The first fall female Tennessee Warbler initially discovered at the Plant
Environmental Research Center (PERC) in the southwest corner of the Fort
Collins campus of Colorado State University on 19November continued today thru
at least 3pm in the exact same general area and trees (mostly in the European
Beech (Fagus sylvatica) plot up on the hill in the southwestern part of the
property) thru at least 3pm on 11/22. PERC is north of W. Lake Street about a
half mile e of Shields Street. The warbler was seen today by CSU's Team
BrachyRAMphus, Janet Hardin, Joe Mammoser, Adam Vesely, Cheri Phillips, Jessie
Casias, the Pughs, me, and maybe others.
The area it likes is FULL of aphids. This little bird, so fat it now has
cleavage, has been gleaning aphids, from the undersides of leaves mostly, in
European Beech, various oaks, and viburnum shrubs. It also spends a good bit
of time on the ground getting aphids and perhaps other arthropod morsels like
collembola. I should point out that almost all of the plants at PERC have
metal or plastic tags on them. Usually these are on a low branch on the north
side of the plant. The warblers absolute favorite tree is the 'Red Obelisk"
European Beech, which is a 30 foot tall columnar specimen full of aphids, and
which still has most of its leaves. If the bird doesn't fly south tonight and
is there tomorrow, and maybe even longer, if you check tags and find the 'Red
Obelisk' beech, I can almost guarantee it will appear in that tree at least
once an hour. This tree is about 10 feet south of where Andy Bankert made a
pile of sticks at the base of the rather large, leafy 'Atropurpurea' European
Beech. Andy's creation looks like something that only lacks kindling and a
spark to keep you warm. The bird tends to hang with either juncos or bushtits,
but does so loosely. I have seen it by itself quite a bit. But if you hear
other birds coming (to these same aphid-laden beeches, oaks, and viburnums),
pay attention to every individual and one of them might well be the very
greenish Tennessee Warbler. I have heard the bird make a very few
vocalizations, usually when it leaves one tree for another, but would say sound
is not really of much help in finding her. And, as stated, do not ignore
watching the ground.
Dave Leatherman
Fort Collins
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