FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Re: Exciting News re: Ceruleans in Tropics

["Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>]

That Belize was a staging ground for Cerulean Warbler was discovered many
years ago by the famous field ornithologist Ted Parker.

All of us in Tennessee should be extremely proud of Melinda Welton's
continuing enthusisam for research and conservation of Cerulean Warblers in
Tennessee and elsewhere.  We cheer her on.  We send our heartfelt best
wishes for the success of her mission.

For those close to this project and those involved in Cerulean Warbler
research,  you might want to be directied to a publication:

PARKER, T. A. III.  1994.  Habitat, behavior, and spring migration of
Cerulean Warbler in Belize.  Amer. Birds 48: 70-75.

The whole point is that this phenomenon was quite nicely documented, and
researchers are trying to determine whether it's a regular occurrence or an
aberration in that single year.  And if it is regular, ornithologists want
to know if there are any habitat changes in the Maya Mountains suspected
that could have had an impact on Cerulean Warbler populations.

Many researchers in the US are unsure how breeding habitat has deteriorated,
and people in South America feel that wintering habitat has been pretty
stable
for the past century.

This does not truly detract from what Melinda is doing but it would be more
correct to have a more realistic picture of Cerulean knowledge of that area
rather than to suggest that this is a never-before-documented staging area
for Ceruleans returning from their wintering grounds.

Cheers to the project and best wishes for much success.

Let's go birding.....

Wallace Coffey
Bristol, TN


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris Sloan" <chris.sloan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2004 9:59 PM
Subject: [TN-Bird] Exciting News re: Ceruleans in Tropics


