Blue-winged Warbler, Jefferson Co

[Peter Gent]

All,

Having found no rare warblers in Boulder this morning, Joanie Kleypas and I wandered down to the Welchester Tree Park off 8th Avenue in Jefferson County. Around 9:15 we wended our way to the east end of the park by the creek.  There we found a lady looking at the singing male Blue-winged Warbler.  It was near the very top of a 10' high young tree, about 50 yards east of the boundary fence and about 20 yards north of the creek.  It seemed to like this perch and sang there for a while.

Cheers,  Peter Gent.

Boulder CO.

[Tom Behnfield]

Debbie & I were thrilled to see the Blue-winged Warbler today at 5 PM at Welchester, just inside the park at the North-east corner.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/behnfield/17752749851/in/dateposted-public/

Tom & Debbie Behnfield
Lakewood, CO
behn...@q.com
www.flickr.com/photos/behnfield

[Scott Somershoe]

I easily relocated the Blue-winged Warbler this afternoon at Welchester Tree Park (Jeff Co) at the previously noted location on the northeast side of the park, however he was singing a mostly Golden-winged Warbler song the entire 15 min I watched him (or was in range of him).  He only sang the last 3 notes of the "Bee buzz buzz buzz" of the Golden-winged Warbler song.  Although he is phenotypically a Blue-winged, I'm sure he has some Golden-winged genes in him.  The species regularly hybridize where they overlap and I've seen both species sing a spot on song of the other species in Tennessee (where both breed and there is occasional hybridization).  I've mostly seen Golden-winged sing a perfect Blue-winged song and have only seen 1 or 2 Blue-winged's sing a Golden-winged song.  He's still a Blue-winged, but I doubt he's a pure bird.  I need to go back and get a recording of this guy!

Cheers,

Scott Somershoe

Littleton, CO

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[Eric DeFonso]

Hi Scott,

I'm curious - how does the song you heard compare to this recording:

http://www.xeno-canto.org/205952

I made this recording in the exact same area as you were today, just last year around this time. If it sounds like this, it could very well be the same individual. Read the additional notes at the link for more info on the song type and what someone who studies this bird in depth had to say about it. In sum, the bird could certainly be genotypically pure (to the extent that we define such things) and yet sing a song like this. It's really hard to know just from hearing and seeing the bird in the field, apparently! In any case, thanks for commenting on what you heard at the park today.

Thanks,

Eric

On Mon, May 18, 2015 at 3:51 PM, Scott Somershoe <ssome...@gmail.com> wrote:

I easily relocated the Blue-winged Warbler this afternoon at Welchester Tree Park (Jeff Co) at the previously noted location on the northeast side of the park, however he was singing a mostly Golden-winged Warbler song the entire 15 min I watched him (or was in range of him).  He only sang the last 3 notes of the "Bee buzz buzz buzz" of the Golden-winged Warbler song.  Although he is phenotypically a Blue-winged, I'm sure he has some Golden-winged genes in him.  The species regularly hybridize where they overlap and I've seen both species sing a spot on song of the other species in Tennessee (where both breed and there is occasional hybridization).  I've mostly seen Golden-winged sing a perfect Blue-winged song and have only seen 1 or 2 Blue-winged's sing a Golden-winged song.  He's still a Blue-winged, but I doubt he's a pure bird.  I need to go back and get a recording of this guy!

Cheers,

Scott Somershoe

Littleton, CO

--

Eric DeFonso
Boulder, CO

[David Suddjian]

I was at the park today, too, and heard the bird singing. Only mediocre views, but nice listening experience. The songs I heard were very close to what is on Eric's recording.

David Suddjian

Littleton, CO

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[Scott Somershoe]

Thanks Eric.  Great recording!  That's the song I heard and I'm guessing it is the same individual that returned to the same spot this year.  

Good info from Rachel on how these birds sing the "other" song and some wrong songs.  There's been quite a bit of work on the genetics of these species and some pure looking birds can have some mixed genes.  Regardless, this is a Blue-winged Warbler singing a wonky song.  Good learning experience for those not familiar with the complexity of these two species, the gene mixing that occurs and is not uncommon (yet you'd not know it by looking at the birds, unless it was a Brewster's or Lawrence's hybrid), and the weird songs they can sing (pure genetics or not).  This song isn't even that weird for some of the songs I've heard Blue-winged sing!  Good stuff.

Cheers,

Scott Somershoe

Littleton CO

On Mon, May 18, 2015 at 9:28 PM, Eric DeFonso <bay....@gmail.com> wrote: