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Above is a fall male Yellow Warbler. In breeding plumage the streaks are bright scarlet red.
We will bore you to tears with some warbler talk, and
if or when you can't take it, just scroll through the pictures. :)
What good is a warbler? You might not notice them much
but if you removed them you would sure see and feel the
difference. This is what they do all year:
Nashville Warbler doing what warblers do best (it ain't warblin'!),
eating 'worms', caterpillars that is... (digiscope image)
I imagine they take a fair number of skeeters too.
Around the world there are various types of birds called warblers,
which are not all in one family group of birds. The warblers found
in America are properly called Wood-Warblers. But being pressed for
time as we are, they are just called warblers by American birders.
Warblers are many people's favorite birds. Stunning beauty,
fast action, endless variety, amazing lives, most with long
migrations, and in fall, identification challenges. They have
it all. Except a good warble. Most don't really warble very
well (a couple do), but their songs are favorites, each species
usually with A and B songs, plus a selection of call notes...
imagine 55 chip notes to learn! How exciting can it get!?!
Each chip slightly different in its own special way,
when learned may offer the best most diagnostic field mark
one could ask for. The thrill of it all!
Here we'll show some of the species you can find around Utopia.
About 40 of North America&aposs 55 species are known from the upper
Sabinal River drainage area. Lost Maples to Clayton Grade,
centered by Utopia. Only about half, 20 species and change,
occur locally in any given year, if you are lucky. Most of the
photos here concentrate on showing those 20 or so more common
types you are most likely to see. I have seen 34 species
(plus Audubon's) at Utopia Park (in 15 yrs.). With its
30 years of spring birder coverage Lost Maples shows 33 species
of warblers on its list. Though note nearly HALF of them (15) have
been seen only once or twice, they are accidental, less than 20 species
are reported annually there. The flip side is the most common
nesting warbler there is Golden-cheeked.
This is a common viewing angle when warbler watching,
of the Edwards Plateau's flagship endemic warbler.
Golden-cheeked Warbler - note entire posterior abdomen below is
pure snow white: flanks, around legs and vent area, everything.
Black-throated Green always shows olive or yellow tints in this area.
The worn pointed rectrices (tail feathers) and worn brown primaries
(wing feathers (as backlit tip of right wing)) mean first summer bird.
It was prepping a morsel for consumption. This can be a very dangerous
risky angle for attempting bird photography.
Most of the warbler diversity here is migrants, and that is far
better in spring than fall. Only a handful of types breed here,
and very few types winter here. The biggest single day diversity
I had here was a late season cold front on May 2, 2011, with
21 species around Utopia, most at the park. That is a once
in 15-20 years or more event, any day you find 10 species of
warblers locally here ya done real good. For me, being here
listening every day and looking a few days a week, over 15 years,
my spring averages about 16 species over the passage, fall about
13.5 species. One spring (2011) I saw 30 species locally.
Note there is a Utopia Park birdlist page, amongst which is that
site's warbler list. There is also a page with a the whole
local area birdlist (Utopia and vicinity) in which all the warblers
known locally (upper Sabinal River drainage) are listed. On both
lists status is given for each species, often with frequency of
occurrence or dates for rarity records. Here are the links:
Birds of Utopia Park
Birds of Utopia
~ ~ ~
Now about these warblers...
First, we are going to show the most common warbler in Utopia,
even seen by virtually all non-birders. This is of course
the Yellow-rumped Warbler. Small numbers winter around
town and can be seen in most yards. They have a soft chip note
call they give regularly. There are two types, subspecies now,
formerly separate species. The eastern Myrtle type (white throat)
is most of what we have, a few of the western Audubon's type
(yellow throat) are often around, as well as the occasional
(regular - annual) hybrid or intergrade. Myrtles are present
from mid-late October to March, passage migrants occur in April,
when often in breeding plumage. The overwhelming majority of wintering
Myrtle here are males. They are often in the streets eating run-over
pecans in Nov. and December. I generally call them by which
type they are when I hear (basic chip notes different) or see
them, Myrtle, or Audubon's Warbler. When I don't get a
good enough look or hear it call, I use Yellow-rumped Warbler.
