This photo of the Tennessee Warbler (left) with the Mountain Chickadee is probably the only photo on record with these two species together, according to the expert in North America.
By Edie and Lynn Stafford
You have invited local participants in the 2009 Great Backyard Bird Count to share their stories and photos. Boy, do we have a story!
Our story begins after Thanksgiving, 2008. We have kept daily bird records at our home and feeding station in Pine Mountain since 2005. On November 27, 2008, I (Lynn) arrived home from several days off the ‘Hill.’ Edie had left a bird ID book on the dining table open to the Orange-Crowned Warbler page.
I initially accepted this name for a new ‘little guy’ at the hummingbird feeder. But, after a couple days, this label did not feel right. After some research and head-scratching, we determined that it was a Tennessee Warbler.
Guess what? It doesn’t belong here. Edie claims it must have taken a wrong turn. A few are found rarely in California in the winter, but only along the coast, not in the mountains. It breeds in Canada, and follows eastern flyways to the tropics each winter.
Our birder friends, Patti and Rob Shoup, observed the bird and agreed with the ID. Edie took some great photos. We later participated on all four days of the GBBC. We knew we were going to receive a request for confirming details. And, sure enough, we received a polite, but somewhat skeptical, reply from the regional reviewer. So we gathered up our information and three photos.
The reviewer replied the next day. His first word was "Wow." He accepted the record and stated that our photo of the Mountain Chickadee with the warbler was probably the only photo on record of these two species together, especially in the winter. Interestingly enough, the reviewer is Kimball Garrett of the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. He co-authored the Peterson series book on North American Warblers. As far as I know, this is the second record for Kern County, and certainly, the first for our mountains.
This species feeds on the spruce bud-worms in northern forests in the summer, and sips on tropical flower nectar in the winter. It so happens that we have five planted spruce trees and a hummingbird feeder. Coincidence? We usually take in the hummingbird feeder during the winter, but did not this season because of the warbler. We brought it in each night to prevent freezing, then placed it outside each morning. Obviously, we became attached to this little guy, and have named it ‘Buddy.’ As of this writing, it remains at our wild bird "B & B." We love it!
This is part of the March 13, 2009 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.
Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you.
