[TN-Bird] Re: Lewis County: Blue-winged Warbler arrival, alternate songs

  • From: K Dean EDWARDS <kde@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: Bill Pulliam <bb551@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2007 10:17:46 -0400 (EDT)

Both "B" songs Bill mentions (Blue-winged and Golden-winged) are on
the Stokes CDs (Eastern version).

Dean Edwards
Knoxville, TN



On Sun, 1 Apr 2007, Bill Pulliam wrote:

> 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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=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at //www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                  EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________


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