Bob,

Your comments in regards to the difficulty of separating Warbling Vireo from
Philadelphia Vireo are greatly appreciated.  Both the date and the location
would suggest the bird I saw was a Warbling Vireo, which has nested at SWAP
in the past, though they seemed scarce this year.  When I first saw the
bird, I didn't even think Warbling Vireo, however, because it appeared to
have too much yellow underneath.  In fact, when I noticed the yellow, I at
first thought White-eyed Vireo, but the lack of wing-bars and pale, rather
than yellow spectacles ruled that out.  I honestly can't say whether the
breast was a solid yellow or if only the flanks were yellow; I just saw more
yellow than I've seen in any Warbling Vireo in the past.

Perhaps the jizz of the two birds is very close, but my impression is that
the Warbling Vireo tends to be a bit more "stretched" than the Philly, but
this may only be a slight matter of degree.  It may be that the shorter bill
of the Philly gives it a slightly "squatter" appearance.

I may have been a bit cavalier in discussing early dates for Philly Vireo.
My earliest personal sighting was 22 August (2000), and I remember posting
the sighting to this listserve.  It seems that there were responses to that
posting suggesting sightings earlier than that date.  I tried to go back to
look up the discussion in the archives, but it appears that 2003 is the
earliest date for the archives.  Is there a way to get back earlier than
that?  I no longer have a personal record of this discussion.

Stan Arnold
Glen Burnie





----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Ringler" <>
To: <>
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2006 10:39 AM
Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Speaking of migrants--Philly Vireo @ SWAP


> Stan,
>    As far as I know there are no July reports of Philadelphia Vireo in
Maryland. The earliest fall date is August 20, 1971, a bird banded in Kent
County, but there is no reason they cannot occur earlier. They are rarely
reported in August. The problem is juvenile Warbling Vireos. I don't know
about your suggestion that Warbling Vireos appear longer and sleeker than
Philadelphias. To me they seem to be the same shape, but maybe that's just
me. It's good to have your detailed description. In the past it has been
impossible to evaluate reports with no descriptions.
>    I hope that others will chime in on this discussion. This is one of the
more difficult identification problems. I would like to hear more opinions
on what other people use as primary field marks.
> --
> Bob Ringler
> Eldersburg MD
> 
>
> ---- Stan Arnold <> wrote:
> > Hi Folks,
> >
> > Elaine and I just returned from a hike around Southwest Area Park (SWAP)
in
> > southwestern Baltimore Co., where we found a PHILADELPHIA VIREO nabbing
> > small caterpillars on a tree along the southern loop trail.  This little
> > bird was solid pale green on the back and wings (no wingbars), was pale
> > above and below the eye with a weak dark eye-bar, and weakly spectacled.
> > Its breast and belly were medium yellow, neither bright nor overly pale.
> > The jizz was short and dumpy--more reminiscent of a kinglet than a
catbird;
> > in other words, the bird did not have the longer, sleaker appearance of
a
> > Red-eyed or Warbling Vireo.
> >
> > I happened to check out the "Yellow Book" and notice that the early
arrival
> > date for Philly Vireo is 20 August.  This is way out of date, as I've
seen
> > them in mid-August before, and I think discussion on this listserve has
> > indicated that they may have shown up in Maryland as early as late July
or
> > the first week of August.
> >
> > Also of interest, a VIRGINIA RAIL was vocalizing at SWAP near dusk on
> > Friday, 4 August.  I keep going back hoping the moorhens will return.
> >
> > Stan Arnold
> > Glen Burnie
> > 
>