I couldn't have been more surprised at 3 pm this afternoon to have a close encounter with a male Cape May Warbler at Kilowatt South Park in Wilder. The bird was foraging with two chickadees in honeysuckle-dominated thickets. I observed it for 3-4 minutes at distances of 2-3 meters. Its distinctive facial pattern, prominent black streaking on yellowish breast and sides, and single bold white wingbar made for an unamibiguous identification. The bird was completely unconcerned about me, even coming close to investigate a couple of times. Although most Cape May Warblers are in the West Indies now, the species is known to linger in northern temperate areas more frequently than most other long-distance migrant warblers. Some will remember the bird that was present at a Rutland feeder through November and December of 2005, and eBird records show a bird reported by multiple observers in Essex, NY on December 7, 2013. Thirty minutes later, at Lake Pinneo in Quechee were 135 Hooded and 45 Common mergansers, a Great Blue Heron, and the Herring Gull that has been present there for some time. Chris -- Chris Rimmer Vermont Center for Ecostudies P.O. Box 420 Norwich, VT 05055 802-649-1431 ext. 1 www.vtecostudies.org