🚀 go-pugleaf

       >> Subject: Wintering Myrtle Warblers
       >> From:	seb@mtgzy.UUCP (s.e.badian)
       >> Path:	nvuxa!nvuxh!pyuxv!pyuxww!gamma!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!mtuxo!mtgzy!seb
       >> Organization:	AT&T Information Systems Labs, Holmdel NJ
       >> Newsgroups: net.rec.birds
       >> Date:	Tue, 4-Feb-86 10:32:35 EST
       >>
       >>
       >>      I have an immature myrtle warbler in my garden. I noticed her
       >> eating bayberry berries this morning.	Since central Jersey seems to be
       >> the northern most part of the	myrtle warbler's winter	range I	wonder-
       >> ed if	I should put out some food that	the little warbler would like
       >> to eat since the bayberries in my yard are going to run out soon. I
       >> know warblers	eat bayberries and poison ivy berries in the winter.
       >> Anyone out there know	of anything else I could toss out that this
       >> little bird could eat? (I don't really want to go out	searching for
       >> a supply of poison ivy berries, if you know what I mean.)
       >>
       >> Thanks for any advice,
       >> Sharon Badian
       >> ihnp4!mtgzz!mtgzy!seb

       A few points:

	 1.  Don't worry about it; there is actually plenty of food
	     for this bird in the area.	 It will not starve.

	 2.  Based on your comments, I assume you are using the
	     Golden guide "Birds of North America" by Robbins, et
	     al, with the buff cover.  You would be better off to
	     get a current edition of Petersen's eastern field
	     guide with	updated	species	names and more detailed
	     range maps.

	 3.  The myrtle	warbler	is now considered conspecific with
	     the western Audubon's warbler; they are called
	     collectively "yellow-rumped warbler."

	 4.  Petersen's	range map shows	them wintering throughout
	     NJ, missing only the less mild north western corner of
	     the state.	 They also winter coastally as far north as
	     Rhode Island, and perhaps to Cape Cod.

	 5.  Based on the results of the 84TH annual Christmas Bird
	     Count results, the	yellow-rump was	the 21ST most
	     common bird seen of the 200 species found in NJ, with
	     over 10,000 individual birds reported on about 25
	     counts.  Birds found in similar quantities	include:
	     dark-eyed junco; rock dove; brown-headed cowbird;
	     house sparrow; and	blue jay.

	 6.  Are you sure it was an immature bird?  I know that	the
	     Golden guide shows	an "immature" female plumage, but
	     almost all	yellow-rumps appear this way in	winter
	     (again, see Petersen).

       Rich Ditch
       Bell Communications Research
       Red Bank, NJ