I think my comment "what appeared to be copulation" gives too strong an
expression to my observation. If it were true then I would have to say there
are three birds, because I'm assuming that females don't sing, and I'm not
prepared to say that yet as much as I would like it to be. Let me restate my
observation as a more wishy washy "brief physical interaction". I can't find
any mention in the books I have of female vocalizations. Can anybody fill in
the blank for me ?
This is all very exciting ! I hope more people add their observations to the
list.
Gary
On May 25, 2012, at 11:00 PM, Dave Nutter wrote:
The song Gary recorded is the song I've heard from a Yellow-throated Warbler in
the Renwick/Pier Rd area this month several times, a series of loud double
notes, of which the second note is lower, but each double note is the same.
Although I also heard fainter introductory and ending notes, they were not very
noticeable nor accented, so basically from a distance you hear:
"TEE-TU TEE-TU TEE-TU TEE-TU TEE-TU TEE-TU"
This apparently uncommon song is also what Stuart recorded. From Ken's
description it may be what he heard as well.
However, the last time I heard & saw a Yellow-throated Warbler at this
location, on 23 May about 6:50am, it sounded like most recordings of the
species and like I've heard in NJ, a series of similar notes, each descending
in pitch and the later notes being a bit lower, except the last note, which
rises:
"teer teer teer teer teer teer tu wee?"
Or exaggerating the pitch change:
"teer teer teer wee"
teer teer teer tu
When I heard a second song from this location, I wondered:
Does the first song represent some basic innate pattern on which the usual song
is built?
Has the first bird finally learned the correct song, perhaps from people trying
playback?
Does the first song indicate something different from the second, such as
mating status?
Is the second song simply from a second bird?
Now that Gary reports two birds singing and also two birds mating, that raises
more questions. Did both singing birds sing the same type song? Do females
sing, and if so do they sing a different song? Or were there two males and at
least one female?
--Dave Nutter
PS - Gary, did you really mean "Ken's great sighing" (very apt), or did you
mean "Ken's great sighting" (also very apt)?
On May 25, 2012, at 08:36 PM, Gary Kohlenberg
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
Inspired by Ken's great sighing I made my seventh trip to Pier Rd. for this
bird. After about 1/2 hr. of cruising up and down the walkway I was able to see
one Yellow-throated Warbler foraging in the Sycamores by the tee. It eventually
started singing and then I heard a second one across the river singing. I
managed to get three recordings of the song on my phone. Things got crazy for a
while when a Coopers Hawk flew in to sit in the same Sycamore ! My thanks went
to the Starlings that managed to beat him into submission; leaving for
friendlier territory.
My looks were considerably higher in the canopy and they also included, what
appeared to be, copulation. At least one bird continued to sing but wasn't
visible as the breeze kept the leaves moving too much for me to pick out.
Gary
On May 25, 2012, at 10:07 AM, Kenneth Victor Rosenberg wrote:
8th time's a charm! With a brief window in downtown Ithaca before an
appointment, I decided to give a listen at the sycamores by the 3rd tee of
Ithaca city golf course (Pier Rd). Arriving at 8:20, I immediately heard the
double-noted song of a YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER out my car window -- it was
among the loudest bird songs there and easily heard over the noisy
grass-cutters and other truck noise in the area. I spotted the bird mid-height
in the sycamore closest to Fall Creek, and then it flew up very high in the
sycamores over the 3rd tee, continuing to sing.
While I was following the singing bird, I heard a loud chip closer by and was
surprised to see a SECOND YELLOW-THROATED WARBLER foraging lower in the
sycamore. I followed the second bird for awhile as the first bird sang -- it
(she?) flew from cluster to cluster of newly opening sycamore leaves, working
its way higher in the trees. Then, I briefly saw the singing bird fly to the
second bird and they had a brief (seemingly nonagressive) interaction partially
hidden from view -- this was possibly a brief copulation. The two birds then
took off to the north, flying towards or over the fire-training building area.
No more songs were heard in the 10 minutes I remained in the area.
These birds behaved exactly as a breeding pair would be expected to behave,
which is not that surprising given the longevity and irregular appearance of
the singing male (probably using a larger home range), the perfectly suitable
habitat, northward expansion of many species, and global warming in general.
Others hopefully will be able to document and confirm this breeding activity in
the coming weeks.
KEN
Ken Rosenberg
Conservation Science Program
Cornell Lab of Ornithology
607-254-2412
607-342-4594 (cell)
[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
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