They should be re-split back into separate species IMHO.
They were one of many victims of the over-zealous 1970's
species lumping craze.
Winter Yellow-rumped Warbler:
A winter plumaged Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warbler. Some have yellow
patches on the side of breast (esp. adult male) and all have a bright
yellow patch on the rump obvious when they fly away.
Here is the yellow rump it is named for.
Myrtles have a white throat.
Here is an Audubon's type in fall, note yellow throat.
A few pass through in late September, weeks ahead of Myrtle
arrival which is mid-October or later. Some years one or a
few winter locally with the Myrtles.
Yellow-rumped Warbler is the warbler everyone knows, even those that
don't even know they knew a warbler. Fairly tame and confiding,
since everyone sees them several months of the year in their yards,
I figured covering it a bit first gives some warbler frame-of-reference
for those that are not (yet) warbler nuts. Like the rest of us.
~ ~ ~
We are going to look at Utopia warblers, seasonally.
BREEDERS
We only have a few nesting species of warblers locally, 4 regular annual
breeders (so not counting Chat since no longer a warbler). Then there are
three 3 species of irregular scarce toe-holder colonists (2 are from Mexico)
that are trying to breed, and maybe or probably they are. In general our
regular breeders arrive early, usually about mid-March, and depart early,
often in June and July you can see them heading out and south, often down
the river habitat corridor (Golden-cheeks stay up on the divides more).
Of course most have at least heard of the Edwards Plateau and hill country
premier headliner, the Golden-cheeked Warbler due to its endangered
(threatened) status. Though widespread locally, it is very micro-habitat
specific and best seen at Lost Maples SNA. Seeable mid-March through June,
though some present through July, a very few to early August. They can be
fickle later in season. It has its own page of photos and discussion.
Golden-cheeked Warbler
Golden-cheeked Warbler, the Edwards Plateau's most endemic
bird species, it breeds nowhere else. The female makes the nest
almost completely out of the peeling bark of the Ashe Juniper,
so which is a little cedar chest cup.
Besides Golden-cheeked, other warblers nesting there (Lost Maples) and
other headwater stream habitats locally like Big Springs over the divide
from Maples at Frio River headwaters, are Louisiana Waterthrush, and
Black-and-white Warbler. Some Black-and-whites nest along Sabinal River
(and Frio) where extensive mixed deciduous patches. The waterthrush only
nests where fast moving water. Then anywhere along the big rivers in the
area in tall Cypress trees there are nesting Yellow-throated Warbler.
They also nest in live-oak mottes, even away from water, if and when
infested with ball moss, and have colonized these in Lost Maples in
the last 10 years or so. These are of a vocally distinct flavor,
and ball moss specialist here. Edwardsplateauensis I call it. There
is some more detailed discussion of it at the end of this piece. So
Golden-cheeked, Black-and-White, and Yellow-throated Warbler, plus
Louisiana Waterthrush, are our four species of regular nesting species
of warblers locally. Then there is the former warbler, Yellow-breasted
Chat, which also nests, but is not a warbler.
Yellow-throated Warbler, September 27.
Louisiana Waterthrush is fairly restricted to headwater habitats here.
I suspect in some areas where River narrows to stream, it might nest
away from Lost Maples, as well as along any feeder streams with
permanent water. Like Little or Seco Creek, Rio Hondo, etc., for
instance. The Black-and-white Warbler is more widespread and just
requires some mixed deciduous woods of size. Besides at Lost Maples
it also nests along Sabinal River on valley floor, where enough mixed
deciduous trees. It needs more than an acre of woods though as
evidenced by them not nesting at Utopia Park in that acre of mixed woods.
In areas of just Cypress, they will not be there as a breeder. The
Golden-cheeked is virtually always on sloped ground with a terrestrial
gradient, with Ashe Juniper and Buckley and or Lacey Oak. Each warbler
exploits its own particular niche. The waterthrush at waters edge
and down on the ground, the Black-and-white on the bark of trunks
and big branches, the Golden-cheeked gleans foilage at the tips of
branches and the Yellow-throated loves bigger branches and ball moss.
