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Re: Kirtland's Warbler search in Maryland?

From:

Phil Davis

Reply-To:

Phil Davis

Date:

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 15:24:36 -0400

Hi Paul, et al.

I agree with you. After I wrote that, I realized that the "breeding 
habitat" issue won't really work for Maryland, unless we wanted to do 
some controlled burns and plant Jack Pines <grin>.

The one factor that might make the spring season more attractive is 
that there are reports of males starting to sing on migration as far 
south as South Carolina, on their journey north from the Bahamas. So, 
hearing a singing male that had wandered east of the primary 
migration path might be a better chance for discovering a Maryland 
bird than stumbling on a off-course, generally silent fall migrant, 
even though they might be relatively more numerous ... maybe? Who knows?

Dunn and Garrett (Peterson's Warbler guide, 1997) report the following:

"Now rarely encountered in migration. All migration records should be 
carefully documented; our understanding of migration status is 
obscured by numerous questionable sight records. Spring migration 
records are much more numerous than fall, probably because loudly 
singing males are more readily encountered." They also report that 
there are specimen records or photographs for VA and PA and sight 
records from WV. They add that spring records in the south are mostly 
from mid-to late April, whereas most spring records from the upper 
Midwest are from 10 to 25 May. So, maybe our target time is from late 
April to mid-May?

Winter habitat, which presumably might be attractive in migration 
outside of the breeding range, is described by Dunn and Garrett as 
"dense broadleaf scrub thickets less than 6 feet high, with scattered 
taller trees."

Maybe the best thing we can do is suggest birders who are out during 
spring migration try to become familiar with the warbler's song. Dunn 
and Garrett describe it as having similarities to Northern 
Waterthrush, and even, by some, to House Wren and Indigo Bunting. 
Here's a link to a page with a Don Borror/Cornell mp3 file ...

         http://liaisons.drc.ohiolink.edu/handle/2374.OX/46145

Hope spring eternal ...

Phil



At 06:48 AM 03/15/2010, Paul Woodward wrote:
>       I am not sure habitat has anything to do with it since 
> migrants can show up anywhere.  More to the point is that if you 
> draw a line from the Kirtland's wintering grounds in the Bahamas to 
> the nesting grounds in Michigan (or to the new populations in 
> Wisconsin) Maryland isn't along the presumed migration route.  More 
> likely in the fall with young birds flying off course .

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Phil Davis      Davidsonville, Maryland     USA
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