Help With Bird Identity

[karenw]

I need help identifying a bird...it was sparrow sized, grayish with a buff/light yellow throat, black beak, white ring around the eyes and a black bar on it's wings. I'm guessing a vireo of some sort or a flycatcher?

[Gord]

Karen, almost sounds like a Ruby-crowned Kinglet. They're about in good numbers. They're similar to the good choices of vireo and flycatchers as well. Ruby-crowns are on the small side though and smaller than a sparrow. The black bar on the wing is a good mark for a Ruby-crowned too.

What was the bird doing? If fluttering around actively in a tree or shrub and feeding by sometimes hovering in front of a cluster of leaves or something it could be a kinglet. If sitting more still, flying out to get something and then landing again, might be a flycatcher. If somewhere in between maybe a vireo but they seem to like to sit and pick at things so probably in class of their own. Mind you, the two most common vireos here (Red-eyed and Warbing) dont have eyerings but doesnt mean you didnt run across the two other less common locals.

Let us know what you think.

[karenw]

A kinglet? Boy was I off....hehee. The bird was actually going from branch to branch and tree to tree near my Niger feeder where the other birds were feasting out. I've done an image search on the kinglet just now, it sure looks like the bird that I saw. I've also now have pine siskins (didn't get these last year) coming to my feeder and there is still yet another bird I saw near my vegetable garden that I haven't seen before. There was a pair of them. I didn't get a very good look at them but it was grey, sparrow/finch size and when it flew away, I saw a white patch on top near it's rump/tail and it flew like a junco (as an example). Thanks for your help.

[Gord]

Karen, sounds like perhaps you had Yellow-rumped Warblers. They're usually quite vocal making a sort of "sctick!" call note over and over as they go about feeding in the trees or even on the ground.