2013 and beyond

It's pretty simple: the most birds seen or heard from one's yard during 2013 will be the "winner". Want in? O.k....then do it despite that.

2013 promises to be a lot less mean but still a carbon-free birding competition, even if slightly less exciting than a MEGA x EPIC hybrid.

Sunday, September 5, 2010

New fall warbs and an Oporornis!

Dudes, had a nice morning of migrants here. Best warbler diversity of the fall thus far (9 species). Highlights were a flock of 4 Cape May Warblers in one spruce (woke up to a warbler chipping right outside my window which turned out to be a CMWA...). A lone Northern Parula foraging low in the willows and grass with TEWA, AMRE, and BLPW was cool.I also had my first Common Yellowthroat since late May today which I put photos of up just for Putnam's benefit.The other additions were a Wilson's Warbler and a flyover Oporornis species that was almost certainly MOWA based on the flight call it gave (sounded very similar to TEWA/NAWA, was definitely not a CONW zeep, and had a grayish hood). I'm on the fence whether I can count it as a MOWA with the observation I had. Thoughts? If there are objections, I'm okay just calling it an Oporornis species.
RBGR, VEER, SWTH, BOBO, and SOSA rounded out my migrants for the AM.
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4 comments:

  1. The Owl RanchSeptember 6, 2010 at 12:15 PM

    alright C. W..........

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sean FitzgeraldSeptember 6, 2010 at 5:43 PM

    WOW - way uncalled for! CW would have tacked on 8 more species worth of warblers for the day in my other 16 "warbler sps" I had fly over that morning.
    Perhaps I need to re-phrase one of the statements. When I say it def wasn't a "CONW zeep" I just mean it wasn't a zeep note (of which CONW is one of many species that all sound extremely similar). I assume you've noticed the difference between the "zeep" YWAR/BLPW/BLBW/MAGW/CONW complex and the double-banded upsweep "tseet" TEWA/NAWA/OCWA/BTNW/MOWA complex Skye? That was the only thing I was saying to support it being MOWA vs CONW. Either way Oporornis is a yard tick for me. Anyone else? (Btw Skye my lone NJ CONW was a flyover at Higbee and oporornis are surprisingly distinctive in flight given a good enough look).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Caleb PutnamSeptember 6, 2010 at 11:36 PM

    Just to be complete, MOWA is buzzy, but it is higher pitched, longer, and upswept, so that it sounds more like the non-buzzy double-banded upseep category (TEWA/NAWA/OCWA/BTNW) than CONW.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ben WarnerSeptember 6, 2010 at 11:53 PM

    I'm sure it was just a goldfinch guys.

    ReplyDelete

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