I spoke with my good friend Lucy Duncan in Gulf Breeze, FL today. She and her husband, Bob, serve as regional compilers for American Birds. They have been tracking birds in the Fl panhandle/Mobile Gulf area for many years, and this year they are alarmed that they have seen comparatively few Yellow-rumped Warblers over-wintering. They are receiving seasonal reports now for the winter and are hopeful that the masses of these birds wintered somewhere else this year. They have never seen anything like it in over 30 years of seasonal reports for the region. She asked for us to watch and see if the YRWA's are as abundant up here as usual this spring. I told her I remember the usual amount being seen in the fall, which she felt good about. So, for once, all those butter butts are important to watch for! I am ready for the spring now, as if I needed another reason! They said they have the normal amount of sparrows and they have less than usual Pine and Orange-crowned Warblers, but there are virtually no YRWA's, and they are normally the commonest species of bird there in the woods this time of year. Incidentally, they report White-eyed Vireos, Yellow Throated and Parula Warblers are showing up in good numbers right now.
Mark Alt Brooklyn Center Hennepin Cty
