I want to share a useful piece of advice I gained from a Birding article
about ten years ago-unfortunately, I cannot remember the author. Now
that nesting is over, many birds will be moving around in loose, mixed
species flocks. If you see or hear a flock, even if it seems like
ordinary, common birds, CHECK IT OUT. I Have probably had my first looks
at half the warbler species I have seen my using this mehtod in
campgrounds and random picnic areas. In the west, these often seem to
have cores of chickadees, kinglets, and bushtits, but I have also seen
most forest warblers and vireos as mebers of this troops, as well as
occasional flycatchers and even woodpeckers. The cooperative feeding
seems to help all of the various insect eaters, as well as providing
extra eyes to watch predators. Since many birds are off territory now,
between these groups there may be few birds in late summer. Do not miss
the opportunity to carefully check out these group.

These feeding groups seem to be common all over the world, and in
tropical and subtropical forests the guilds can contain 50 species.

Jim Neitzel
The Evergreen State College
neitzelj at elwha.evergreen.edu