Jon,

Interesting. I first noted the connection here when we instituted the
Grays Harbor Christmas Count and counted several hundred Myrtle Warblers,
most within shouting distance of the surf in the Myrica californica/Salix
hookeri/Pinus contorta/Picea sitchensis dune shrub habitat. Around Puget
Sound a half dozen would be a high count and those would be predominantly
Audubon's.

Gene.

On Sat, 27 Apr 1996, Jon. Anderson and Marty Chaney wrote:

> Gene,
>
> My Hitchcock and Cronquist notes that Pacific wax-myrtle (Myrica californica) is found along the coast from Grays Harbor County to California. Sweet gale (Myrica gale) can be found from Alaska southward to west central Oregon. Both species have small waxy drupes. I've seen warblers all over the coastal myrtle during spring migration, but that's not necessarily when the fruits are available to them. Can't recall what, if anything, I've seen as far as birds using the sweet gale brush in the hills.
>
> Myrica species are listed together in the American Wildlife & Plants: A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits, by Martin, Zim and Nelson (1951 - I have the Dover reprint). Both Audubon's and Myrtle Warblers are listed in California as using Myrica (1/2 to 2% of diet for Audubon's and Myrtle). Elsewhere, 2 to 5% of the Myrtle Warbler diet is Myrica. Sorry, no references. These warblers apparently eat more Poison Oak berries than wax-myrtle fruits.
>
> An interesting note: "It is a curious fact that along the Atlantic coast the tree swallow consumes many of the (Myrica) berries, though practically all the rest of its food consists of insects." They say that 25 to 50% of the plant food of the swallow can be Myrica berries.
>
> Jon. Anderson
> Olympia, Washington
> festuca at olywa.net
>
>
> >Subject: Re: Myrtle vs Audubon "call-notes"
> >From: Eugene Hunn
> >Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 16:34:05 -0700 (PDT)
>
> >The coastal scrub (as at Ocean Shores) is in fact dominated by the Pacific
> wax myrtle (Myrica sp.), hence the name "Myrtle" Warbler is quite
> appropriate. However, the northern limit of the wax myrtle on the Pacific
> is somewhere no too far north of Ocean City, WA I believe.
>
> Gene.
>