Michigan Breeding Warbler Survey 2015

[Michigan. Summer 2015]

How the mighty have fallen! From a spectacular show in Spring that can only be described as pyrotechnics in plumes, Fall migration brings a parade of drab, chromatically-challenged warblers. 

Ghosts of their past breeding brilliance; these warblers are now draped in bland tones of the inconspicuous and the cryptic -- verily, a shadow of their peak condition in Summer.

But must we let Summer slip so easily out of our birding memory? Shall we not savor, one last time, what Nature has brought to the pinnacle of avian perfection? And so, in celebration of this year's breeding season, we are pleased to review the breeding warbler species sighted in Michigan by this blogger in 2015:

1. Cerulean Warbler
2. Blackburnian Warbler
3. Canada Warbler
4. Mourning Warbler
5. Kirtland's Warbler
6. Black-throated Green Warbler
7. Black-and-white Warbler
8. Northern Waterthrush
9. Pine Warbler
10. American Redstart
11. Ovenbird
12. Hooded Warbler
13. Common Yellowthroat
14. Blue-winged Warbler
15. Chestnut-sided Warbler
16. Yellow Warbler 
17. Nashville Warbler
18. Lawrence's Warbler [hybrid]
19. Brewster's Warbler [hybrid]

1. We start with the matchless Cerulean Warbler (seen at Port Huron SGA) -- this songbird is the very definition of avian aesthetics in the natural world:

2. Blackburnian Warbler -- Seen in Kalkaska County, this is one of four warblers named after a woman:

3. Canada Warbler; noteworthy as a "flash" breeder, this warbler is the last to arrive at, and the first to depart from, its breeding grounds. Seen here in Kalkaska Co.:

4. Mourning Warbler -- callously named, this warbler brings nothing but joy to those who behold it; seen here in Port Huron SGA:

5. Kirtland's Warbler -- our rarest warbler and a true Michigan specialty (seen near Grayling):

6. Black-throated Green Warbler (seen at Port Huron and Hartwick Pines SP) -- a warbler with an unmistakable song:

7. Black-and-white Warbler (seen in Kalkaska Co.) -- sporting an elegant look:



8.  Northern Waterthrush -- belting out its loud song (seen in Kalkaska)

9. Pine Warbler -- this is a warbler we can enjoy year-round in the US. Seen at Port Huron SGA.

10.  American Redstart -- this beautiful warbler reminded Europeans of the Old World flycatcher family Redstarts; here seen at Lapeer SGA:

11. Ovenbird (seen in Kalkaska), the streaking on the breast and buffy olive colors show why this was formerly classified with the Waterthrushes:

12. Hooded Warbler -- seen at Port Huron SGA; this delightful warbler's Northernmost range barely extends into Michigan:

 13   Common Yellowthroat, seen at Port Huron SGA, a black mask and white forehead contrasts strongly with the bright yellow throat:

14. Blue-winged Warbler -- seen at Port Huron SGA -- this is a warbler whose range is expanding:

15. Chestnut-sided Warbler, seen at Kalkaska, this is one of our most attractive warblers; showing, bold chestnut streaking and a yellow crown:

16. Yellow Warbler, seen at Lake St. Clair Metropark; this is our only warbler with red streaks on its breast:
 

 17. Nashville Warbler, seen near Grayling, the prominent white eyerings are distinctive:

18. Lawrence's Warbler -- this is a hybrid of Blue-winged x Golden-winged; seen at Port Huron SGA:

19. Brewster's Warbler -- the "other" hybrid of Blue-winged x Golden-winged; seen at Port Huron SGA:

Of all our songbird species, the colorful American Wood Warblers are the "prize" that draw countless birders to our forests every Summer; and, this post, underscores 19 reasons to bird Michigan in the breeding season.

Warblers of Southeast Arizona Featuring Red-faced Warbler and Painted Redstart

[Mt. Lemmon. August 2015]

Southeast Arizona conjures up visions of saguaro cacti, arid scrubland, and deep canyons. But, it is away from the dry plains, in the "sky islands" of Arizona that some of the best birding of the area may be encountered. 

This post will, thanks to a quick trip to Mt. Lemmon and Madera Canyon, profile signature warblers of the Western US -- augmenting the scintillating Lady Warblers covered in a prior post. 

