“Kirtland’s Nesting in WI This Year? 2007? Ontario, Too?” Answer: Yes (!)

That’s correct, Jay in Jasper. You’re on. It's Larry King Live…..here with Mr. Wood-Warbler tonight as we explore a fascinating explanation to your above question.

Let’s unravel the tale of the First Ever WI Nesting Record of Kirtland’s Warbler in 2007 {with the species AGAIN documented to be nesting this year in at least one WI county (Adams) and, perhaps another (Marinette) where they have also been seen in 2008; see below}:

The discovery of the first-ever Kirtland’s nest in WI begins on May 19, 2007. You’re a birder who is not only passionate, but have devoted your life to the environment as a career. Indeed, you are environmental consultant/wildlife biologist/birder Dean DiTommaso. On this fine spring day in central-southcentral WI, you discover three male Kirtland Warbler’s in a young red pine plantation in Adams County.

Did the intrigued DiTommaso call 911. No, but all banter aside, he did alert the WI DNR of his amazing gem of a discovery — and the Gold Rush was on, so to speak. During the ensuing days, under the guidance of the DNR, DiTomasso found three additional males at another site nearby. On June 2, 2007, the talented DiTommaso made his first observation of a female – thereby documenting the likely 2007 nesting occurrence (given that migrating or wayward Kirtland’s individuals, including females, would more likely be correctly judged as transients possibly moving through WI during May, but not necessarily staying to nest; by June, a sighting of a male and/or female Kirtland’s, or both, increases the chances that nesting is probable to confirmed, pending further monitoring).

Additional female Kirtland’s were seen on June 6 and 9 -- observations that eventually led to the discovery of a second and third nest in mid-June.

In total, during 2007, the DNR (with DiTomasso’s help), documented a total of at least eight singing male Kirtland’s, including three separate active nest sites in Wisconsin.

This year, 2008, the statewide total in WI is 10 males documented (Tom Schultz, personal correspondence, June 28, 2008). At least three female nests have been found. Two of these males were seen in Marinette County (the second County removed north of Green Bay, WI) and at least seven males have been color marked with leg bands (Noel Cutright, personal correspondence, June 29, 2008).

In turn, the perceptive reader may now ask: “Red pine is where the Kirtland’s was found in 2007? That’s interesting, given the Jack Pine is the historically preferred and obligate tree upon which this Federally Endangered wood-warbler usually depends.”

So what gives? Can we expect to conclude the two consecutive years (2007 and 2008) qualify Kirtland’s as an annual breeding species in WI (and, perhaps in Ontario where at least one pair was documented breeding in 2007)? (Sorry, I don’t yet have the status of whether Kirtland’s was again found nesting this year in Ontario.)

In addition, perhaps you’re wondering (like me)?:

Are Kirtland’s likely to spread the breeding ranges (in area) if they become annual breeders in WI and Ontario (beyond the six counties where they regularly nest in Michigan counties near Roscommon in the south-central south area of the state)?

The answer may potentially be “yes,” if the current coordinated Jack Pine planting plan meets its goals as executed by the DNR and the US Fish and Wildlife Service. Both of these agencies are combining their wildlife know-how and expertise with forest management efforts by the US Forest Service, Plum Creek Timber Company, and multiple WI County Forest Administrators (Trick, Grveles, DiTommaso, Robaidek, The Passenger Pigeon, Summer 2008).

Other potentially good news is that the above management efforts may help preserve and increase other bird species populations beyond the Kirtland’s. Such rare and declining species in the vicinity -- Vesper Sparrow, Brown Thrasher, and Black-Billed Cuckoo, to name just three species – are the most likely additional avian beneficiaries of prospective management schemes that could be executed to host the Kirtland’s in greater numbers.

So, the moral of the Great Kirtland’s Discovery of 2007? Get out there and bird.

Have fun doing so and Happy Bird Songing By Ear for those birding in the forest like I often do…..Daniel

Seven Species of High Sierra Mountain Wood-Warblers?

Answer:

Yes, the headline query is correct.

The question was prompted by Terese Frederick, one of my former students, who asked me recently if ".........there's more wood-warbler species nesting in the CA Sierra Nevada mountains (High Sierra Mountain Range), including the Yuba Pass area, Sierra County, 30 miles southwest of Truckee) than on the 'flats,' such as counties within the Bay Area?"

