It has been a busy week here at the Bubbler.  Warblers continue to come in at different times of the day, particularly noon until dusk. There have been Magnolia, Chestnut-sided, Nashville, Tennessee, Black-throated Green and Bay-breasted Warblers. Here is a favorite from Thursday, 10/6/16 with two Bay-breasted Warblers and a Tennessee in the background.

Bay-breasted and Tennessee Warblers 10-5-16

Something about this Black-throated Green caught my eye as I took the photo. Can you see the tiny beads of water that seem to be inside the mouth of the bird?

Black-throated Green Warbler 10-6-16

As I magnified the photo, I could see that the water droplets were actually on the ends of the "rictal bristles".  These are specialized feathers that are stiff, pin-like and help the bird sense or capture prey. They are spaced evenly at the base of the bill and similar to whiskers.  They are a bit more obvious in birds like the American Redstart, but many birds that pursue insects have them.

Rictal bristles with beadlets of water on Black-throated Green Warbler 10-6-16

Another Red-breasted Nuthatch came in yesterday to drink several times.

Red-breasted Nuthatch 10-7-16

And today, our first Hermit Thrush of the season returned late in the afternoon.

Hermit Thrush 10-8-16

Though numbers have dropped, we do still have ruby-throated hummingbirds coming in to fatten up on their way south.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird 10-8-16

To view all the photos since 10/4/16, begin here in the 2016 Birds gallery:

http://hummerhavenunltd.com/p712853024/h25c9b633#h31b240fd