Re: Mystery Warblers; &almost fooled; & Butterfly-early Skipper?

[Psbmt@aol.com]

Tom and all,
    I too have a mystery warbler on my neighbors adjoining 8 acres, that is 
not built on.  For about a week now I've been trying to find this bird that 
is in very dense undergrowth on a north slope with lots of downed Fran trees 
too, with a beautiful creek at the bottom.  
    Guess I'll have to keep Hooded in mind since they seem to have lots of 
variety in their songs, but it reminds me of a Swainson's from my Birding by 
Ear cassette, which I know by now that I can only use a baseline.
    Every time I try to get close the bird stops singing and moves, it's very 
frustrating.  It has a 6 syllable song, the first 4 being quicker and the 
last 2 VERY emphasized and VERY final.  As far as I can tell it seems fairly 
low up to lower canopy height, maybe at most 12-15 ft.
    The bird seems like it's here to stay.  Would this be at all possible for 
a Swainson's?
    
    Was almost fooled the other day, initially thinking I was hearing a 
strange sounding Black-throated Blue Warbler, which I did hear and see in the 
same area the day before.  But this bird ended up being a N. Parula, with the 
same beer beer beer beee, but slightly different beee, going up and over the 
top as a Parula does.
    
    Lastly, saw a new butterfly in the yard yesterday.  When looked it up 
later in Butterflies throught Binocs, it seems like it must have been either 
a Peck's (Plate 61 #2 )or Zabulon Skipper (Plate 64 #1).  Since the map 
doesn't show Pecks in this area and size may be too small, probably was 
Zabulon, but abundance chart shows it as rare in early May.
Shelley Theye  

In a message dated 5/9/01 7:43:30 AM, tkrakauer@mindspring.com writes:

<< It was a Hooded Warbler with a strange call.  Thanks Josh,  you have 
infected my birds with "Mad Hooded Warbler Disease."  Although,  there was 
a holdout hooded sing the regular call.

Mystery solved.

Tom
 >>



Shelley Theye
N. Chatham County, NC
Psbmt@aol.com