Warbler Guy, which 2014 name changes may happen for West Coast warblers? Will they affect warbler classification checklists?

Fine question, Jory.

Quick answer: No name changes. Your checklists will remain unchanged.

More details?

Consider that current avian classification and name changes for N. & Middle America are pending within the American Ornithologists’ Union committee that will soon vote about various proposals that are listed at:

http://www.aou.org/committees/nacc/proposals/pending.php

A PDF file of these pending proposals is accessed via:

http://www.aou.org/committees/nacc/proposals/2014-A.pdf

Proposals germane to West Coast (lower 48 states) bird species are minimal, unless you consider this region to include Alaska. Here, where the Arctic Warbler breeds, a proposal would split it into three species (two new species names would result from the current Phylloscopus borealis). 

Stay tuned.

(Note, however: the Arctic Warbler is not a member of the New World wood-warbler family (Parulidae) that hosts the USA's most common, popular species.

Instead, this species is in the newly-described Phylloscopidae family, a taxon that was formerly in the Old World warbler family (Sylviidae). Pyylloscopidae family members primarily live in Eurasia, ranging into Wallacea and Africa. Most species frequent forest and scrub habitats where they catch insects on the wing. 

This family contains two genera, the Phyllocopus (of which the Arctic Warbler is a member) and the Seicercus, totaling approximately 66 species).)

Regards, Danieldanieledelstein@att.netwarblerwatch.com

Warbler Guy, which migrating warbler arrives first on the East Coast? Which warbler arrival shall I expect on the West Coast? Warbler migration has begun?

Lori, those are great questions.

The brief answer is look for the following warblers to initially appear as true returning migrants on the East Coast from the Mid-Atlantic north:

- Louisiana Waterthrush
- Palm Warbler
- Common Yellowthroat
- Yellow-rumped Warbler

For the West Coast, it's even more simplified:

- Orange-crowned Warbler (photo shown here) is often the most common returning nesting species, typically arriving by late February to early March, if you're in the San Francisco Bay Area where I live.

March 6 is the mean annual arrival date for this species on the coast in W. Marin Co. at the Palomarin (near Bolinas) bird banding station, based on 1967-1989 records. The earliest return date in this span is 2/27 and 3/16 was the latest.

Palm, Wilson's, and Yellow Warbler may also be early returnees on the West Coast, though it's challenging to definitively determine if sightings of these species are true migrants or "over-wintering" individuals.

Some Orange-crowned individuals in the Bay Area also may "over-winter," as Christmas Bird Count surveys in the San Francisco Bay Area often record this species and rare to periodic reports for this species persist throughout the winter during most years from Bay Area counties. In this case, if I hear an associated Orange-crowned song in February or March, then I usually deem the aria a returning migrant individual.

Happy birding, Daniel
danieledelstein at att dot net
warblerwatch dot com

Warbler Guy, which field guide has excellent warbler photos that my child will like? I am seeking photos of warblers, so maybe you can suggest a warbler photo field guide?

Sure, Mara:

The Birds of Western North America: A Photographic Guide (University of Princeton Press, 2009)
features fine, larger photos than the typical bird field guide.

I use it with my own child and, in fact, it's excellent for my tour guiding on the trail because birders can see the images from afar and close to me when a group is gathered tightly.

Granted, it's western North America-based with its content, but plenty of Midwest and East Coast warblers are also shown.

Full disclosure: I received my copy free as a reviewer, yet I would buy this guide even if I were not so lucky as to get one.

Warbler Guy, I'm heading to Alaska in June, 2014. Which warblers nest in Alaska? Alaska warblers are common? Warbler watching in Alaska is easy?

Jodie, I'm lucky to note that I've birded on one (too brief) vacation in Alaska.

The most typical nesting New World wood-warblers (Parulidae family) there include:

- Blackpoll
- Yellow
- Orange-crowned
- Northern Waterthrush
- American Redstart
- Common Yellowthroat
- Wilson's
- Yellow-rumped
- McGillivray's
- Townsend's

The Dusky Warbler (in the Leaf Warbler family) is also present.

Does this help?

Regards from Daniel, your Marin County, California birding guide
warblerwatch.com
danieledelstein@att.net

Warbler Guy, which warblers are most likely to be seen on Christmas Bird Count surveys in the Midwest? Warblers in the East? Warblers in New England?

