Rob,
   Some additional information for you to chew on: there are five August
records of Connecticut Warbler in Prince Georges County. One was banded at
PWRC on 8/28/85, one was seen at Fran Uhler NA on 8/28/03, one was seen at
Piscataway on 8/28 or 29/72, one was banded at PWRC on 8/30/81, and one was
banded at PWRC on 8/31/89. In addition the earliest fall record for the
state was one banded at Jug Bay on 8/6/98. And there are two August banding
records from Montgomery County and one from Garrett County. And there is a
specimen record from DC from 8/28/1886. There are also ten more sight
records for MD & DC. On September 1 there are four more banding records and
three more sight records.
   But you are right that it is best to get a better look at the bird before
jumping to conclusions.

On Thu, Sep 2, 2010 at 7:12 AM, Robert Ostrowski <>wrote:

> I'm very uncomfortable with how early it is in September for
> Connecticut Warbler. I've known for awhile that some leave their
> breeding grounds in mid-to-late August, but those typically migrate
> south more in the central US. August records on the east coast, from
> what I can tell, are very sparse. Yes, my bird was on Sept 1, but it's
> close enough.
>
> I think this temporal anomaly is enough for me to ramp up the scrutiny
> and when I awoke this morning I tried to take a hard objective look at
> my notes and I don't like them. I don't think I would believe the
> sighting if somebody else posted them. Not getting a good look at the
> underparts and the much higher probability of other superficially
> similar birds like Canada Warbler or Nashville Warbler being around,
> combined with the very short time I observed the bird, makes me very
> wary. I should've been more detailed and cautious with this bird. So,
> for ther record, I'm not counting it. I do think it's worth trying for
> though and hopefully I can get back out there today or tomorrow.
>
> Robert Ostrowski
> Crofton, MD
> 
>