Warbler Guy, which vagrant is the "coolest" to see in the West this autumn?

Many vagrant, East Coast/Midwest nesting wood-warblers are eye catching prizes to see
during the post-breeding season, among them the Connecticut Warbler shown here.

The more rare to uncommon (vagrant) ones seen at places such as Point Reyes National Seashore and its Outer Point and Lighthouse
area include:
- Cerulean Warbler
- Black-throated Blue Warbler

Which so-called East Coast warblers are the most common vagrant species to see in this area?

- Palm
- American Redstart
- Tennessee
- Blackpoll

Wisconsin Kirtland's Warbler Nesting Update

In 2011, Kirtland’s Warbler was recorded in five counties in Wisconsin. Biologists documented a minimum 22 male and 11 female individuals in the state. Among 11 nesting attempts, four nests were successful, fledging an estimated nine to 17 young throughout the state.

At least 1,840 male Kirtland's Warbler now exist, a small total number. BUT an amazing comback for the federally-endangered wood-warbler that was once on the brink of extinction.

More details soon.

Please check back to learn more about this exciting annual nesting phenomenon.

Warbler Guy, When does Kirtland’s Warbler migrate south? The Kirtland’s Warbler migration is early? Or does Kirtland’s Warbler migrate in fall?

Actually, Jeremy (in Detroit), many of the Michigan-based nesting Kirtland’s Warblers disperse and migrate by July (and no later than August). Look for them in mid-July where they nest in central Michigan counties and you’ll often be out of luck. In fact, their nesting period is a small window of time, typically from their mid-May arrival through the subsequent next six to eight weeks.

Then dispersal may happen before mandatory (or obligate) migration occurs. Think of dispersal as local to short-distance travel away from the nesting area. This interim period involves feeding and molting prior to the Kirtland’s long night-time migration to the Bahama Islands.

Followers of this blog may also know that Kirtland’s Warbler now nest annually in Wisconsin. (See articles from May and June, 2011, below.) Wisconsin Kirtland’s Warbler individuals also usually leave their nesting grounds in July. They, too, eventually migrate to the Bahamas, thereby joining Michigan nesters for the non-breeding season.

How many Kirtland’s Warblers exist? Probably no more than approximately 1,825 to 1,850 males, according to recent combined breeding bird studies that incorporate totals from Michigan and Wisconsin. One annual nesting spot in Ontario also occurs for this federally endangered wood-warbler.

What's this photo's ID (of a hybrid warbler recently present at Summer Lake in south-central Oregon)?

(photo (c) Jim Arneson via flickr)

Answer:

My guess is as good as yours, though my initial thought is a form of Canada Warbler, given the trace of the necklace and eye ring typical of a classic male Canada Warbler.

Other field marks suggest Black-throated Blue, American Redstart and either Mourning or MacGillivray's.

Someone suggested the cross/intergrade appearance is most closely alligned with Junkin's Warbler, meaning it shows
field marks associated with Mourning and Kentucky.

Your thoughts?

Warbler Guy, what's this newborn West Coast warbler's ID?

....and the BIG hint for the nearby photo is its name begin with "Black-......"
(Remember, it's a West Coast wood-warbler species)

You can enter your answer in the "comments" section below.

Or you can vote at the nearby quiz on the right column.

Warbler Guy, what are the new warbler name changes? Do only the scientific names change and the common names remain the same?

Excellent question, Noah. (Warbler "taxonomy tree" name chart is difficult to read here, but is easier to see at the
link noted below in the final sentence.)

The honest and best answer is for you to read David Sibley’s account (David Sibley's blog = http://www.sibleyguides.com)

His summary of the warbler name changes is the best account I’ve read.

You can see it at:

http://www.sibleyguides.com/2011/06/the-new-wood-warbler-taxonomy/

Happy 4th of July...(As we celebrate, by the way, millions of wood-warbler newborns are flying for the
first time today in northern latitudes. Some (such as LA Waterthrush that nested in the mid-Atlantic) are already dispersed and migrating nearby their nesting grounds and/or south by this time and this month.

Warbler Guy: Is the Yellow-Breasted Chat still a wood-warbler? Or did it get “kicked out” of its family? Why is the chat a wood-warbler?

Yes, Earl (in Tacoma, WA): No ex-communication for the black sheep of the wood-warbler family….Per the upcoming AOU (American Ornithological Union) “check-list committee,” the Yellow-breasted Chat will remain classified as a wood-warbler in the family Parulidae. This information is courtesy of the ABA’s Paul Hess.

Mr. Hess also wrote in the ABA’s blog recently that “the annual check-list supplement to be published in July will merely point to recent mitochondrial DNA analyses indicating that the chat's genus (Icteria) represents an old (evolutionary) lineage of uncertain affinities, probably related to the Parulidae, Icteridae, or Emberizidae (families).

He concludes: “In retrospect, I suppose the status quo shouldn't be surprising.” (i.e., that the chat is NOT yet ejected from its family, given the more than two-inch size difference and larger bill size it possesses in comparison to the other 106 wood-warblers).

“After all, the (check-list) committee did not receive a formal proposal in the past year that explicitly recommended moving the chat out of the Parulidae.”