They all live in the same place, each exploiting different micro-habitats
within it, and not be competing with each other.
Black-and-white Warbler, a bark specialist that works the trunks and large branches of trees.
Louisiana Waterthrush, adult, note grayish tone on back,
contrasting with
pure brown head and wings, Northern
never shows this appearance.
Scarce breeders
Perhaps as interesting as anything warbler here are those in
the borderline irregular breeder category. There are three other
warblers perhaps trying to breed locally. There are what seem to
be nesting Northern Parula across the divide from Lost Maples at
Big Springs, the Frio river headwaters, discovered by Tony Gallucci.
They used to be a less than annual spring migrant on the Sabinal River.
Now they are nearly or essentially annual.
Historically there were no known summering Northern Parulas along
the Frio or Sabinal Rivers. They only occur as rare migrants
or trolling males in April or May. They do nest in a colony just
below Medina Dam on the Medina River in a huge area of Spanish Moss.
Probably the furthest northwest biggest nesting concentration of
Northern Parula around.
Tropical Parula has been more regular at Concan than Northern for
example. The above mentioned probable nesting Northern Parula above
Leakey are in a unique exceptionally lush headwaters micro-habitat
(where the Pearl Beer advert photo that was used for decades was taken)
quite unlike the Frio or Sabinal gallery forest habitats along their
corridors. Right across divide from Lost Maples headwaters. One year
there was a territorial Northern at Utopia Park for a month singing.
Kathy and I once had a Northern Parula north of town in spring, a migrant,
singing a perfect Yellow-throated Warbler song. It never gave a typical
Parula song. Song is learned. It was probably from Tony's birds at
Big Spring where the nesting Northern Parula are surrounded by singing
Yellow-throated Warblers. It was a 'sorta Sutton's Warbler'.
Update:
In 2015 a mated pair plus a single male Northern Parula were territorial
at Utopia on the River, 2 miles south of Utopia. The pair appeared
to have nested, being present over 6 weeks on territory. After they
departed the unmated male stayed another week singing and then left.
Though I missed the week when the young must have come out, they
surely bred along the Sabinal River in 2015.
Tropical Parula, a rarity locally, mostly in spring to early summer.
Singing male Tropical Parula are nearly annual along the big
south-draining Edwards Plateau rivers in April and May, often
to early June. The Frio around Concan seems best but also the
Nueces, Devils, and once even on the Sabinal River, some are
territorial annually, mostly trolling males. I am not sure if
still true, but until fairly recently, no local (hill country)
breeding is yet known or proven. Though hybrid Tropical x
Northern Parulas are being seen, so surely both are breeding,
taking whichever mates they can find. One Tropical sang at
Utopia on the River on territory for 6 weeks one year.
There is a Lost Maples spring record, and another spring singer
was right near our current place along the river a couple miles
south of town. My only winter Parula record is a Tropical at
Utopia Park, which gave a snippet of song! You have to triple
check all Parula here for species, and signs of impurity.
Any given bird is about even chances of being one species as
the other, plus, you have to rule out an intergrade.
Rufous-capped warbler is the third of the 'toeholders'
trying to breed locally. In 2006-7 a PAIR of Rufous-capped Warbler
were resident at Concan until a 3-day ice storm. There are other
local records at Chalk Bluff Pk. in NW Uvalde Co., a pair on the
Devil's River, I saw one at North Thunder Creek in the
'hay house' yard (late March '04 maybe?), and in
late September 2015 I found one at Lost Maples which was widely
seen for three weeks. Another was at Love Creek Dec. of 2015.
Surely there are many more around than found. It should be
expected to continue attempts at colonization, as the Tropical
Parula is. There is a page with a few pics of the Concan bird
or birds.
Rufous-capped Warbler
Rufous-capped Warbler
So three additional species of warblers have toeholds, sorta, locally,
as extremely low density colonizers and presumed attempting breeders.
