Blue-winged Warbler, Park County

[Paula Hansley]

I was on my 50-stop USGS Breeding Bird Como route yesterday when at one stop I heard the

familiar "ZEEEE, ZEEEE" (the second ZEEE on a lower pitch).  The song is reminiscent of someone snoring and could easily be ignored by birder who is not familiar with it.

I grew up in the 1950s with  a Blue-winged Warbler pair nesting every year on our property.  Amazingly, the area around Como-- open with lots of bushes, meadows, and small trees and even grazing cattle -- looks like what I remember!

I suspect this warbler may have been there since one of the spring storms blew it into the area.

I went back to Como after I finished my 50 stops, but did not find the bird.  At that time, noon, Como was "bustling".

In wetlands between Como and Boreas Pass, I also had several Veerys singing-- 3 at one spot!

I would love it if someone could verify my sighting!  By the time I dug my cellphone out to try to record the song, it had flown away.

Paula Hansley

Louisville