The brief answer* is that there's often MORE species annually nesting in the Bay Area than the nearby mountains 130-200 miles east of the Bay Area -- but that's only if you include the coastal counties of Marin and Sonoma.

These two counties constitute two of the Bay Area counties among nine (SF, San Mateo, Alameda, Contra Costa, Solano, Napa, Santa Clara)

In total, among the nine Bay Area counties, the typical RELIABLE annual nesting wood-warbler species include:
- YELLOW
- YELLOW-RUMPED (one of the four Audubon's subspecies)
- BLACK-THROATED GRAY
- WILSON'S
- ORANGE-CROWNED
- COMMON YELLOWTHROAT
- MACGILLIVRAY'S
- HERMIT
- YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT

"See, that's nine," I told Terese, and adding: "That's nine species in the Bay Area and ONLY seven species of nesting wood-warbler species during most breeding seasons in mountainous regions of the Sierras:

the above species minus the YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT and COMMON YELLOWTHROAT."

HOWEVER, in some mountainous areas within the Sierras, NASHVILLE WARBLER nests.

So, we have eight in some areas of the Sierras, I told Terese.

In sum:

Nine Bay Area wood-warbler nesting species vs. eight Sierran species.

The Bay Area wins over the Sierras by a mere one species.

Now, do you folks reading this entry KNOW HOW MANY wood-warbler species nest in the county within which you live?

Feel free to share your total with me as a "comment," below (by clicking on the comment text and entering your thoughts to me). (Please also feel free to vote at the quiz on the right.)

(* = More complex, it appears that N. PARULA may nest occasionally to regularly in Marin Co.
That makes 10 species for the greater Bay Area as nesting wood-warblers.)

Late Warbler Species Still Arriving? Answer: Possibly "Yes"

Tardy me, I’ve been enraptured in my Wisconsin wood-warbler tour (at the Festival of Nature in n. WI) and watching the Prime Time Migration in my home state (WI).

Thus, I’m just back and now digitally-efficient again (vs. digitally deficient in the WI northwoods where I visited).

I’m no ticker, but I do count high enough to note that I detected 25 species of wood-warblers…..without being in “chase” mode. Lots of fun mornings (and days) carousing for the spring birds. It was a 24/7 birding foray. As such, Doc, would you say I have the malady of ASD (Attention Surplus Disorder) for wood-warblers? (They’re my second favorite family…….next to my own).

*

Enough of me, TODAY’S TOPIC relates to the “phenology”/seasonal dates for LATE-ARRIVING wood-warbler species in the Upper Midwest.

This question was posed to me on my tour that I led for the “Festival of Nature” (www.ridgessanctuary.org) (below entry from 5/13/08) as:

“Which wood-warblers are the latest ones to arrive on migration (in the Midwest)?” (asked by Kate Aaron, 5/22/08)

My answer follows#, below:

(# = i.e., spring migration arrival of wood-warblers is, in general, a factor related to wind patterns/weather/temperature, in addition to the level of insect bloom resources present on the landscape. It’s an inexact science, to be glib. BUT tracking the Gulf Stream wind patterns (south and southwest winds are ideal) are good indicators as well as storms/fronts that SOMETIMES serve as harbingers that large numbers of neotropical species/wood-warblers will, in turn, premiere on the landscape.)

Given I grew up in Wisconsin, the following brief, oversimplified information is most pertinent to the southern Wisconsin region, though it’s also generally true for the Upper Midwest region as a whole:

1. Blackpolls and Connecticut Warbler are considered two of the last flavors to arrive on the landscape, though their premiere date may vary widely from spring to spring in s. WI/Upper Midwest.

2. For example:
During some springs (such as this one), Blackpolls may arrive in early May*.

To wit:

This spring, I heard Blackpoll on the first day that I arrived (5/14/08*) while the initial flavors – Yellow-Rumped (YRWA) and Palm Warbler (PAWA) -- in the vanguard march north were ALSO present in large numbers.

(* = Blackpoll may arrive even earlier (late April-5/10 in s. WI is not uncommon)

3. In turn, encountering this kind of species mix is anomalous in my experience of watching the spring march of neotropical migrants in Wisconsin during the last 30 years. (I visit in May and in September, ostensibly to monitor the wood-warbler spring and autumn migration.) The spring weather this season was so cool that I surmised my initial 5/14 birding foray felt more like 5/1-5/4 – in terms of the avifauna species diversity present.

