Possum and a Prothonotary

  Prothonotary Warblers are a pretty rare warbler in New England. They nest in the south so when one shows up here it is usually an "overshoot". These are birds that get driven past their destination, usually by strong winds while they are migrating. A couple of Prothonotary Warblers show up in Rhode Island every year. If you are keeping a state list, this bird is worth the chase when one is reported. Not only do less than five show up each year but they are beautiful. They are kind of tough to photograph because they tend to stay in dense undergrowth. 

   I am not keeping a list this year so a "tick" on my checklist means nothing to me. Also, I probably can not get a photo upgrade because they are actually very common in North Carolina and I got great photos of multiple individuals. Last year, when I kept my vertebrate list I got to see a Prothonotary very early in the spring in Marshfield, MA. It was right out in the open in a swamp for fifteen minutes. I got a fantastic  look at it. When one showed up in RI, I didn't chase it because of the Mass bird. 

   A Prothonotary Warbler showed up in Smithfield, RI a few days ago. It was a male and it is building a nest hoping to attract a female. They have bred in Rhode Island before so it is possible some lost female could stumble upon him. I really didn't plan on going to see it. However, on Monday I spent many hours at Miantonomi Park in Newport birding. It was a good day and I saw a bunch of birds. After five hours I was getting bored. When someone asked if I'd seen the Prothonotary I thought I might as well. I had to work at 3 pm so I had about a half hour to look for it.

 

 The bird was right next to the parking lot. It was singing its little heart out. I was glad to see it and if I could get a photo all the better. As I said, I knew I wasn't going to get any photo upgrades.

    After less than a minute of watching this guy I noticed some rustling in the leaves. It was an Opossum. Now, a photo upgrade of an Opossum is a different matter all together. I don't have any good photos of an Opossum. The best I had was a blurry photo of the only one I saw last year at Great Swamp through sticks and brush.

   This little guy was walking along the edge of the water following the shoreline. The path was between twenty and forty feet from the water. I followed parallel to it. Every time there was an opening in the brush, I'd stop and take photos. I'd then move a little ahead and find the next opening. I had no idea if any of my photos would come out. I finally downloaded them to the computer and they are way better than I expected shooting into a dark swamp.

   After the Opossum  moved out of view I did watch the beautiful Prothonotary take a bath and stay into view until it was time to head to work. But I'd be lying if I said the warbler was the star of the show.