Re: A Hot Spot for Oporornis Warblers
Mike Collins (collins@ram.nrl.navy.mil)
Wed, 9 Sep 1998 13:34:18 -0400
>The Gaint Ragweed (a hay-fever sufferer's nightmare, a
>Connecticut Warbler's dream habitat)
Gail,
Thanks for the interesting post on habitat and for
explaining why I've been sneezing so much lately.
I'd like to add to the habitat discussion.
The Mourning Warblers I saw in the spring were in
much different habitat than the Oporornis Warblers
I have seen this fall. All four of them were in
thickets close to the creek that runs through the
park. I don't know if there is something special
about the east side of the creek, but that's where
they all were (except one of them briefly investigated
the opposite side of the creek). One of the thickets
that hosted a Mourning Warbler had a Kentucky Warbler
a few days later. These birds definitely seem to be
picky about something. Based on what I have seen, the
fall birds seem to prefer open areas along forest
edges.
The habitat at Wakefield also seems to be attractive
to other genuses. For example, I noticed that several
warblers staked out temporary territories this spring
for periods exceeding a week, including a Northern
Waterthush, a Chestnut-sided Warbler, and a Blue-winged
Warbler.
Mike Collins
Annandale, Virginia
collins@ram.nrl.navy.mil