I don't think a nest has yet been found in the state for the
Rufous-capped but a juvenile was seen near Austin once. Hybrid
Parulas are known from the Devil's River at the west end of
the plateau, and somewhere a hundred miles or so NW of us as well.
Any suspected instance of breeding of these toe-holders requires good
documentation. Surely the Rufous-capped and Tropical Parula have
nested in the hill country, but we need some pix of it. The
consistency of occurrence the last decade during breeding
season indicates nesting. All the birders coverage put together
does not amount to a few percent of the habitat ever being
looked at in the southern Edwards Plateau.
Finally, the last regular nesting sorta warblerish 'former warbler'
is Yellow-breasted Chat. It uses brushy areas either in the
riparian flood zone, or around fields and woodland edges.
But of course is not really a warbler, now they say nearest to blackbirds.
We briefly mention it since if you do not keep up on the latest prognastications
of bird taxonomists, your book probably shows them as a warbler. They
are a couple inches longer and twice the weight of most warblers.
You would never guess it was considered one to compare them to most warblers.
This is a photo captured just after the word went out that AOS
had removed Chats from warblers and given them their own family.
Yellow-breasted Chat, the bird that perhaps has defied taxonomic understanding
as well as any breeding North American species. It has been put with warblers
for decades, but it is not one. I wondered why it was put with them when
I was 5 years old. As of summer 2017 the AOS (formerly AOU - American
Ornithological Union) has given it its own family, allegedly nearest blackbirds.
A fairly common breeder locally, heard more easily than seen, and often sings
(actually makes loud chattering noises and whistles) at night, for which more
often than not the Mockingbird takes the heat. It also has a great flight
song display. They are the only bird species here I have seen eating Red
Harvester or Leaf Cutter ants.
MIGRANTS
Male Yellow Warbler at our bird bath.
Those streaks are bright red in spring.
For spring warbler migration, Nashville Warbler is the only abundant
species locally. Yellow-rumped (mostly Myrtle, some Audubon's),
and Orange-crowned, might be the next two most numerous, and could
qualify as common migrant species. Though they also winter here
(just a very few Orange-crowned), big obvious waves of them move
through in early spring and in fall. Their migration out of the
area in spring is mostly before the main regular migrant warbler
passage. As their fall arrival is after the main bulk of other
warbler migrant's passage. Then Yellow Warbler is the next
most common transient warbler.
A first fall (juv. or imm.) Yellow Warbler.
Wilson's and Black-and-white are 5th and 6th most common and
Black-throated Green 7th. Of these 7 species multiples might be found on
the best day of passage each spring. After that it gets slim pickens
quickly, and nothing could be considered common. Mourning Warbler
is regular, a few in spring, more in fall. You can see a few in a
day in fall, but a few to several pass through every spring too.
Then perhaps Northern Waterthrush is next most regular, a couple or
few are seen most spring and fall passage seasons. American Redstart
might be the next most regular, but is not a sure thing every spring,
and rarer in fall. Those listed above are the top 10 warbler migrants
passing through here. Some years there are low numbers of Common
Yellowthroat, but other years you might only see one or two
during an entire spring or fall migration, and you can even miss it
altogether.
This is not migrant warbler heaven, with its low diversity of generally
inland or overland migrants. There is no focal point of geographics or
habitat (concentration factor). It takes work to see 15 species in a
spring. You also need lottsa luck to see 20 species in a spring migration
season, and a quarter of those will likely be "only one individual
seen" species.
Nashville Warbler is the most common migrant warbler in Utopia
or San Antonio for that matter. The nashville is the unit of
measurement for warbler migration here. "today warbler
movement measured 14 nashvilles, etc." This is a fall immature
with pale throat, adults have yellow throats.
