This note reports the first verified record of the Cape May Warbler (Dendroica tigrina) from Oregon. We watched a warbler of this species for a little over 2 hours as it fed in alder (Alnus) trees on the Bayocean Sandspit, Tillamook County, Oregon, on 19 October 1980. More than 20 photographs which clearly show identifying marks were obtained.
The warbler was a male in basic plumage. Its identification was based on the following characteristics, all of which are apparent in at least some of the color transparencies on file with the Oregon Field Ornithologists’ Bird Records Committee (P.O. Box 10373, Eugene, OR 97440). A large, thick whitish wing bar was on the otherwise gray-green wing. A large, dull yellow patch was behind the ear. The breast and sides were yellow, heavily streaked with black, with the streaking extending onto the lower throat. The yellow of the breast faded into the whitish belly and undertail coverts. The undertail was whitish. The top of the head and back were gray-green, flecked with inconspicuous dark markings. The upper tail was similar in color to the back. The face was yellowish, washed with gray on the cheek. The lores were thin and dark and there was a small amount of dark behind the eyes. The rump was yellow, although not as bright as that of the Yellow-rumped Warbler (D. coronata).