I know that the winter of 1976-1977 was an especially bitter one in Maryland ("The Year the Bay Froze Over") and we had an significant die-off of Carolina Wrens. There were very few the next spring on our property (then 2 acres adjacent to Sligo Creek Park) or nearby. I remember being quite happy to find a family party of Carolinas that spring. At this time there still were Bewick's Wrens in western Maryland, though confined to the area of Dan's Rock as I recall. However this remnant population was probably not a sufficient "pool" for an expansion, even if the Oklahoma hypothesis is correct.
Unfortunately, like many I delayed going to see the Bewick's at Dan's Rock until it was too late.
Gail Mackiernan
Colesville, MD
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Ed Boyd <>
> Interestingly, a recent thread on the Oklahoma Listserve made mention of
> Bewick's Wren advancement and retreat in areas to the east of that state.
> The discussion was related to the cold weather that they had been having,
> the heavy ice storms, and the weather's effect on the populations of
> Carolina Wrens. It seems that when there is an extreme die-back of Carolina
> Wrens after an extreme winter weather year, the Bewick's Wrens tend to be
> the first to make the move into the vacated habitat of the Carolina Wrens in
> the range that was clobbered by the extreme cold and ice. <snip> |