The lack of concentration factor, where a billion acres all look
the same from the sky, water and trees everywhere, no matter where
the bird looks, scatters them. This especially shows in fall when
besides Nashville and Yellow Warbler, seeing multiples of almost
anything is rare save for Wilson's and Mourning on their best
days. Almost anything else is a good bird here in fall. The bulk
of the fall passage is in September, by early-to-mid-October it is
the last drips of trickle. Besides the departing local nesters (in
June-August) and the above mentioned four fall migrants, very few
warblers pass through the area (detectably) in fall until late
October or November when the Myrtle type Yellow-rumped Warblers
arrive. Orange-crowned are never numerous until later in October too.
This is a fall female Yellow Warbler at our bird bath (Aug.).
The bright lines on breast and throat are reflection from
the ripples it just made bobbing down into the water.
Females can be dull almost pale greenish yellow, or very
bright yellow, usually the immatures are the duller ones.
Here is a pair of Yellow Warbler, female facing us, at our bird bath (Aug.).
Just in case you have not seen enough Yellow Warblers yet...
WINTERERS
In winter usually there are 3 species of warblers; Yellow-rumped
(Myrtle far far outnumbers Audubon's types ranging 10-20 to 1),
a few Orange-crowned, and usually at least a few or some Pine Warbler.
The Pine Warbler presence is of great interest because they have never
been mapped as a regular winterer here in virtually any field guide.
Which reflects the lack of proper winter coverage here over the years,
not the species lack of presence. No one ever studied winter
passerine flocks on the rivers draining the southern Edwards Plateau.
When we moved to San Antonio in '86 it was the same situation
even that far east, they were not mapped for wintering there in any
guides, but were actually regular in fair numbers. The southwestern
corner of Pine Warbler winter range has never yet in history been
mapped correctly.
Most winters there will be some Pine Warblers along any drainage corridor
with some trees of size, especially at Garner S.P.. But are along all
major wooded drainages (Sabinal, Frio, Leona, etc.), usually just a few,
but a couple to four in a standard issue winter passerine flock of
Myrtle Warbler, E. Bluebirds and Chipping Sparrow (esp. at Garner St. Pk.)
is not uncommon. I had 9 in a single flock in and adjacent to our yard
winter of 2013-14, a couple miles south of Utopia. One male returned
three winters to our yard, during the coldest spells eating millet off
the patio, slummin' it with the Chipping Sparrows. Often one or
two, some years more, or none, winter in the Utopia Park area. Most
warblers are highly insectivorous, and only those that can eat other
things like berries, or seeds, can winter northward usually. Here
the winter emerging Mayfly is key to their survival.
Orange-crowned Warbler is a dead leaf cluster specialist.
They love 'em. You really have to learn this bird folks
or you will be calling them everything in the book. ;)
This is likely a juvenile (or immature, or young of the year).
Note pale ashy throat, gray head and pale yellow underparts.
Adults usually show yellow throats matching underparts, and
heads are usually more olive matching upperparts (as in pix below).
Several vagrant wintering warblers have occurred recently. First an
adult female Black-and-white Warbler wintered for 5 years at Utopia Park.
Other than single day CBC records, it was seemingly the first long-term
full winter stay, and first returning winterer, documented on the Edwards
Plateau. And then it came back four more years. That was pretty good.
Another winter Black-and-white was at Lost Maples Jan. 2019 (ph.).
My only winter Parula record is a Tropical at Utopia Park in late January.
I have one wintering record of a Yellow-throated Warbler, which of note,
is the only one I have ever heard here that sang the typical eastern
Yellow-throated Warbler song, so we know it was not from here.
Which is spectacular outstanding data if you ask me. Then winter
of 2014-15 I found the first documented overwinting Louisiana
Waterthrush on the Edwards Plateau. That bird returned two more winters!
I have one winter record of a Common Yellowthroat. A male Wilson's
Warbler wintered around Utopia Park winter of 2018-19, which might be the
first documented overwintering on the plateau. It appears to have
returned fall of '19 for a second winter.
Most of the wintering insectivorous passerines here depend on a
winter-hatching Mayfly (Ephemeroptera) that is usually numerous
along river or creek edges warmer days without wind all winter.
The birds are where the hatch is.
Here is the overwintering Wilson's Warbler which was at
Utopia Park Dec. 2018 to March 2019. The orange lores and
forehead indicate one of the western races.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Here are a bunch of pics of some of the warblers of Utopia.
