BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO

["Brad Carlson" <bradcarlson1@hotmail.com>]

My wife Pat and I headed down to Bald Head Island today in hopes of finding 
the previously reported Black-whiskered Vireo.  We took the 9:00am ferry 
from Southport and rented a golf cart.  By 9:30am we were at Wood Duck Court 
where the bird was last reported.  We were a little confused when we 
arrived, because Sam & Greg mentioned in their 6/16 post that the bird had 
been seen at #4 Wood Duck Court.  As far as we could see, there is no #4, 
the road starts on #5.  Anyhow, we hoped that we were in the correct place 
and started to look around.  We were looking at a Red-headed Woodpecker 
feeding it's young at their nest, when I saw a "vireo" moving through the 
tree limbs directly in front of us.  I looked at it, and sure enough in less 
than 5 minutes we had our BLACK-WHISKERED VIREO!  That was easy (I mean 
lucky)!!!

We observed the bird almost continuously from 9:30am until 11:00am.  The 
bird moved around continuously and spent time on both Wood Duck Court and 
Bufflehead Court.  The center of activity, as you can probably surmise, was 
the intersection of these two roads.  I took numerous photographs of the 
bird, but the conditions were poor with heavily overcast skies and light 
sprinkles.  Russ and Patricia Tyndall showed up around 11:00am, and we were 
able to get them on the bird too, so that was a bonus.  Evidently, it seems 
to be hanging around.

The bird vocalized many times during our period of observation.  John 
Fussell, in response to your inquiry, the bird was alternating between three 
different vocalizations.  The first was very similar to the tone of a 
Red-eyed Vireo's call, but was a typical double note cadence of a 
Black-whiskered Vireo.  The second was using the same cadence, but was much 
more "raspy."  The third was a very high, thin whiny noise that it used as 
it was chasing or being chased by two other Vireos.  I confirmed that at 
least one of the other Vireos was a Red-eyed Vireo, but I could never 
confirm the identity of all three at the same time.  It was strange, but the 
Black-whiskered Vireo stayed with one of the other Vireos (which I believe 
was a Red-eyed) all morning.  They would perch on the same branch together, 
chase each other, perch again, chase, etc.  I tried to confirm that there 
was not two Black-whiskered Vireos, and I tried to make sure that there was 
not mixed breeding occuring, but I could not confirm either hypothesis.

By the way, there were five WOOD STORKS already at Twin Lakes.  We missed 
the Purple Gallinule at Mary McDavit's house between 2:30 - 3:30pm, which we 
hoped Pat could see for a lifer.  Oh, well we can't complain.

-Brad & Pat Carlson
Winterville, NC
BradCarlson1@hotmail.com
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