Stacey, you may be asking this question because some Yellow-rumped Warbler(s) were seen on recent Christmas Bird Count(s) (CBC)?

If so, you are spot-on in thinking this species is the most likely Parulidae (wood-warbler) Family member to show up during the non-breeding season in northern latitudes.

Here's one posting of a Rare Bird Alert from New Hampshire where people witnessed three
YRWA:

3 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS were seen at Odiorne Point State Park in Rye on 
December 29th.

For the full account of the "rare" bird species detected during this 1/1/14 CBC survey, please see:



http://birdingonthe.net/hotmail/EAST.001114302.html



Which other warbler species are the most likely to appear in the dead of winter in NH or other upper Midwest and East Coast areas?



Beyond the YRWA, look for the following as the "usual suspects":

(and NOT typically annual every "winter" in northern USA latitudes):



- Common Yellowthroat

- Palm

- Yellow-breasted Chat (more typically Mid-Atlantic and south from there)

- Pine (sometimes eats seeds at winter feeders)



Long shots, and rarely present (and NOT typically annual every "winter"):



- Bay-breasted

- Black-and-white

- American Redstart

- Cape May



Feel free to write me with more questions, Stacey....and other readers:

danieledelstein@att.net

www.warblerwatch.com

http://warblerwatch.blogspot.com

Warbler Guy, can you give me a quick way to tell Myrtle from Audubon’s Yellow-rumped Warbler during the winter (non-breeding season)? I see both subspecies of Yellow-rumps where I live in the winter (SF Bay Area), so knowing how to tell Yellow-rumped Warbler subspecies apart would probably be a good idea.

Jay, in San Francisco, there’s two field marks that are excellent, diagnostic clues to help you identify both of these subspecies apart from one another (see drawings, below).

Let's sort out the "winter" plumages here only, given the obvious differences in appearance for breeding season individuals of both subspecies. 

Most (but NOT all) Audubon’s adults during the "winter" wear a faint to solid yellow throat and the Myrtle always possesses a white throat. In all age classes — from hatch year to definitive adults — a Myrtle never shows a white throat. That’s the easy, brief answer.

(Above drawing courtesy of National Geographic.)

But it’s not the full one. That’s because rare to occasional individuals of Audubon's ALSO may express a white throat. Which means it's possible to view a white-throated Yellow-rumped Warbler that could be EITHER the Myrtle or Audubon's subspecies.

So now what do you do for ID?

Use the absence of a faint supercilum (i.e., eyebrow) to identify Audubon’s (see drawing here) during the non-breeding "winter" season. Noticing the lack of this feature on a Yellow-rumped Warbler with a white throat should move you to say: “Bingo, it’s an Audubon’s" (i.e., Audubon's are said to wear a "plain face.)

However, if you see during the non-breeding season both a faint white supercilum mark and a white throat that reaches around toward the middle and mid-back region of the neck area on both sides of the head, then it’s a Myrtle.

In sum, Myrtle Yellow-rumped Warbler shows a faint white supercilum and a greater amount of white throat surface area than the Audubon’s subspecies that has a more plain face (lacking the white supercilium mark) and a smaller white to, more typically, faint to dark yellow throat.

The definitive source for my judgment in this matter consistently remains the Identification Guide to North American Bird, Part 1, by Peter Pyle (Slate Creek Press), which is the bird bander's guide to identification of birds "in the hand," and features field mark information corresponding to all age classes of songbirds.

Warbler Guy, I'm coming to California birding tour soon, so where do I check for "rare" bird alerts? Do you remember leading me as a birding guide when we went to Point Reyes National Seashore?

Hi Davey....and, "yes," I remember you from our birding tour in 2012.

Answer to your question, above: You can check:

http://digest.sialia.com/?rm=all_lists

....with this site a composite list featuring all the listserv sites in California.

Click on one or more as you please to see the latest bird sightings lists posted by
birders.

Questions?

Glad to help: danieledelstein@att.net

Happy Holidays and, remember, only ~45 days until our first neotropical migrant
returns to the SF Bay Area for the nesting season:
Allen's Hummingbird

Darn, though: Orange-crowned Warbler returnees are still ~50 to 60 days from appearing after migrating here.