{"id":93039,"date":"2021-08-07T06:34:49","date_gmt":"2021-08-07T12:34:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=93039"},"modified":"2025-10-11T04:52:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T09:52:09","slug":"messy-orange-crowned-warbler-plus-canada-thistles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2021\/08\/07\/messy-orange-crowned-warbler-plus-canada-thistles\/","title":{"rendered":"Messy Orange-crowned Warbler Plus Canada Thistles"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MessyMessy Orange-crowned Warbler looking down \u2013 Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

A quick glance at the bird in this photo might lead someone to think they are seeing a Yellow Warbler but to a trained eye the real identity is easily discernible. My subject was actually a slightly messy Orange-crowned Warbler perched on a branch looking down at the ground. Just a tiny hint of the orange crown is visible in this photo but I’d seen more of the crown before this photo was taken. I have a feeling that this warbler had been taking a bath before it popped out into the open earlier this week in the Wasatch Mountains and caught my attention.<\/p>\n

\"DampDamp Orange-crowned Warbler near Canada Thistles \u2013 Nikon D810, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 500, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The head of the warbler appeared to be damp and in this photo the orange crown is slightly more visible. The Orange-crown Warbler foraged for insects in the blooming purple wildflowers in front of it for a bit before it flew off into the dense willow thicket.<\/p>\n

\"CanadaCanada Thistle – Lettuce from hell thistle – \u2013 Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/2000, ISO 640, -1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

The wildflowers are Canada Thistles<\/span><\/a> (Cirsium arvense<\/em>) which are also known as Lettuce from hell thistles, field thistles, creeping thistles, plus quite a few more common names. This introduced thistle is originally from Europe and Asia and arrived in North America in the 1600’s.<\/p>\n

The spines on it look like they would tear my skin right up so I never, ever get close to these thistles. The Orange-crowned Warbler didn’t seem fazed by the spines at all. What a brave little bird!<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Orange-crowned Warbler photos plus facts and information about this species. Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my flower, shrub and tree photos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My subject was actually a slightly messy Orange-crowned Warbler perched on a branch looking down at the ground.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":159834,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,4594,6695,26,773,5347],"tags":[4004,6098,4897,12071,3940,12072,7067,10467,6693,12073,6865,4069,462,6853,6694,4104,5070,9626,2315,6626,6624,3888,3889,4307,6070,902,6492],"class_list":["post-93039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-morgan-county","category-orange-crowned-warblers","category-utah","category-wasatch-mountains","category-wildflowers","tag-adult","tag-blooming","tag-branch","tag-canada-thistle","tag-canyon","tag-cirsium-arvense","tag-damp","tag-down","tag-leiothlypis-celata","tag-lettuce-from-hell-thistle","tag-looking","tag-mountains","tag-non-native","tag-nonnative","tag-orange-crowned-warbler","tag-perched","tag-purple-wildflowers","tag-riparian-habitat","tag-summer-3","tag-thistle","tag-thistles","tag-warbler","tag-warblers","tag-wildflowers","tag-willow-thicket","tag-willows","tag-wood-warblers"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/orange-crowned-warbler-lettuce-from-hell-mia-mcpherson-2380.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-ocD","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":59171,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/07\/22\/i-finally-photographed-the-crown-of-an-orange-crowned-warbler\/","url_meta":{"origin":93039,"position":0},"title":"I Finally Photographed The Crown Of An Orange-crowned Warbler","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I could wish that the Orange-crowned Warbler didn't look as messy as it does but I am just so glad to have taken even one image where the orange crown is visible that I would toot a horn if I owned one.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Orange-crowned Warbler with its orange crown visible, Wasatch Mountains, Morgan County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/orange-crowned-warbler-crown-showing-mia-mcpherson-1184.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/orange-crowned-warbler-crown-showing-mia-mcpherson-1184.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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