Black and White Warbler on life list...

William Wise Photo Nature Notes is a wildlife, birding and nature photography blog documenting the beauty, design and wonder of God’s creation. -- "What a wildly wonderful world, God! You made it all, with Wisdom at Your side, made earth overflow with your wonderful creations." Psalms 104 The Message

Female Eastern Towhee songbird bathing in bird bath. Athens, Georgia, USA. Pipilo erythrophthalmus

Sunday, 7:11 AM – we are finally seeing a sunrise rather than the totally overcast and rainy skies of the last few days. There is so much bird activity in the backyard. The “usuals” are all there: Chickaees, Titmice, Cardinals, House Sparrows… 

But I keep hearing a different, higher pitched chirping of several birds in the Black Cherry tree.  It is hard to get a good look with such quick flurrying in the leaves, but I see some black and white. Is it the Chickadees? But they’ve never sounded like that before. Finally, and just for a quick moment, one lands on the swingset. Obviously some sort of warbler that I haven’t seen before. 

Getting my Birds of Georgia book, the first little bird in the black and white section is, aptly named, the Black and White Warbler (Mniotilta varia). Cornell’s website says: the Black-and-white Warbler’s thin, squeaky song is one of the first signs that spring birding has sprung. This crisply striped bundle of black and white feathers creeps along tree trunks and branches like a nimble nuthatch, probing the bark for insects with its slightly downcurved bill. Though you typically see these birds only in trees, they build their little cup-shaped nests in the leaf litter of forests across central and eastern North America.

To confirm my identification, I emailed Katy with Oconee Rivers Audubon Society. She replied: "Yep, the one and only! One of my favorite birds. They migrate here in spring and stick around until late summer, then they're gone. We do have occasional over-wintering birds, but I'd say seeing one on your feeder is a nice treat! Their song is like a squeaky wheel, unlike anything I've ever heard from a bird!" A new one for my photo lifelist! I’ll have to sit and try for a better shot soon. 
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A bit later I was privileged to spy in on a female Eastern Towhee taking a bath in our birdbath. 

​Athens, Georgia
Sunrise 6:23 AM, Sunset 8:48 PM
Day length 14 hours, 24 minutes
Waxing cresent moon (4% illumination)