Well, this is most embarrassing. Everyone who knows me well knows that my brain
and tongue are not wired together very well. The bird my brother and I found at
Wheatley Provincial Park yesterday was not a Black-throated Gray Warbler but a
Black-and-white -- which to me, is even less probable for this time of year. My
brother and I had been talking a lot about Black-throated Grays before I made
the call to Pelee, so wouldn't you know it, I made an embarrassing slip of the
tongue, as I am so wont to do. All the details provided were correct. The bird
was seen behind Highlands Campground site # 94, moving about in the limited
area between that site and # 96 with a few juncos and Golden-crowned Kinglets.
We soon lost it, probably inside one of the cedars.
I felt that the bird was an adult female, but after checking the plates in the
Peterson Field Guide on Warblers by Dunn and Garrett, I realize that it could
have been a first winter male, as they are so close in appearance. The spotting
on the flanks and undertail coverts were quite black, so maybe the gender is
actually male.
I leave it to the experts to decide whether this bird is a ridiculously late
overwintering record or an absurdly early spring migrant. As I reviewed what
Dunn and Garrett had to say, I was surprised to read that there was "an
exceptional winter record in Duluth Minnesota" for the period 15 February 1975
to 21 March that year. I guess these birds are much hardier than I ever
imagined them to be.
My apologies for the error in reporting yesterday. If I had access to a
computer, I would not have made that mistake.
Randy Horvath, Windsor
Wheatley Provincial Park is easily accessed from Klondyke Road just east of
downtown Wheatley. Watch for the sign.
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