Nashville Warbler at our birdbath.
Mourning Warbler are actually one of the more regular migrants here,
but are usually only seen one at a time. This is a May female.
One singing male I recorded here was identified as the eastern song type.
It far far outnumbers MacGillivray's, which is accidental in fall
and rare but semi-regular in spring here. Taken through window and screen.
Mourning Warbler, male, September 12, 2019, at front porch.
Mourning Warbler occurs here most often as a fall migrant in September,
and most are immatures just a couple months old. They lack the fully
hooded look of adults, but enough of it is there to get the idea.
They have yellow throats about the color of the belly. The similar
but rarer here MacGillivray's Warbler has a whitish to light ashy
gray throat as an immature. Mourning females and immatures might show
no eyering, a complete eyering, or a broken split eyering. If they have
one it is a very fine thin neat clean line.
Mourning Warbler, immature in September.
Another Sept. imm. Mourning Warbler, they usually do not appeared this sort
of necklaced with vertical streaks as this bird, which is just molting in the
lower part of hood. The gray will fill in across the breast soon, isolating
the yellow throat. Note throat and underparts similar in color, yellow.
This is a fall immature American Redstart that visited the bath.
They flick and flash the wings and tail incessantly making themselves
really quite showy. Rare in fall, more regular in spring, but
missable here any given year.
Here is the birdbath showing a little action. Not a warbler on the left,
an imm. Dickcissel, on the right a male Wilson's Warbler, and three
Yellow Warbler between.
Common Yellowthroat, male, at our birdbath. Sorry about the grainy.
These are usually down low in thick vegetation near water, as along river.
A few pass through every spring and fall. The male is a good looker.
He wouldn't stop flicking his wings and tail, readying for the bath.
Orange-crowned Warbler. Note dusky indistinct streaks on breast.
Especially note face pattern around eye: indistinct dark line through eye,
breaking narrow eyering, and indistinct pale line over eye.
Orange-crowned Warbler - Some are named for the hardest part to see.
Almost all will show the white at the bend of the wing (marginal coverts) as this bird.
The eastern celata subspecies is the type we have here, western orestera is very rare.
Orange-crowned Warbler will use hummer feeders in winter.
Note face pattern of dark trans-ocular line breaking narrow eye-ring,
with pale line over eye. Note diffuse dusky streaks on breast. The
reddish tones on right half of underparts are an artifact of feeder reflection.
Orange-crowned Warbler foraging for millet during a freeze.
All always show yellow undertail coverts. Tennessee are
pure-as-the-driven-snow white, as in a Golden-cheeked.
Tennessee Warbler showing snow white undertail coverts.
Otherwise superficially very like Orange-crowned. Note
the very short tail, and fine small sharp bill, both very
unlike Orange-crowned Warbler.
Not an Orange-crowned Warbler, but an immature Painted Bunting.
Which is what I think almost all August Orange-crowned Warbler
reports really are in central Texas. Critically study the bill
shape and structure. Note compared to the Orange-crowned Warblers
above the plumage is very very similar, green above, dull
greenish-yellow below. Without bill shape, an easy mistake to make.
Normally the orange crown feathers are concealed under
an outer layer of olive. Your best chance to see it is
when they bathe. This is the full monty of orange crown.
You can see hundreds over years and not ever see this
much orange. On most of them, most of the time, you
will not see any orange in crown.
Pine Warbler, adult right, immature left, is regular in low numbers in winter.
The other end of our repeat offender (taken different year).
Mostly present Dec.-Feb., sometimes later Nov. and earliest March.
My what a short primary stack that is.
"Myrtle" form of Yellow-rumped Warbler, mostly in breeding plumage (April).
Warblers are often overhead and this is how you see them.
Prothonotary Warbler
Is it too soon to tell you about warbler neck?
It is a malady of warbler watchers from craning too much.
Black-throated Green Warbler at Lost Maples Oct. 13, 2019.
Missed the ID on the green something going down the hatch.