> All-
> Many of you know Melinda Welton, a TOS member who has been actively
> involved in research on Cerulean Warblers in TOS and elsewhere.  At her
> husband John Noel's request, I have pasted below a series of emails from
> John about Melinda's current expedition to Belize to attempt to locate
> the never-before-documented staging area for Ceruleans returning from
> their wintering grounds.  I hope you'll find this as exciting and
> interesting as I do.
>
> I will post further updates when/if I receive them from John.
>
> Chris Sloan
> Nashville, TN
>
> ----------------------  Forwarded Message:  ---------------------
> From:    "John Noel"=20
> To:      <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
> Subject: Melinda`s Expidition
> Date:    Wed, 31 Mar 2004 16:08:29 -0600
>
> Friends,
> As you may know Melinda is leading a expedition to find the "staging
> grounds" for the return migration of the Cerulean Warbler which has
> never been documented and is important information  to science as this
> bird is the fastest declining song bird in North America . She just
> called me by satellite phone from the southern mountains of Belize out
> side Punta Gorda and half way up to her destination ,Union Camp ,a
> deserted clearing in the Belizean jungle. Travel is by foot with two
> machete wielding trail blazers guides followed by two intern Belizean
> birders and pack burro`s in that order. The journey promises unclear
> cluttered trails, inclement weather , humid hot and unstable afoot. She
> just arrived to at a mid way camp spot ,'Edwards Central', only to find
> 10 Belizean soldiers ,a welcomed and unwelcome site ,as her location
> destination is near the remote boarder of Guatemala and reports of
> squatters are frequent. She now pushes on for another hour to secure a
> more secluded camp site. GPS location is approximately N 16  20.35    W
> 89  09.18   .
> On Arrival at  final destination hopefully by two more days she and
> interns will look for the Cerulean warblers high in the jungles upper
> canopy where they move with a stealthy  silence.  When  migrating  from
> Belize in early May to the high slopes of Tennessee and nesting in upper
> reaches of very tall secluded trees the multi colored beautiful blue
> male sings only during mating season and  is seen by few as it  remains
> high and visible only to the trained ear  and  eye through a good pair
> of binoculars. The warbler does not sing in Belize ,only the quick of
> keen eye can make the capture. The journey will endure nearly two weeks
> of intense search among unaccustomed surroundings and enemies of the
> flesh including the bedeviled and parasitic botfly. The botfly enters
> the skin by mosquito injection there to pupate growing into a large worm
> ultimately uncomfortably and unsightly exiting the skin in unceremonious
> fashion. Will keep you up dated on my ' wayward wife' until April 14th
> when I join her in Belize.
>
>                                                         Best,
>
>                                                                  John
>
> ----------------------  Forwarded Message:  ---------------------
> From:    "John Noel"=20
> To:      <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
> Date:    Fri, 2 Apr 2004 09:03:52 -0600
>
>
>
> Friends,
> Melinda has arrived at her expedition destination, Union Camp,a deserted
> clearing holding one precious resource ......water. The path to the camp
> is littered with logs ,muddy ,and in  word ....a slog. There is no water
> along the way as much of the geology is of limestone base. In the brief
> conversation via satellite phone it was evident it was a long journey
> and she expressed her elation over the beautiful clear running stream in
> camp. I was thinking how many weary travelers  before have felt the same
> jubilation on approaching a resource often taken for granted . Perhaps
> all humanity required to venture in this way would embrace this
> treasure, protecting the resource with their life.....as in fact it is.
> Now Melinda can settle in and be about the business of her quest.  More
> as I know it.
>
> =20
> John
>
> ----------------------  Forwarded Message:  ---------------------
> From:    "John Noel"=20
> To:      <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
> Date:    Fri, 2 Apr 2004 17:48:34 -0600
>
>
>
> Friends,
>  Deciphering Melinda through a flawed satellite phone connection I
> learned of her first confirmed Cerulean Warbler sighting near camp. This
> is positively good news and produced one excited woman crackling over
> microwave bouncing off  60 + satellites circling our planet . I believe
> at the moment ,had we all listened carefully, we could have heard her
> with out the phone. At the same moment of "the sighting " there was an
> almost simultaneous distraction ..... running out from underneath
> Raphael`s feet jumped a bird seldom seen by many who proceeded to throw
> its wings over its head in a clapping motion and dance about. (this is
> the part where I`ve either lost the connection or Melinda`s just plain
> lost it ! )  Well, it was a Ruddy Quail Dove displaying . The Cerulean
> was found in the high branches of large contiguous trees near an area
> severely damaged by a high grade hurricane several years ago.  Walking
> through downed broken trees is challenging likely much like the dance of
> the Quail Dove. Weather is holding , food is plain ,and conditions
> perfect !
>
>
> More as it comes=3D20
>
>                                                                 John
>
> ----------------------  Forwarded Message:  ---------------------
> From:    "John Noel"=20
> To:      <Undisclosed-Recipient:;>
> Date:    Mon, 5 Apr 2004 14:08:34 -0500
>
>
>
> Friends,
>
> Received "the call" last night via satellite .  Melinda has found a
> 'staging ground' for the return migration  of the Cerulean Warbler ! =20
> This has never before been recorded.  She and her interns identified 8
> ceruleans of which 5 were in a flock.  If  I`m correct, she is likely
> the only person on the planet to identify and see a "flock of Ceruleans"
> as they are loners in Tennessee paring for mating ,raising young, then
> returning south to (now we know) at least Belize to winter over. Her
> putting together scraps of information and research led her to this
> remote forest in southern Belize and resulting discovery. Comparably
> ,this is much like  researching and discovering a sunken ship  and
> treasure  of gold ,except, the long term consequences of this
> information may prove beneficial to slowing the birds decline and the
> destruction of its habitat from Tennessee to Belize . Melinda once told
> me  " many of our Tennessee birds are borrowed from South America as
> they are here only a short time to raise young then return home ". If
> home is  logged or destroyed on their return ........they risk death.
> She now will remain one more day making the decent in hopefully two
> days. I hope so as she reported thrice encountering the snake called the
> Fertalance an aggressive quick and deadly snake ........nearly no one
> survives its bite. Yesterday she found the scratchings of the Jaguar
> and saw a Taper (sp) and a Kinkajou (a lemur like animal ) ,also, fairly
> certain she saw a
> ocelot which would be a very rare sighting.   The side benefit to being
> an ornithologist is the knowledgeable use of binoculars, standing still
> ,and quietly observing what's around you to see what's really going on.
> Perhaps it should be a requirement for all those who serve in public
> office to become ornithologists ,or at the very minimum, knowledgeable
> in the use of that which enhances a ' wide field of view
> '..........works for husbands too ! Winding down now .....will advise on
> her safe journey out.
>
>                                                                     john


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