SOME COMMENTS ON WINTER WARBLERS (AND A VIREO) AND THEIR HABITATS :

While TOWNSEND'S WARBLERS regularly winter here (and summer here) the
question is are they the same ones? My Robbins guide shows western
Washington as the only part of the Townsends' range where the winter and
summer range clearly overlaps. I imagine our summer birds winter further
south and our winter birds summer further north, but I don't know. Does
anyone know?

YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS are our most common winter warblers, but they are
also more likely to be where we are and where we can see them better. They
usually use the intermittent trees and shrubs in open and semi-open areas,
often near water. Green Lake is one good place to see them, often in the
willows. The TOWNSENDS are more often in the forest, where we spend less
time and harder to spot through the trees, though they are often seen on
edges and sometimes in more open areas.

ORANGE-CROWNEDS are also regular winter residents. I see them most often in
habitat similar to yellow-rumped, but less associated with water and on
average less open.

Other warblers in winter are rare here. I've seen a couple of WILSON'S in
winter.

Not a warbler, but similar, the HUTTON'S VIREO is here year-round, but less
conspicous, masquerading as Ruby-crowned Kinglets, but without the complete
eye-ring and wide-eyed look and the seemingly nervous twitching of the
Rubys. The Hutton's is tends to be a forest bird like the Townsend's, but
seem to forage lower than the Townsends on average.

Stewart Wechsler
West Seattle
mailto:ecostewart at quidnunc.net

-----Original Message-----
From: TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu
[mailto:TWEETERS-owner at u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Alyssa Sampson
Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2004 8:50 PM
To: tvulture at vei.net
Cc: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Subject: Re: warbler


I get the occasional Townsend's Warbler in my back yard almost
exclusively in winter, usually on a really good bird day. I think they
come with mixed flocks, showing up when the yard is full of chickadees,
bushtits, nuthatches, pine siskins, kinglets, juncos, goldfinches, a
downy woodpecker, and our neighborhood flickers. I get excited when one
shows up, emerging from the doug fir with that huge yellow mark around
its head.

My understanding is they are our warbler most likely to overwinter.
(feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, anyone)

Alyssa Sampson
Maple Leaf
Seattle
mailto:alyssasampson at comcast.net

On Jan 27, 2004, at 2:46 PM, Diann MacRae wrote:

> Hi, Tweets
>
> Is spring truly trying to arrive or do I just have an overwintering
> little
> guy. I've had a beautiful male Townsend's warbler in my backyard trees
> for
> almost a week now. I've seen him mostly either in the cherry tree or
> near
> the suet (the ground-up kind, in a mesh bag). Someone else mentioned
> seeing
> one recently, and they are truly a brightening sight in the wintertime.
>
> Cheers, Diann
>
> P.S. Almost time for vultures to start arriving :-)
>
> _____________________
> Diann MacRae
> Olympic Vulture Study
> 22622 - 53rd Avenue S.E.
> Bothell, WA 98021
> tvulture at vei.net
> http://users.vei.net/tvulture/
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