Note yellow tinge at flanks.
Black-throated Green Warbler, the closest relative of the Golden-cheeked,
occurs mostly as a migrant in spring. It is olive green above, the
full black throat and breast indicates adult male. Some do show an
'upcheck' at rear of dark post-ocular line like Golden-cheek
does, the line always matches upperpart color, e.g., olive, vs. black.
This is a fall Black-throated Green.
Here is the Black-throated Green Warbler at the bath. They are the
cousins to our endemic breeding Golden-cheeked Warbler, but only occur here
as migrants passing through. Note the tinge of olive-yellow at flank, which
often continues around vent area between legs. All Black-throated greens show
this, Golden-cheeked are snow white throughout posterior underparts, always.
Golden-cheeked Warbler, first spring male.
Golden-cheeked Warbler, first spring male.
Golden-cheeked Warbler male feeding fledgling (taken through telescope from safe distance)
Townsend's Warbler at our bird bath Sept. 25, 2013
This is the adult male Townsend's Warbler Kathy and I found
near HQ at Lost Maples SNA Dec. 2, 2018.
Kentucky Warbler, male at Utopia Park Aug 9-18, 2009.
Accidental in fall in west half of Texas. (taken through binocs)
Everybody's favorite former warbler, that never was a warbler,
Yellow-breasted Chat. This a female, adult male bill is all black,
at least in breeding season when present here.
This is a Black-and-white Warbler, tail not fully grown out, looks fuzzy, probably a juvenile.
Black-and-white Warbler is a bark specialist that works the trunks and large branches of trees.
Rufous-capped Warbler at Concan
Here is a pic Bob Doe got of the Rufous-capped Warbler
I found at Lost Maples (pic on Sept. 29) in 2015. Thanks
Bob for letting us share your great photo!
Wilson's Warbler, Dec. 31, 2018 at Utopia Park.
Nice orange forehead.
Just under a quarter ounce and just over 4" of pure energy,
the Ruby-crowned Kinglet is not a warbler, but often with them in winter.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ but I digress...
Here it gets real boring with a couple more detailed discussions
about a couple of our nesting warblers. There seems to be little
understanding of some facets of their lives. Again, there has
been very little in the way of long term repeated observation
done in the area, which is exciting, because much is unknown,
there is much to learn. I will probably chip these off and
unto their own pages in the future...
First... about these Yellow-throated Warbler here.
Can we talk? About Yellow-throated Warbler song type here? All across
America, found in the entire eastern half, Yellow-throated Warblers sing
essentially the same song, a descending Canyon Wren-like clear whistled
down scale run: slee slee slee slee slee slee slee slee slee.
Sometimes with a high thicker TIK note at the end for flourish.
Here, in this westernmost extension of the species range, at least
on the Medina, Sabinal, Frio, Nueces and Guadalupe Rivers, they sing
a very different song. A lazy modulation between two frequencies,
with a very different ending. Some might say tonally more like between
a Hooded and Chestnut-sided Warbler, or even a Yellow-rumped Warbler.
So quite very unlike all the other Yellow-throated Warblers in the U.S.
It is sort of a slow lazy "we see we see we SEE you two", or,
"li-lu-li-lu-li-lu-LI-lu-lu", with no chip at the end. No
beautiful thinly whistled cascading downscale half-step run. A simple
lower-pitched thicker heavier two frequency flatline modulation. Wow.
Yellow-throated Warbler
The line of seperation of this vocally distinct population is a map that
has never been drawn. When I asked about it on Texbirds I got a bunch
of quizzical stares, apparently no one had noticed these bird's
distinct song type here before. I am surprised Oberholser missed this,
considering things like Bexar Brown Thrasher, but dead birds don't sing.
Some of these Yellow-throated can also show orange on the lower throat.
Most often seen and brightest in late spring and early summer. It seems
to be acquired by wear, and then wears (molts?) away quickly. I do not know
if the other (eastern birds) show this ever or not, I have never seen or heard
of it. I have seen it most in later June and earliest July, but a few
times earlier in spring. I suspect it is males only, probably older ones.
