Brien, Wayne, Randy, John, and all,

Here's my take on Nashville Warblers here in western Washington, both as
a compiler for North American Birds and as a birder who gets a kick out
of finding one or more each spring in my local haunts;

1) Nashville Warblers are an uncommon migrant in the lowlands of western
Washington in spring. I only track high counts (6 is tops so far this
spring), or early or late migration dates for them. John Tubb's
Nashville in Discovery Park last June was indeed of interest to me.

2) They are RARE(!) as a fall migrant here in the lowlands in western
Washington and I do keep track of them during fall. In fact, I would go
so far as to say that they are almost as rare in fall as Semipalmated
Sandpipers are in spring. Confusion with /orestera /or "gray-headed"
Orange-crowned Warblers is the possible source of some of the
fall-reported Nashville's. I have never detected a fall Nashville in w.
Washington, but each fall I try unsuccessfully to make /orestera
/Orange-crowned Warblers into Nashvilles.

3) As far as the change in spring status of Nashville Warblers, I think
the increase in spring sightings in the last several years is likely due
to increased birder effort. I now try to find them every spring in
Kitsap. Randy is now down there in the Ridgefield area working the trees
for Warblers. Charlie Wright is seeing when they first arrive in Pierce
County and looking for high counts to put in his eBird records. I bet
Brien wasn't searching for them prior to 2007 as he does these days. And
on it goes. Were efforts like this done prior to 10 years ago? Maybe,
but not with the numbers of birders that make such efforts as today.

4) Wayne, you do have excellent hearing! I only have to go back to last
June's WOS conference and how you miraculously found the group a
Black-backed Woodpecker that none of the rest of us heard. That said
though, I'm with Randy as far as spring detection of Nashvilles. In the
last 10 years, I can recall only one time that I found a west-side
migrant Nashville by its song. I have located them mostly in fair-sized,
mixed-species flocks. And I often cheat by pishing. I do think, however,
that some of the young super-birders with great hearing can detect
Nashville's by their call note.

That's my take.

Cheers and good birding,
Brad Waggoner
Bainbridge Island
mailto:wagtail at sounddsl.com