Warbler Guy, I heard about you overseas and I'm coming to the USA to find warblers in May. Which warbler field guide do you recommend?

Norman (in England)......There's two essential field guides:

1. The Warbler Guide, by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle, Princeton Univ. Press, 2013

It's an exquisite, comprehensive treatise that hosts a dizzying array of excellent features that will edify both beginning and advanced warbler watchers.

Beyond the typical features hosted in a field guide, The Warbler Guide format highlights new ways to identify species via clever comparison photos; close-ups of body parts not usually shown in field guides; information to age and sex individual birds; "quick ID" pages to reduce the steps to identify an unknown species; and much more.

You won't be disappointed in ordering this field guide that is easily obtained at amazon.com,
americanbirding.org, and several other online bookstores.

2. Warblers, by Kimball Garrett and Jon Dunn, Houghton Mifflin Publishing, 1997

As a complement to The Warbler Field Guide, Garrett and Dunn's field guide remains a masterpiece.

Although some information and map-related data is outdated and/or needs updating, this
amazing field guide remains one of the finest bird-specific publications ever created.

I'll write more about this guide soon.

For now, suffice to know: Buy this field guide....and, better, buy both of the aforementioned.

With these two publications, warbler enthusiasts are well endowed with the best bedtime reading they could imagine.

Warbler Guy, I know it's not recent news, but what happened with the most recent scientific warbler name changes?

Good question, Vinny.

Here's a Share And Tell courtesy of The Carolina Bird Club (https://www.carolinabirdclub.org/brc/aouchanges.html#aou54) whereby the 52nd Supplement,
July, 2011 to the AOU Checklist of Birds addresses your question and others related to the wood-warbler family:

There are major changes within the wood-warbler family (Parulidae), consisting of many reassignments of genus and a new linear sequence of genera and species.

• Genera Parula, Dendroica, and Wilsonia are deleted by being lumped with other genera. Parula and Dendroica are lumped into Setophaga. One species of Wilsonia (Hooded Warbler) is also lumped into Setophaga, and the other two species (Wilson's and Canada) are lumped into Cardellina (the genus of Red-faced Warbler).
• Kentucky, Mourning, and MacGillivray's Warblers are moved to genus Geothlypis (same as Common Yellowthroat) leaving only Connecticut in Oporornis.
• Although the genus Parula no longer exists, a provision of the Code of Zoological Nomenclature allows the family name to remain Parulidae.
• The new sequence of species, with new generic names, is:

  sequence	new scientific name	common name	former scientific name	former sequence
  1	Seiurus aurocapilla	Ovenbird	Seiurus aurocapilla	31
  2	Helmitheros vermivorum	Worm-eating Warbler	Helmitheros vermivorum	29
  3	Parkesia motacilla	Louisiana Waterthrush	Parkesia motacilla	33
  4	Parkesia noveboracensis	Northern Waterthrush	Parkesia noveboracensis	32
  5	Vermivora bachmanii	Bachman's Warbler	Vermivora bachmanii	1
  6	Vermivora chrysoptera	Golden-winged Warbler	Vermivora chrysoptera	3
  7	Vermivora cyanoptera	Blue-winged Warbler	Vermivora cyanoptera	2
  8	Mniotilta varia	Black-and-white Warbler	Mniotilta varia	26
  9	Protonotaria citrea	Prothonotary Warbler	Protonotaria citrea	28
  10	Limnothlypis swainsonii	Swainson's Warbler	Limnothlypis swainsonii	30
  11	Oreothlypis peregrina	Tennessee Warbler	Oreothlypis peregrina	4
  12	Oreothlypis celata	Orange-crowned Warbler	Oreothlypis celata	5
  13	Oreothlypis ruficapilla	Nashville Warbler	Oreothlypis ruficapilla	6
  14	Oporornis agilis	Connecticut Warbler	Oporornis agilis	35
  15	Geothlypis tolmiei	MacGillivray's Warbler	Oporornis tolmiei	37
  16	Geothlypis philadelphia	Mourning Warbler	Oporornis philadelphia	36
  17	Geothlypis formosa	Kentucky Warbler	Oporornis formosus	34
  18	Geothlypis trichas	Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	38
  19	Setophaga citrina	Hooded Warbler	Wilsonia citrina	39
  20	Setophaga ruticilla	American Redstart	Setophaga ruticilla	27
  21	Setophaga kirtlandii	Kirtland's Warbler	Dendroica kirtlandii	20
  22	Setophaga tigrina	Cape May Warbler	Dendroica tigrina	11
  23	Setophaga cerulea	Cerulean Warbler	Dendroica cerulea	25
  24	Setophaga americana	Northern Parula	Parula americana	7
  25	Setophaga magnolia	Magnolia Warbler	Dendroica magnolia	10
  26	Setophaga castanea	Bay-breasted Warbler	Dendroica castanea	23
  27	Setophaga fusca	Blackburnian Warbler	Dendroica fusca	17
  28	Setophaga petechia	Yellow Warbler	Dendroica petechia	8
  29	Setophaga pensylvanica	Chestnut-sided Warbler	Dendroica pensylvanica	9
  30	Setophaga striata	Blackpoll Warbler	Dendroica striata	24
  31	Setophaga caerulescens	Black-throated Blue Warbler	Dendroica caerulescens	12
  32	Setophaga palmarum	Palm Warbler	Dendroica palmarum	22
  33	Setophaga pinus	Pine Warbler	Dendroica pinus	19
  34	Setophaga coronata	Yellow-rumped Warbler	Dendroica coronata	13
  35	Setophaga dominica	Yellow-throated Warbler	Dendroica dominica	18
  36	Setophaga discolor	Prairie Warbler	Dendroica discolor	21
  37	Setophaga nigrescens	Black-throated Gray Warbler	Dendroica nigrescens	14
  38	Setophaga townsendi	Townsend's Warbler	Dendroica townsendi	16
  39	Setophaga virens	Black-throated Green Warbler	Dendroica virens	15
  40	Cardellina canadensis	Canada Warbler	Wilsonia canadensis	41
  41	Cardellina pusilla	Wilson's Warbler	Wilsonia pusilla	40
  42	Icteria virens	Yellow-breasted Chat	Icteria virens	42

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