If he'd had a stronger bill, he would have damaged a few fingers.
