Two days left to find the rest of the N.A. warbler species (in CO in November!)

[DAVID A LEATHERMAN]

With the recent additions of Chestnut-sided Warbler in the Denver area and Worm-eating Warbler on the west side of Grand Junction, that elevates the CO warbler species total for November to a phenomenal 15!

(Tennessee, Orange-crowned, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Green, Pine, Palm, Bay-breasted, Blackpoll, Prothonotary, Worm-eating, Ovenbird, Common Yellowthroat, and Wilson's).  Wow.

Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins

[Ted Floyd]

Here's #16, and it's a doozie:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/58672470@N03/11121540935/?v=1

Ted Floyd

Lafayette, Boulder County, Colorado

[DAVID A LEATHERMAN]

Ted et al,
The existence of this Worm-eating Warbler is mentioned twice in the original "Two days left..." post, so the total remains a robust 15, yes? 

What I want to know is why the Worm-eating is sitting in the midst of honeylocust pods.  It might be getting adult Honeylocust Seed Weevils (Amblycerus robiniae).  Note the emergence hole of one of these weevils in a pod at right in the photo.  These "pea weevils" are not true weevils but are in the family Bruchidae.  The members of this family are noted for their feeding on various legume seeds (aka "beans" or "peas").  While I don't know the Honeylocust Seed Weevil's life cycle, nor can I find reference to it on-line, I do know adults sometimes come inside houses during winter.  I have observed this both in Fort Collins and Lamar.  This would lead one to assume they emerge outdoors sometime in autumn or early winter, prior to seeking overwintering sites in protected locations.  If adult emergence is on-going in Grand Junction, perhaps the warbler will persist, and be "gettable" by local birders, if they search concentrations of honeylocust pods in the area of the report.  Just a guess.  If anyone sees the warbler getting a seed weevil, or sees seed weevils among the pods, we'd all like to hear about it.  Email me in private if you get a sample of same (or something else) that could be verified.  Thanks.

Even though Black Friday shouldn't count as a real day, except for birders brave/sane enough to use it properly, there is now only 1 day left to add the remaining 41 species of NA warblers not yet seen in CO in November.

Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins

---

From: tedfl...@hotmail.com
To: cob...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [cobirds] Re: Two days left to find the rest of the N.A. warbler species (in CO in November!)
Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2013 18:14:42 -0800

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[Brandon K. Percival]

After tomorrow is over, then there is December.  I don't know of any December sightings of Prothonotary, Worm-eating, or Tennessee, among others for the Winter Season (December 1-February 29) for Colorado!  It will be interesting to see what species of warblers and/or vireos (there were Warbling and Red-eyed Vireo in the state in November too) are seen in December, and if any will be found in a Colorado Christmas Bird Count circle, on count day, or count week!

 

I think if any of these birds make it December, they should be documented for the CBRC, even if they aren't on the CBRC review list.  Documenting birds that aren't expected during the winter, is a good idea.  I did document the two warblers of major interest, that I saw last year in December in Pueblo (Yellow-throated Warbler and Northern Parula).  I also saw Pine and Wilson's in Pueblo, last December, though they aren't as strange as these other two, so I didn't document those for the CBRC.

Brandon Percival

Pueblo West, CO