. . and good day to all. . . and who wishes to vote on the ID of the following four wood-warbler photos, BELOW?
WarblerWatch
Got wood-warbler questions? If so, I have answers for you. I'm Daniel Edelstein — biologist, birding guide, birding instructor (www.warblerwatch.com and danieledelstein@att.net) — who ponders: Are there any wonders in our world more fascinating than the elegant beauty of wood-warblers? (All photos © Martin Meyers unless otherwise noted.) By the way, my upcoming new adult college birding class is featured at: http://danielsmerrittclasses.blogspot.com/
Sunday, August 14, 2022
Photo Quiz....Can You ID These Birds? Which One Is NOT a Warbler? To Which Does The Non-Warbler Belong?
Sunday, July 10, 2022
Warbler Guy, is July too early to see dispersing and migrating wood-warblers? When does warbler migration begin?
Good question, Altuve (in Florida):
The answer is complex, but here's a few simplified, applicable principles:
1. For the majority of wood-warbler species in the Lower 48 of the USA, an initial clutch of newborns has already occurred.
Likewise, a good percentage first-year individuals have already dispersed from their natal nest origin.
This behavior may include foraging nearby where they were born, but not yet migrating by night to a non-breeding, "over-wintering" territory.
2. Which species are early dispersers (and migrators)?
In the West where I live (in the San Francisco Bay Area), Orange-crowned Warbler has completed its nesting cycle. Both young and adults have dispersed elsewhere, including (in some cases) to higher elevation "intermediate" staging areas where foraging opportunities are more successful where larger blooms of insects remain robust compared to the dry, often hot weather in non-coastal Bay Area locations.
In many cases, true southbound migration will follow by August and September.
In the East and Midwest, early dispersers include Tennessee and Yellow Warbler. By late July and August, I have periodically seen banders nets hosting these two species in areas where they do not nest.
3. As for more peak periods of warbler migration, it's fair to suggest that August and September are more common to note larger pulses of many other warbler species during the day as they forage before migrating at night to areas that range from southern states to Central America.
Then again, in my area, we welcome back a plentitude of Townsend's Warbler individuals by September and October as they return for the non-breeding season from more northern latitude breeding grounds.
I hope this explanation helps.
Regards, Daniel
Birding Guide
&
Avian Biologist
WarblerWatch.com
Wednesday, June 15, 2022
Warbler Guy, what's one quick tip to improve my birding by ear? Bird song memory is hard! -- so tips to learning bird songs and bird calls would be appreciated.
Here's two fast relief pills to take online for learning bird vocalizations and, in particular, wood-warbler songs:
1. Go to xeno-canto.org
Type in the name of the nemesis bird that has you flummoxed (It's free, but you need to create an account with your use name and password).
2. To assess warbler species' songs and calls, go to the following web site that's associated with the excellent, incisive book The Warbler Guide (by Scott Whittle and Tom Stephenson):
http://media2.macaulaylibrary.org/PMD/TWG/TheWarblerGuideAudioCompanion_Booklet.pdf
You may also wish to view:
thewarblerguide.com
and click on the "Companion Guide" button on the right side......Comprehensive information (!)
Otherwise, feel free to see my web site's home page and the "Birding Links" tab pulldown menu where a free handout titled "Top 10 Tips To Improving Your Birding By Ear" appears.
Happy birding and warbler hunting to all, Daniel
www.warblerwatch.cpom
http://warblerwatch.blogspot.com
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Warbler Guy, where's some of the most ideal migrant trap, migrant hot spots in the USA?
Good questions, Benjamin (in Seattle).
Dozens of excellent "migrant traps" for watching warblers and other songbirds exist in the lower 48 states in the USA.
I'll mention a few here: (courtesy of http://www.birding.com/top200hotspots.asp)
There's many other excellent options beyond the ones I note below. Which ones would you add to my list?
*
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park, Georgia
33.91 N 84.61 W
The mile-long road to the top of the "mountain" should yield about 20 warbler species in late April. On weekends, you can ride a shuttle bus to the top. Good trails cover most of this park located about 20 miles northwest of Atlanta.
Cape May, NJ
38.56 N 74.57 W
Hawks "funnel" into Cape May each fall, making this the best spot on the East Coast for raptors. Fantastic for warblers and other migrating birds in spring and fall. One of the top 10 spots in North America.