4. That is to say, during most spring seasons, I’ll see Blackpoll AFTER all of the YRWA and PAWA are gone from the landscape – given they do NOT nest in s. WI. Neither does Blackpoll, of course, but it’s typical arrival during some spring seasons is later than the majority of the other newly-arriving migrating wood-warbler species.

In fact, it’s not too unusual for Blackpoll (and Canada, Mourning and Connecticut as the best examples) to arrive in late May and/or, even, early June (though Blackpoll would be the best candidate for a June seasonal premiere in s. WI.

5. A good source for the phenology/seasonal arrival of wood-warblers on the landscape in s. WI/Upper Midwest is "Wisconsin Birds: A checklist with migration graphs" (6th edition, Stanley A. Temple, Robert C. Domagalski, John R. Cary, WI Society for Ornithology, 2003)

6. Lastly, as a personal anecdote, I’ve been in Upper Michigan in the second and third week of May. At this time, along Lake Superior, I’ve met birders searching for Connecticut Warbler in nearby counties. I’m often too sheepish to spoil their fun pursuit, as this species is typically NOT yet present.
Thus, my final tip today is to tell the Yooper/UP’er (Upper Michigan) bird-sleuths to consider the possibility that better Connecticut Warbler (prize-)viewing success may happen by the fourth week in May and, even, early June.

Good (wood-warbler) birding to all…..Daniel

My Upcoming Wood-Warbler Birding Tour in N. WI-Door County

.....and you're invited:

6:30 a.m., 5/23/08, Bailey's Harbor, WI at the annual Festival of Nature 

My birding tour is highlighted at the Ridges Santuary Web site that sponsors the annual festival, so please feel free to visit:

http://www.ridgessanctuary.org/festival.htm

Then, at the site above, click on the "A complete registration brochure can be downloaded by clicking here" to see all nature tours/workshops throughout the weekend's festival.

My tour meets at the beach parking lot/county park adjoining Lake Michigan (across from The Ridges Sanctuary), so hope you can make it. 

I'll have free WI Bird Checklists to give away and other interesting handouts, too -- plus the wood-warblers and other neotropical migrants promise to be the best invited VIP guests to the festivities.  :-)

"It’s Time To Play, 'Who Was Mr. X?' ”

For example:

Who was Mr. Wilson’s Warbler?

Answer:

Alexander Wilson was an early 19th century painter whose prolific production of nine bird volumes approached the virtuoso quality of John James Aububon’s now-classic renditions of avifauna.

In fact, while illustrating 268 bird species (including 26 species never described by ornithologists until Wilson himself identified the birds), he produced eight classic editions of "American Ornithology" (Or the Natural History of the Birds of the United States) between 1808 and 1814,

The result: Wilson’s unlikely yet mercurial advancement in the budding field of ornithology in the early 1800s granted him rarified status among his era’s peers, both artists and scientists, and remains intact today.

Lastly, several bird species carry his name, including Wilson’s Storm Petrel, Wilson’s Plover, Wilson’s Phalarope, and the aforementioned Wilson’s Warbler (in addition to the wood warbler genus Wilsonia that contains the Wilson’s Warbler, Wilsonia pusilla, and two other New World, Parulidae family/wood warbler family members). Even the Wilson’s Journal of Ornithology is named in his honor.

(This post's contents were assisted by Robin Dakin.........and references used included 1) Birds of North America online; 2) The Birder's Handbook; and 3) Wikipedia)

Females Sing in the Wood-Warbler Family?

Yes, it's true -- female wood-warblers sing.

The question (see quiz on right side) is which females are so talented to memorize and learn their song (ala the males that MUST have a singing mentor from which they hear, learn, and memorize a vocalization).

In general, wood-warblers are like most other songbirds. They experience a period of practicing a song in a stage that is called "plasticity."

Depending on the species of wood-warbler, true, definitive adult song is achieved by no later than the commencement of the following breeding season after a newborn singer arrives in a previous year's brood.

When that moment of virtuosity appears, it's called "crystalization."

Now there's a magnificent term that rings a chord of delight in any birder's heart.

