While birding at Turkey Point in Cecil County this morning, I had a beautiful male Golden-winged Warbler along the tree line on the west side of the first field heading south from the parking lot. He was foraging with several Magnolia Warblers among the grape vines about four feet off the ground. I got a spot on look at him for maybe ten seconds through my binoculars from 12-15 feet away. No photos though, he ducked just far enough behind cover to avoid me once he realized I was focused on him. He had the brilliant solid gold wing patch and crown and distict black throat and auriculars. There was no ambiguity in the markings...not a hybrid. This was at appximately 8:45AM. A fairly sizable flock of migrants had come into the area about an hour earlier and I also had Chestnut-sided, Black-throated Blue, Black-throated Green, Northern Parula, Redstart, Black & White, Cape May, and Nashville, along with Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Rose-breasted Grosbeak and a number of other species that summer here.

Mark Johnson
Aberdeen, MD