[mou] Yellow-rumpeds in Florida

[Alt, Mark]

I spoke with my good friend Lucy Duncan in Gulf Breeze, FL today.  She
and her husband, Bob, serve as regional compilers for American Birds.
They have been tracking birds in the Fl panhandle/Mobile Gulf area for
many years, and this year they are alarmed that they have seen
comparatively few Yellow-rumped Warblers over-wintering.  They are
receiving seasonal reports now for the winter and are hopeful that the
masses of these birds wintered somewhere else this year.  They have
never seen anything like it in over 30 years of seasonal reports for the
region.  She asked for us to watch and see if the YRWA's are as abundant
up here as usual this spring.  I told her I remember the usual amount
being seen in the fall, which she felt good about.  So, for once, all
those butter butts are important to watch for!  I am ready for the
spring now, as if I needed another reason!  They said they have the
normal amount of sparrows and they have less than usual Pine and
Orange-crowned Warblers, but there are virtually no YRWA's, and they are
normally the commonest species of bird there in the woods this time of
year. Incidentally, they report White-eyed Vireos, Yellow Throated and
Parula Warblers are showing up in good numbers right now.

Mark Alt
Brooklyn Center
Hennepin Cty