Butter-butt's first visit

I don’t know who gave this little bird the nickname “butter butt” but it certainly fits! The name refers to the Yellow-rumped Warbler and today I was excited to see not only my first butter butt of the season but the first one I’ve ever spotted in my backyard.

I’d noticed a small bird flitting around the birdbath next to the birdcam a few days ago. The tail was too short for a wren but it was certainly a small and flitty little bird. My best guess, based only on a brief glimpse, was Ruby-crowned Kinglet. When I sat down for lunch today, right after cleaning the windows, I saw the little bird at the mister/dripper and I was able to get a few photos (through the very clean windows) and identify the bird as a Yellow-rumped Warbler. I guess a little house cleaning can pay off once in awhile!

“Yellow-rumped” refers to the bright yellow spot on the lower back (the rump, of course) of this warbler. Yellow-rumped Warblers are the most abundant warbler in fall, winter and spring. It is one of the few warblers to eat fruit and because it can eat berries, it can survive through winter in Oklahoma. It can arrive as early as September 29 and stick around until mid-May. I don’t know what food it’s finding in my yard (I have hackberries but none of the really small berries) but I’m going to watch to see if it’s willing to stick around for awhile!