I spent some time a couple of weekends ago looking for Hutton's Vireo on Cypress mountain unsuccessfully but finally located an individual and secured better shots than my crummy Lifer shot from 2012 posted below
looking closer now, i'm not even sure it was a Hutton's after all but i'm pretty sure it was.
Here is a Hutton's i was able to eventually ID by call, and body shape.
When i first saw it i thought it was a flycatcher the way it was perched in a tree, later i saw it move about in the trees very unlike a flycatcher and realized it was a vireo and not a kinglet either, the head was too big and the eyes seemed bigger as well as body.
Years ago i made a deal with the birds, if they allowed me to take their photo, i would do my very best to always show them in their best light and pose. That's why it was a bit difficult with this bird, you see, it had a large tumorous growth on one side of it's face that was quite shocking and sad to see. The bird seemed otherwise healthy and was calling loudly along with all the other birds, once i realized a lot of the shots i had taken showed that abnormality i worked a bit harder to get the "good side", it was the least i could do.
Saw Townsend's warblers everywhere i went yesterday and even got a pretty decent shot of a female as well, they seem a bit harder to find this time of year.
Cypress is a great spot for vireos and every year i get shots of Warbling Vireo there, Maplewood is a good spot as well but the last few times i've seen them was up Cypress.
Later i checked out Grouse Mountain and saw a few more species.
Wilson's Warbler with retro-cool slicked back '50s greaser-boy look
Orange-crowned Warbler
And finally a MacGillivray's Warbler saying "Peek-a-boo, you can see me, but sorry, no photos today, just not up for it".
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