Prothonotary Warblers Are Back!

The Prothonotary Warblers (Protonotaria citrea) have returned to the Audubon Center at Francis Beidler Forest for the 2011 breeding season!  Yesterday, Sally and Tracy Barnes spotted and photographed the first Prothonotary Warbler, which was an unbanded male.  He may or may not be a resident for the summer, but he signals the beginning of the Project PROTHO season.

However, the first Prothonotary Warbler spotted by the staff of Audubon South Carolina was an unbanded male quietly foraging in the beaver-dammed area at the east end of Old Levi Mill Lake at Poinsett State Park.  The best camera available was an iPod Touch, but the male Prothonotary Warbler can be seen in the zoom view.

If you would like a much better look at a Prothonotary Warbler, give the birds a week to settle into their territories and then take a stroll along the 1.75-mile, elevated boardwalk the old-growth swamp at the Francis Beidler Forest!

Images by Mark Musselman