SWAINSON'S WARBLER at Great Dismal Swamp 5/1/99
Gregory B Miller (gregorym@erols.com)
Sat, 01 May 1999 19:15:14 -0400
Howdy All!
Yes! That's right! A genuine SWAINSON'S WARBLER report by me! OK.
The world can end now. After hunting passively (I always had OTHER
targets until last year) over the last 17 years in Texas, Mississippi,
Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia and actively (warbler as
the only target) in Texas, North Carolina, and Virginia...I now have a
real warbler report...well...almost. Ahem. Clear throat. HEARD ONLY.
Now for the gory details (just in case there might be one or two
MDOspreyers out there who STILL need this pesky mite):
3-5 individuals heard at Great Dismal Swamp in Virginia (6:30am-1:30pm)
2-3 birds Jericho Lane - between 1.2 miles to the parking area; check
the pulloffs on the North (left hand side going in). The first pulloff
has a burnt/black engine sitting in it; the second one has a tree marked
328 in orange paint. Two birds were heard from the pulloff areas. The
possible third bird was on the South (right side) near the parking lot
at the end of Jericho Lane later in the morning (around 10am). These
birds were easily heard from 6:30-8:30am. There was 30 minutes of
silence and then one bird starting singing again (#328) until around
10am. No Swainson's Warblers were heard after that time.
1 bird was heard along Jericho Ditch near the parking area (close to the
end of the little boardwalk) in the early morning only.
1 bird was heard about 1/10th of a mile along an unnamed ditch that
would be an extension of the road running into the parking area (early
only also).
I did not use any tapes, but I saw other birders who did. They met with
the same success as I. Nada. John Fussell (author of Coastal North
Carolina Birding Guide) strongly discourages use of tapes in this area.
their life Swainson's Warblers along the Gulf Coast during migration
with High Island, Texas being the single most popular spot (is it
because there's more birds or because there's more birders? <grin>)
Consequently, I plan to let these nesting birds be. I can think of
worse fates than having to go back to High Island, Texas during Spring
migration! It was certainly a real treat to actually HEAR my nemesis
bird sing! Oh, yes. It was very windy and cold today--not optimal
conditions for viewing any passerines.
Some other birds seen (most heard only--Great Dismal has a way of hiding
its birds) today included:
Wild Turkey
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO!!! (I was surprised--is this a common migrant?)
Red-eyed Vireo
White-eyed Vireo
Prairie Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Prothonotary Warbler
Black-and-white Warbler
Kentucky Warbler
Hooded Warbler
Northern Waterthrush
Louisiana Waterthrush (singing same time as Swainson's #328 on the other
side of the road--great comparison!)
I whiffed on the "Wayne's" Black-throated Green that nests in Great
Dismal--maybe next time...
--
Greg Miller
Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Home- gregorym@erols.com
Work- gregory.b.miller@bge.com
WWW- http://www.erols.com/gregorym/