[mou] St. Croix State Park - YEWA singing CSWA song

[Julian Sellers]

On 8/8/06, I sent the following message to MOU-NET, and received no response:

Yellow & Chestnut-sided Songs

In a recent message, Al Schirmacher confessed to mistaking a Chestnut-sided Warbler's song for that of a Yellow Warbler.  Al, you are not alone.  I've heard it stated that the Yellow's song always ends on an up-slurred note.  It's probably true that an up-slurred ending indicates Yellow, but I've watched numerous Yellows singing and ending on a down-slurred note.  Can anyone out there distinguish with certainty which of these species is singing when the song ends with a downward slur in habitat where either could occur?  If so, can you explain how you do it?

Thank you.

Julian
St. Paul


From: shawn conrad 
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 7:59 AM
To: mou-net at moumn.org 
Subject: [mou] St. Croix State Park - YEWA singing CSWA song


I spent a couple of days working at St. Croix State Park this week and led small bird hikes in and around St. John's Landing on Tuesday and Wednesday morning.  
 
At one point, we found a singing Chestnut-sided Warbler near the river and heard another one immediately adjacent.  The second one proved to actually be a Yellow Warbler singing a perfect Chestnut-sided song.  We watched it sing, and at one point, it sang the Yellow Warbler song once, then went right back to the Chestnut-sided song.  I can't remember ever noting this before and I wonder how these two birds can be such close neighbors...and whether the Yellow Warbler successfully attracted a mate--we never saw a female.  I didn't know warblers would sing the 'wrong' song; and sing it well.  
 
Also of note at St. John's Landing:
 
- Scarlet Tanager pair feeding a chick on a relatively low nest (a highlight for ANY bird hike!)
- Purple Martin pair in the nest box in the open field (I've never seen one at St. Croix...in fact, they're not even on the park's checklist)
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher near the river (listed as Occasional in the park)    
- lots of Eastern Towhees (fun bird this far north!) 
- Northern Parulas and Mourning Warblers frequently heard

Shawn Conrad
http://users.2z.net/itasca_chippewa_birding/ 



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