[MDOsprey] Swainson's Warbler - YES!!! (long)

GREGORY.B.MILLER@bge.com
Tue, 1 Jun 1999 10:38:28 -0400


Howdy All!

WHOOOOPEEEEE!  It happened.  The world can end now.  I *SAW* a Swainson's
Warbler! <gleeful jig inserted here...>  Many thanks to Lou Shoumette for a
successful Swainson's Warbler trip!  Other goodies this weekend in North
Carolina included Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Bachman's Sparrow, Common
Nighthawks doing their fantastic *swooping* display, a Eurasian Collared
Dove, 5 calling Black Rails, and 15 singing Chuck-wills-widows.

Lou had seen several Swainson's Warblers last year and asked me if I wanted
to try to see them this year.  Ha!  Of course! <grin>  I met Lou at 5:15am
and we were on the road by 5:30am.  We reached Chowan County, NC around
11am.  After 2 hrs of searching, we had heard maybe 4 singing birds and
caught fleeting glimpses of 2 individuals.

Hot, hungry, and tired, we decided to try once more at a low-lying area
where we had heard the first bird.  I was walking behind the car as Lou was
pulling forward to position us a little further down the road.  We had
heard a bird on the left.  Suddenly, a small grayish bird flitted across
the road.  My pulse and pace both quickened as I saw the bird land not 30
feet away from the car.  Lou was already on the bird.  A Swainson's
Warbler!

Finally I got a view--not just any view--a *crippling* view of my nemesis
bird.  Nothing is so sweet as the satisfaction of nailing a nemesis bird
with killer looks.  I drank in the experience like someone who's just been
hiking for hours in the desert sun and raises a cool bottle of water to his
parched lips.  I could feel the power of the moment as I had to steady my
hands and inhale air in measured breaths.  I couldn't believe the bird was
just sitting there and singing!  It's drab plumage was beautiful to my
eyes.  I was impressed with how large the bird was for a warbler and the
length of it's longish bill.  The flat-headed appearance gave it a
scrappy-looking jizz.  As it sat on a bare branch 15 ft off the ground, it
would throw back it's head and belt out it's loud, clear song.  It had
moved deeper into the woods by the time I loaded my camera with a new roll
of film.  I shot the whole roll anyway and hope some pics will turn out
anyway.  They won't be the killer views, but hopefully will at least be
identifiable.

Now I owed Lou.  We had agreed to trade a Swainson's for me if I could find
Red-cockaded Woodpeckers for him.  To me, I had the easy end of the deal on
this one!  We drove down to Havelock, NC to hit the Millis Road Savannah in
the Croatan National Forest.  We arrived around 6pm and pulled off the edge
of the road and hiked in the path.  We took the left fork.  At the next
fork in the path, we took the right fork and walked back 2/3 way to the
back of the stand of open pinewoods. Soon we found a tree marked with blue
paint and wrapped with a pink ribbon--an active nest.  We waited and were
soon rewarded as we first heard the birds, then saw them as the Woodpeckers
came into view.  One landed on the tree in front of us as it paused before
entering the nest.  Duh!  I wasn't carrying my camera!  Lifer #1 for Lou.

We went back to the car for my camera.  Half way back we kicked up a
sparrow--not just any sparrow--a Bachman's Sparrow.  It landed on a bare
twig 4 ft off the ground not 30 ft away in good sunlight.  It sat there and
*posed*, giving me the best view I've ever had of Bachman's Sparrow and
Lou's life look...well, it was another *killer* view.  I guess it knew I
wasn't armed with a camera.  Aargh.

After retrieving my camera, the Bachman's went into hiding and would only
sing occasionally.  Meanwhile, another Swainson's Warbler is belting out an
evening song from the broad-leafed woods to the East of us.  I stood
comfortable distance from the Red-cockaded Woodpecker hole and waited.
Soon a woodpecker popped out and flew into the trees to the West in direct
sun.  Missed opportunity.  45 minutes later the camera was very heavy.  I
told Lou I knew a sure magnet for getting the birds to return.  I strapped
the camera over my shoulder.  As soon as the strap hit the shoulder, I
heard the familiar twit-it, twit-ititit.  The bird's undulating flight is
now in my peripheral view as I'm desperately trying to get my camera back
into position. The bird nears the tree and the camera nears my eye.  It's
gonna be close.  I'm focusing on the as the bird lands and flooop!  The
bird is in the hole.  What?  It didn't pause AT ALL at the hole!  Yikes!
Another missed opportunity.

About this time, I hear a wild sound. zzzzzzheeeoooooooooooooooooom!!!
 A looked over at Lou.  His eyes were big, too.  Pretty soon, we heard the
sound again.  This time, we saw the sound maker...a Common Nighthawk.  Up
into the sky above to maybe 100 ft, the Nighthawk would fly and then slowly
flutter it's wings, almost hovering.  Then it would lock it's wings into a
dihedral and tip nose down and plummet toward the earth at a dizzying speed
and pull up just over the
treetops.  zzzzzzheeeoooooooooooooooooom!!!  The sound of the air
passing the wings was simply remarkable.  We watched as maybe half a dozen
other Nighthawks displayed similar behavior.  Too cool!

On the way to dinner, we drove a few streets in Beaufort, NC and finally
got the Eurasian Collared Dove in waning light.  Another lifer for Lou.

Both of us were bushed.  We'd been up for 14 hrs and had driven over 450
miles.  We discussed going for Black Rail and Chuck-wills-widow over
dinner--both life birds for Lou and the Black Rail would be a state bird
for me.  We finally gummed up enough adrenaline to make the attempt.  One
of the building blocks for Miller Luck:  Maximize your opportunities.  We
decided to try in the evening for the birds.  If we failed, we'd cut out
some sleep and opt for try #2 before dawn.  But, the night was warm and
calm and it was near full moon--perfect Black Rail conditions.  We were not
disappointed.  Heading toward the Ferry Landing from the Thoroughfare
Bridge in Cedar Island NWR, at our first stop at 0.5 miles we heard 2
Virginia Rails and 2 Black Rails.  At 2.0 miles we heard 2 more Black
Rails.  At 4.0 miles we heard one Black Rail at close range.  With no tape
we had very little chance of seeing a bird.  But on a long shot we turned
the car facing the canal and shown the lights into the swamp.  No show.
But the didn't stop singing.

On toward the ferry, we heard 2 Chuck-wills-widows calling in a small
residential area.  We backtracked to the entrance of Cedar Island NWR and
drove to the first curve and stopped to listen.  We heard 13 more singing
Chucks!  What a day!

-Greg Miller
Baltimore, MD