(I still haven't revealed who the female singing species of wood-warblers are on the landscape. If you wish to know before the quiz deadline occurs, please feel free to email me:
edelstein@earthlink.net)

“Back By Popular Demand, ‘Birding By Ear’ Song Ecology Class Draws a Crowd at the Oakland-based Merritt College”

April 2, 2008
For immediate release
Contact: Daniel Edelstein, Edelstein@earthlink.net, 415-382-1827, www.warblerwatch.com

*

“Back By Popular Demand, ‘Birding By Ear’ Song Ecology Class Draws a Crowd at the Oakland-based Merritt College”

Thirty-five Merritt College students in one classroom is a challenge for any instructor, but how about the same number on a narrow nature trail listening to an American Robin?

Or was that a Black-headed Grosbeak?

Both birds sound similar.

Merritt College Adjunct Faculty Biology Instructor Daniel Edelstein (M.S.) is the one to tell you the difference. He’s been identifying bird songs for more than 30 years.

So it’s no surprise, as he peeks over the shrubs in the low-growth forest that abuts the sprawling East Bay junior college’s hillside environs, that he announces a nearby skulking Spotted Towhee’s voice has revealed its hidden presence in the nearby dense shrubs. The lively song of a Bewick’s Wren is next heard. Then a more rare Hermit Thrush sings, or so says the trained ear of Edelstein (who is able to identify more than 500 birds by their distinctive calls and songs).

For his Merritt College class that begins on the evening of April 17 (as the first lecture/slide show (7-10 pm) of three (4/17, 4/24, 5/1/08) along with five all-day field trips (9 – 5 pm) (4/20, 4/26, 4/27, 5/3, 5/4/08) to prime Bay Area birding landscapes where diverse songs are heard during the spring), the 50-year-old Edelstein explains:
“Sure, people enjoy learning bird songs from among the more than 75 different singing and calling species that are common on the landscape this time of year. But there’s plenty of other hands-on, interactive devices I employ to make the class fun and interesting – from slides, videos, DVDs, handouts, bibliographies/resources, and Internet Web site searches related to song ecology in the classroom to “ears-on” (i.e., hands-on, interactive) techniques on the field trips that utilize my iPod (that plays songs with the aid of a portable speaker), a SonicEar amplifier that you wear as a headset (to more easily hear the bird vocalizations in the field), and binoculars (that I lend to students for free, if they don’t have a pair).”

Students wishing to register for the class may do so online at www.merritt.edu or www.peralta.edu. The class appears as both a biology (BIOL 80B) and environmental studies class (ENVIRO 80B) at the aforementioned Web sites with students needing to also note the class section as 1515 or 1516, respectively. Students may take the class as pass/fail or for credit (variable from .5 to 2.5 credits, depending on a student’s preference).

In closing, Edelstein explained that he’s glad to have students attend a portion of the class’s offerings, if they cannot attend all three lectures and all five field trips. “The important goal is to get students out listening and enjoying the amazing landscape of birds with which we host our world,” Edelstein said. He adds: “Learning a few new songs of different species each spring season is a lot of fun for students. A lot of the songs sound similar so I call them "Difficult Decisions," in terms of, for example, telling a trilling Chipping Sparrow from a similar-sounding Dark-eyed Junco.

"But what's birding without a challenge?" he continued. "Besides, in my class, students like knowing the reasons why birds sing, how they sing, how they learn to sing, and new techniques to distinguish them from sound-alike bird species. I guess that’s why my most popular handout sheet is called “Top Ten Techniques for Identifying Birds By Ear.”

Edelstein, who possesses a master’s degree in Natural Resources, has presented his bird song-related presentations in more than 20 states nationwide. As a wildlife biologist for the Santa Rosa-based SCS Engineers, he conducts field surveys for animals (including birds) and plants.

To learn more about the class, contact him at Edelstein@earthlink.net and/or see his Web site (www.warblerwatch.com) where there’s a link to register for the class (through the home page’s “Classes/Slide Shows/Education” button at the home page). The Web site also features free, printer-friendly birding information specific to the Bay Area and northern California, including a Nature Watch Calendar; a list of bird migrant arrival times in the Bay Area; 200 or more bird song memory devices, and a wood-warbler tips identification chart.