Western birders must pine for sightings of Cerulean, Blackburnian, Magnolia and other warblers that are exclusive to the East. And, while both variety and quantity of our 50-odd warblers are indeed skewed toward that region -- there are, nonetheless, some choice Western warblers that must excite envy-tinged curiosity in Eastern US birders as well -- warblers such as:

1. Red-faced Warbler
2. Painted Redstart
3. Nashville Warbler
4. Black-throated Grey Warbler
5. Wilson's Warbler
6. Hermit Warbler
7. Orange-crowned Warbler
8. Audubon's Warbler

How many of our 50-odd warbler species, bright as they are, dare to sport hues of bright red? Even American Redstart, strictly speaking, is more orange than red. Indeed, we have only two warblers in pure red: Red-faced Warbler and Painted Redstart; and both are best seen in SEAZ:

We start with Red-faced Warbler (first profiled on this blog here). This Mexican warbler barely enters US territory in Southeastern Arizona and Southern New Mexico in the breeding season (late April through early September). This is one of the few warblers that is not strongly sexually dimorphic -- females are just slightly duller than the males.

Red-faced Warbler seen at Bear Wallow, Mt. Lemmon

The Red-faced Warbler has a red face and head; the latter marked by a black bonnet. The back is grey and the undersides are pale. Seen in August at Bear Wallow, this individual is getting ready to migrate South to Mexico.

Our other red warbler is the Painted Redstart:

Painted Redstart seen at Madera Canyon

This gorgeous warbler is technically a "whitestart"; it is not related to American Redstart.

Painted Redstart seen at Rose Canyon

Other than the visual description, the blurb on Red-faced Warbler also applies equally to the Painted Redstart.

Other warblers observed included:

Nashville -- a warbler that is seen in both halves of the country. The Western race could be a candidate for a future split.

Nashville Warbler seen at Summerhaven

Nashville Warbler seen at Rose Canyon

Somewhat similar to Black-and-white Warbler, the Black-throated Grey Warbler shares the same color scheme as the former with a black mask and throat; however, the latter has a grey back and 2 yellow spots -- one in front of each eye.

Black-throated Grey Warbler seen at Mt. Lemmon

Wilson's, like Nashville, is another warbler seen across the US:

Wilson's Warbler seen at Summerhaven

A distantly observed Hermit Warbler:

Hermit Warbler seen at Summerhaven

And Orange-crowned:

Orange-crowned Warbler seen at Summerhaven

This Orange-crowned Warbler has a greyish head and therefore can be presumed to belong to the Eastern race of the species. The Western race, seen below, is much more yellow:

Orange-crowned Warbler seen at Rose Canyon

Finally,  Audubon's Warbler -- the Western race of Yellow-rumped Warbler:

Audubon's Warbler seen at Rose Canyon

The most acclaimed songbirds of our land are surely the warblers -- no other family of songbirds are as colorful or as coveted. And, while it is generally acknowledged that the Eastern distribution of warblers provides greater richness, it would be a gargantuan travesty to ignore our Western warblers -- a grouping that includes red-lettered species such as the iconic Red-faced Warbler and the incomparable Painted Redstart.

Gilbert Water Ranch: American Avocet, Long-billed Dowitcher and Black-necked Stilt

[Gilbert, AZ. August 2015]

The birding landscape is a feathered garden that never stops blooming. Spring migrants are followed by summer breeders; Winter arrivals like Snow Buntings and Snowy Owls, succeed Fall departees such as sandpipers and other shorebirds. A succession of perennial delights await the birder who is in tune with the birding calendar of events.

After observing warblers and flycatchers in SEAZ, a flash birding excursion to Central Arizona (Phoenix area) in late Summer provided an opportunity to relish some choice shorebird species and a bonus mimid.

There are just 4 species of Avocet on the Planet -- two are found in the New World -- and one, the American Avocet can be found in the US:

The American Avocet is an elegant shorebird and one that is instantly recognizable thanks to its decurved bill.

Both sexes look alike -- gaining a rusty wash on their head and neck in Summer; the best way to tell them apart is bill curvature -- more pronounced in the female than the male.

This distinctive shorebird is found mainly in the Western US but is an over-winterer in Florida and Texas.

Stilts belong to the same family as Avocets and there are 6 Stilt species found all over the world. Black-necked Stilt, like its name implies, is an extremely long legged shorebird found in both South and North America:

Stilts have the longest legs in relation to their body size of any bird except flamingos.

Next, Long-billed Dowitcher is generally more common in the Western US (seen in this Blog at Bolsa Chica and in Texas). However, in Winter, it is found in parts of the Southern US, including Florida, but in freshwater habitat. Contrast with Short-billed Dowitcher which prefers beach mudflats and is happy in saline conditions.

Bonus bird: 

While walking around Gilbert Water Ranch in 110 degree heat, this distinctive mimid was spied:

Curve-billed Thrasher is the most common thrasher of the Southwest; for example, seen here in Arizona; or, here in Texas.

In testament to the opening metaphor of this post: "The birding landscape is a feathered garden that never stops blooming" -- the avid "gardener" will find reward in every season and location -- as evinced by this selection of uniquely American species.