Pine Warblers at Corkscrew Swamp

Not all the US summer warblers escape to South or Central America (or the Caribbean) in the winter -- some warblers, like the black-and-white, yellow-throated, palm, pine, yellow-rumped, northen parula, ovenbird, and prairie can be found wintering in Southern Florida. And, for those looking for a "warbler fix" in the winter, Corkscrew Swamp is a great place to visit.

In an uneventful early November walk at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary, Collier County, just before exiting the premises, a feeding flock of passerines livened up an otherwise quiet morning with Pine Warbler being the star attraction.

First up, the female -- in winter as in the summer, the fairer sex is also the duller and her drab plumes stand in contrast to the male's which still show a hint of leftover yellowish summer brilliance.

In the early morning, these warblers were joined by blue-grey gnatcatchers who flew within inches of the photographer -- making repeated forays into the air, plucking insects and making crisp clicking sounds:

And talking about hawking insects, here's a successful catch by the pine warbler:

While this feeding frenzy lasted only 5 minutes, it nonetheless afforded several spectacular photo opportunities; and what started out as a slow morning ended instead in a burst of electrifying activity...

.. thereby proving, that surprises await the patient (and the occasionally lucky) observer.