This morning, 14 June 2004, I thought my ears were playing tricks on me. I heard a Cape May Warbler singing from my front yard. I listened for a few minutes to confirm and was convinced that this is what it was, so I went back out with binoculars. Sure enough, a male Cape May Warbler was singing in a large Red Oak by the street. It was not feeding and was content to sit on a branch about 35' up and sing. I went back in the house to retrieve my camera and photographed the bird as well. I usually see Cape May Warblers only in late April or early May in my yard. They also are usually in the Tulip Poplars, but they are no longer blooming. I looked up the late date in the Annotated Checklist of Georgia Birds and found that the late date for GA is 21 May (1949). This bird has been on the same branch for over an hour this morning and is still there. I will try to monitor this bird today and see how long it stays. If it hangs around and is cooperative will try to age it as well. I suspect it is a second year male. This bird is so late that according to Peter Pyle's Identification Guide to North American Birds (Part I) other Cape Mays on the breeding grounds could start their pre-basic molt any time, but this bird may just be late with everything including molt.

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