FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Lewis County: Blue-winged Warbler arrival, alternate songs

[Bill Pulliam <bb551@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

As of this morning (April 1, 2007) a singing male Blue-winged Warbler  
has return to the usual nesting area on our farm here in western  
Lewis County.  He was acting all territorial and agitated.

He was giving both of the typical songs for this species, the famous  
"seeee-bzzzzz" and the much less well-known "B" song.  This second  
song is unfamiliar even to many experienced birders, which is a  
problem since by the beginning of June Blue-wings seem to give  
primarily the "B" song and have largely put the "seee-buzzz" away for  
the year.  So you can easily overlook summertime  Blue-wings  
(especially in Breeding Bird Survey season) if you don't know this  
song.  It is often left out of audio compilations of bird songs.

I'm sure this song varies geographically and between individuals.   
I'll describe the version of it I hear in this area.  I would  
transcribe it as "tzitzitzitzit buzzzzzz tsibzz."  It is entirely  
dry, buzzy, and insect-like in quality, without even as much tonality  
as the first half of the "seeee-buzzz" song or a Golden-winged  
Warbler's "seee-buzzzbuzzbuzz."  You might more likely think it  
belonged to an Ammodramus sparrow than a Vermivora warbler.  As for  
pattern and rhythm, in musical notation, the initial "tzitzitzitzit"  
would be a series of 16th notes, the "buzzzzz" is a dotted eight note  
(i.e. about three times the length of an individual "tzit"), and the  
final "tsibzz" is another pair of 16ths (tempo: quarter note=80/ 
minute, maybe?)  The final "tsibzz" is often not heard, either  
omitted or overlooked, but even without it the "tzitzitzitzit  
buzzzzzz" by itself is still distinctive and easily picked out once  
learned.

An additional important note is that Golden-winged Warblers also have  
a similar "B" song.  Confusion between these songs may be one of the  
reasons for the hybridization between these two species.  In places  
where both species nest, it could be confusing for birders as well.

Bill Pulliam
Hohenwald TN
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