Central Park, New York City
40.47 N 73.58 W
Birds? In New York City? During spring migration, Central Park is a welcomed island of green trees in the middle of a concrete desert. Warblers, Tanagers, Grosbeaks (and maybe a Rock Dove).
Crane Creek/Magee Marsh/Ottawa NWR
41.37 N 83.09 W
Spring migration here may be even better than Point Pelee -- and two hours closer if you live in Ohio! Go visit the Oak Openings and Irwin Prairie on the west side of Toledo as well.
Point Pelee
41.56 N 82.31 W
This tip of Ontario extends into Lake Erie, forming a welcome site for migrating birds in May and a natural "funnel" in the fall. Warblers in the spring are everywhere. Watch the flight of Monarch butterflies and huge flocks of Blue Jays in the fall. Considered by most as one of the Top 10 birding spots in North America.
Devil's Lake State Park, Wisconsin
43.42 N 89.73 W
Great scenery and a mix of northern and southern birds can be found here. For worm-eating Warbler, try nearby Baxter's Hollow Preserve. The International Crane Foundation is located just north of here in Baraboo.
*
As for when warbler migration begins during the spring, the range of dates vary by latitude and, often, annually, based on weather patterns.
In general (and to oversimplify), warbler migration begins in Florida in March (and becomes obvious by April) while southern Wisconsin, for example, attracts warblers in abundance by the last week of April (though it more typically peaks in the first or second week of May). Point Pelee (noted above) is often best visited during the initial days of May while upper Michigan usually peaks with warbler activity during the third and fourth weeks of May.
That's not to say warbler migration is absent prior to March in Florida or prior to May in Wisconsin. Early warbler visitors are present in both areas (e.g., LA Waterthrush in FL; Yellow-rumped and Palm Warbler in WI, among other species).
But, again, in general, warbler migration is best considered an April and May phenomenon in most lower 48 USA states.
Monday, March 28, 2022
Warbler Guy, what are some techniques I can use to increase my ability to remember warbler songs and commit them to my long-term memory? Birding by ear tips you recommend?
Excellent question, Bernice (in Chicago).
Wednesday, March 2, 2022
Warbler Guy, what are some techniques I can use to increase my ability to remember warbler songs and commit them to my long-term memory? Birding by ear tips you recommend?
Excellent question, Bernice (in Chicago).
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
Warbler Guy, what’s an example of a “superspecies” in the wood-warbler family?
What’s an example of a “superspecies” in the wood-warbler family?

(The Black-Throated Gray Warbler in the above photo is one of five species within the Black-Throated Green superspecies group.)
Thanks for the query, Ms. Jones (in Santa Barbara, CA).
Think of a superspecies as a group of related species that evolved from a common ancestor, but live in distinct ranges apart from each other. A good example of a superspecies is the Black-Throated Green Warbler group that includes this species as well as Townsend’s, Hermit, Golden-Cheeked, and Black-Throated Gray Warblers.
Each of the latter four species in the above group is thought to have evolved from its Black-Throated Green ancestor. As this species expanded from its southeastern USA deciduous forest territory into coniferous forest created by the most recent glacial advances, isolation occurred among populations. As generations of separated populations slowly spread west and north throughout lower North America, each population became a divergent “island.” Gene flow ceased as reproductive isolation caused speciation to occur over eons. The resulting five species share various field marks, but also express their own unique characteristics.
Nonetheless, despite their status as species, hybridization sometimes occurs among species within a superspecies, including the Black-Throated Green superspecies wherein populations of Townsend’s and Hermit hybridize in Oregon and Washington. To simplify, where both species occur, over time Townsend’s appear to usually dominate and increase in number.
More technical, the five species within the Black-Throated Green superspecies have parapatric distributions. That is to say, each of the five species has ranges that do not significantly overlap but are immediately adjacent to each other (and/or occur together in a narrow contact zone, with the aforementioned reference to Townsend’s and Hermit Warbler hybridization a scenario where overlapping occurs).
To learn more about this subject, read a classic article by R.M. Mengel titled “The probable history of species formation in some northern wood warblers.” One source where this article appears is in a 1964 edition of “Living Bird” (page 943).