24 carat gold

[Stan Bentley]

This golden-winged warbler was photographed in West Virginia. This species is high on my list of favorites, first because of its beauty. Secondly, the golden-winged is very scarce and becoming more so as the blue-winged warbler encroaches on the golden's territory. According to those who know these things and write about them, the tendency for the two species to hybridize ultimately means the decline of the golden-winged since its genes are recessive to the blue-winged. This loss of golden-winged numbers appears more common in the southern parts of its range. I am truly excited when I find an area that still contains a few golden-winged warblers.

Stan Bentley

Pulaski