Mourning Warbler

I woke up a couple of days ago thinking that I’d like to find a Mourning Warbler. This is only the 3rd Spring migration I’ve focused on warblers, and this one would be a lifer-as several others this Spring have been- for me. I went to Cornell’s “All About Birds” to look up where I might hopefully find one—“forages low in shrubby vegetation, walking along branches or hopping on the ground”—Migrants usually remain hidden in dense foliage. I wasn’t hopeful, but I did have a spot I’d been lucky this Spring and found a few species I hadn’t seen before.
I went to the spot and opened Merlin to listen (I’m at the Basic + level of identifying by sound) Within 20 seconds Merlin flashed “Mourning warbler”. I thought, this can’t be right, I’m just willing the app to say this, but Merlin kept flashing “Mourning warbler”. So, I worked a little closer to what I’d finally identified as the sound, and there- foraging low in shrubby vegetation, walking along branches was this guy.

This is from the 2nd day when I found him again and he finally showed himself.