I just listened to the Stokes CD -- The taped recordings do verify Wayne's
comments regarding the buzzier, lower-pitched song of Townsend's vs. Bl-thr
Gray.

Ken Wilson

> Tweeters,
>
> The song descriptions posted by Martyn for these 3 warbler species are
> accurate, if somewhat confusing.
>
> Gene's comments sound partly serious and partly tongue-in-cheek. For
> example, Black-throated Grays are rarely seen 150 feet up in a tree,
> because they prefer oak woodlands and second-growth mixed forest where
> the trees are much less than 100 feet tall. (Admittedly, my life
> Hermit Warbler was 150 feet up in a Douglas-fir top at Seaquest State
> Park, and stayed long enough for a brief scope view.)
>
> I find that I can distinguish Black-throated Grays from Townsend's at
> least 90% of the time (in areas where Hermits are not found) by the
> fact that B-t. Gray songs are lower-pitched and buzzy-sounding, and
> Townsend's are higher-pitched and more sibilant or wheezy-sounding.
> Occasionally, I miscall a singing bird and discover that it's the
> other species. The chip-notes of the two species are indistinguishable
> to me, although the B-t. Gray call seems a bit louder or more
> emphatic.
>
> Where Hermit Warbler enters the equation, the situation gets much more
> confusing. Although the "fast song type" with the 2 slow notes at the
> end is distinctive in most of the Hermit's range, it doesn't help in
> the southern Washington Cascades (south of Mount Rainier) where
> Townsend's and Hermit hybridize extensively.
>
> Knowing the breeding ranges of the 3 species can help in
> identification. East of the Cascades, only Townsend's is expected.
> Hermit Warblers are mainly in SW Washington, and are rare north of
> King and Mason Counties. In SW Washington, all 3 species can occur,
> although Townsend's becomes rare as a breeding species in parts of the
> lowlands (replaced by Hermit), and is seen there mainly as a migrant.
> Check the breeding ranges in "Breeding Birds of Washington State", or
> as shown on the WDFW Gap Analysis website.
>
> Good question, Ken-- the answer is not an easy one!
>
> Wayne C. Weber
> Delta, BC
> contopus at telus.net