Blackburnian Warbler, Dendroica fusca, Paruline à gorge orangée Point Pelee Provincial Park, Ontario ©Christopher Dodds www.chrisdoddsphoto.com Canon EOS 1DMKII, 500mm F4 and 2XII tele-converter ISO 400, F8 1/400s Manual
Certainly one of my favorite warblers, here's a favorite image from Point Pelee National Park a couple of years ago. There are times when placing the subject smack in the middle of a vertical image just works so well. Check out my Songbirds of Pelee Workshop May 8-12, 2010.
The only North American Warbler with an orange throat, the Blackburnian Warbler, Dendroica fusca, was named after Anna Blackburne, an English Botanist. The male Blackburinan Warbler's orange throat appears to be glowing, giving it such previous names as "Firethroat" and "Tourchbird". Bent (1953) wrote, "Blackburnian seems to be a doubly appropriate name, for its upperparts are largely black and its throat burns like a brilliant orange flame amid the dark foliage of the hemlocks and spruces". Favoring Hemlocks, they feed and nest in the upper and outer portions of coniferous trees, perhaps to avoid competition with other closely-related species. Hidden in dense foliage or in Usnea lichen, and often as high as 85 feet, Blackburnian Warbler nests are an uncommon victim of Brown-Headed Cowbird parasitism.