Now that spring is just around the corner, it's time to start looking for the arrival of some of our feathered friends of the Sierra. One of the earliest to arrive, the Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia), is so brightly colored it has been referred to as "a bit of feathered sunshine."1
      What better way to describe this all yellow little bird which cavorts in and around our streamside habitats throughout the Sierra. Actually, there are 8 species of warblers that inhabit the Sierra. In order not to compete with each other for food each warbler specie tends to gather its food from different sources and habitats. So, for example, the Yellow Rumped, or Audubon's Warbler generally hunts for food around the outer canopy of coniferous trees, whereas the Wilson's Warbler hunts in shrubbery around lakes and streams. The habitat which the Yellow Warbler species have chosen are those willow thickets and bushes which line many of the streams and rivers of the Sierra. 
      However it happens, whether this bird evolved a coloration to suit it's habitat, or simply survives because it's coloration so perfectly matches the surrounding colors that it simply disappears into the brush, it is still unbelievable that a bird as brilliantly colored as the Yellow Warbler could possibly hide anywhere, unless you see it for

yourself. The male Yellow Warbler is almost completely yellow, as bright as any Andy Warhol, Pop Art lemon yellow you've ever seen. He is yellow from head to foot, even his wings, although distinctly more greenish, have distinctive yellow on the edges, and the tail shows yellow underneath. The only thing un-yellow about this bird are a few chestnut colored stripes that run up and down along his breast. The female Yellow Warbler is much less conspicuous, and even harder to locate in the deep brush of a willow thicket. She is more green in color, with only a tinge of yellow on her breast. The chestnut stripes are either very feint, or absent.
      The Yellow Warbler is a small bird, from only 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 inches. At one time it was one of the most commonly seen birds in California. It was found in abundance along almost every river in the State. As these rivers have been cleared over the years, and a lot of the brushy habitat that the Yellow Warbler needs to

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