It can be a large squarish orange patch as bright as a Blackburnian,
on lower throat to upper breast. I still do not have a photo of it.
Have shown it to clients though.
Here Yellow-throated are abundant, territories ca. 200-400 linear feet of river
gallery forest, and are edge to edge. It is a Ball Moss (Tillandsia recurvata)
specialist, feeding heavilly and nesting in it. Nesting is usually high in
the Bald Cypress that line the major rivers, in a clump of ball moss.
It does nest away from the river and Cypresses (miles away) but only in
live-oak mottes that are heavily infested with Ball Moss. It was not a
breeder at Lost Maples in 2000-2007, and virtually accidental then. Since
then it has colonized and several pairs are nesting there now since 2012
or so. Up to a dozen singing males may be present in spring the last
few years including at least a couple with orange throats. This is a
remarkable expansion into an area they absolutely were not using to breed
prior. The prime river corridor habitat must be saturated, and producing
very well.
... and now on Lousiana Waterthrush...
Louisiana Waterthrush, juvenile
Louisiana Waterthrush, adult
Louisiana Waterthrush, adult
One last chip note, on Louisiana Waterthrush identification and
status here. Some field guides stress or tout the pink buff flanks
and two-toned (bicolored) eye-line as being critical to ID it. Note
in the two above photos, perhaps closer than the average field view,
these things are not apparent. Such is often if not typically
the case here in spring to early summer. Not all Lousiana show the
buffy flank color in late spring to early summer, as it wears off
over winter, causing many mis-identified reports of Northern Waterthrush
at Lost Maples in spring due to lack of buffy flanks. Buffy flanks
go from absent in late spring and early summer, to boldly apparent in
late summer when they complete pre-basic molt around late July or
August usually.
Also note contrary to some published accounts (Dunn and Garrett
Peterson Warbler Field Guide), any Louisiana Waterthrush after early Sept.
does not need documentation here. In fact in early Septmember here
at say Lost Maples, or Big Springs above Leakey, I want proof you
saw a Northern. Which does occur, but is not much more likely is
the point. Labor Day weekend is about when the first Northerns
show up, but Louisiana can still be present, and Northern are
scarce here in fall. Regular, but scarce.
Louisiana have been detected present and singing into September
locally. Tony Gallucci had them one year on Nature Quest at
Big Springs singing on Sept 15 still, and another year on a NQ walk
he and I had it singing there on Sept. 21. So, many elsewhere may
have left there territories by early Sept., and some of these do
too, but some of these can still nesting be again in August,
and at mid-September can sometimes be still singing on territory.
Migrant Louisiana probably from further north can also occur
in September.
Below is another example of Louisiana Waterthrush here past
early September, this one wintered at Utopia Park. Frankly a
wintering waterthrush here on plateau seems more likely to be
Louisiana than Northern. I heard of a prior report of them in
winter but it was not a photographed record so few believed
it is my take on it.
Apparently the first ever documented over-wintering Louisiana
Waterthrush on the Edwards Plateau, present at Utopia Park
from early December (at least) 2014 to early March, 2015.
This image acquired Jan. 25, 2015. It returned for the winter
of 2015-2016, and returned again for winter of 2016-17 but
was last seen at end of December.
SUMMARY
So there is fair warbler diversity here considering the situation.
It makes up for lack of diversity with a spectacular breeding
endemic that is here only 120 days of the year, or so. There are
almost always some type of warblers around to be seen, in any season.
You have to work at it to see a lot of them. Especially the migrants
which are moving through fast and often only briefly grounded due to
a weather event. In spring work the bloom. Whichever trees are
in flower is where the migrants will be. In all seasons work the
water. Learn songs, the chip notes, and undertail patterns. A drip
at a bath is a great way to see them close in your yard as you can
see from many of the photos here. It will bring them down out
of the treetops, along with lots of other cool stuff. Bird baths
must be near protective cover for them to approach, and dive into.
Near dense bushy shrubs is best.
Have a Nash day!
The End
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