Kirtland's Warbler
May
2nd
This morning Mike and I went out to
Howard Marsh Metropark in search of American Avocets which had been reported there
yesterday. We had no luck with that but
were able to see a flock of American Golden Plovers and several Long-billed
Dowitchers feeding in the distance.
We took a quick spin through Metzger Marsh
looking for Willets seen there yesterday.
No luck with that, but we ran into some birders who had just seen a KIRTLAND’S
WARBLER at Magee Marsh. This is one of
the rarest and most sought-after warblers that migrate through our area. We made a beeline for Magee and found a crowd
of birders and a very cooperative male Kirtland’s Warbler. Needless to say, this made our day. The Kirtland’s was a life bird for some of
the birders and they were talking about doing their happy dance. As you can see, birders are a strange bunch, but
we all love it.
Kirtland’s Warblers are rare and were listed as
Endangered from 1973-2019. Over the past
50 years of conservation efforts, their population has skyrocketed from fewer
than 200 breeding pairs to around 2,300 today. Their decline was related to
habitat loss and parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds. Kirtland’s Warblers evolved to breed in very
young stands of jack pine trees created by wildfires. Fire suppression led to a decline in suitable
habitat because the jack pines grew too old for the warblers to use. Efforts were made in central Michigan to set
aside forest so that there would always be some habitat for the warblers to
breed.
The nest parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds
also caused population decline. The land
managers began trapping cowbirds, were very successful and have virtually
eliminated the problem. All these
efforts are a shining example of a conservation success story.
Recently, Mike has become crazed and totally obsessed
about finding an American Pipit. We have
gone multiple times to look for pipits and have continually dipped. When we were at Howard Marsh, Mike talked to a
guy who saw 25 pipits yesterday at Cricket Frog Cove in Wood County. We are familiar with this spot, and I said to
Mike, “This is a hot lead. I think we
should go.” I was really hoping we would
find one, because Mike was driving me crazy with his quest for pipits. When we arrived at the recently burned field
at Cricket Frog Cove, there were American Pipits galore. Another success story! (4 new species, total 227)
American Golden-Plover
Long-billed Dowitcher
American Pipit
Kirtland’s Warbler
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My fav is the Blackburian. I only like pretty birds. You should go to Australia. My sister used to send pictures of very colorful birds in her backyard. Thanks for the update.
ReplyDeleteLucky that you got that Kirkland's warbler, and so early in the month! Check to another great find.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the Pipit! Wonderful pictures and a great adventure with successful outcomes. We have been going out but to no avail we always get the “ you should have been here yesterday “ 🙃
ReplyDeleteSounds like you and Mike are having a lot of fun. Congratulations on your successful sightings
ReplyDeleteThe warblers are beautiful. Again, thank you for my continuing education.
ReplyDeleteLists can be fun. I remember when the Kirtlands Warbler was on the endangered list but had lost track of how they were doing. It is good to hear they have done well enough to be delisted for the RTE but listed for your Big Year..
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