Bird of Note
Warblers are out! I listened to a yellow-throated warbler (YTWA) singing yesterday at Parvin State Park (PSP) while eating my egg salad sandwich (ESS) from Anderson’s Country Store (ACS). A yellow-throated warbler seems to say, in a decrescendo, “one two three four five six, is it?” It adds a sharper note at the end, as if it is absentmindedly looking for confirmation. Aren’t ya? Don’t ya? Is it?
Identifying Birds by Song
I didn’t get to see the warbler, but I heard it. I also had no idea what the yellow-throated warbler song was until yesterday. It used to be that if you wanted to know the names of the birds that are singing, you had to have somebody that recognized the song tell you. A motivated birder might have listened to tapes or CDs at home to learn how to identify by song or call later in the field. I can imagine some serious folks recording the bird songs they heard in the field on cassette tapes and taking them home to compare to older recordings. Now, you can just download the Merlin app and take Merlin with you into the field! This free, global bird ID and field guide app developed by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is powered is by its users’ reported sightings and uploaded media. The Merlin app is a totally free resource, but you can donate to support their cause:
Together, let’s embark on a
lifelong journey to enjoy,
understand, and protect birds and
the natural world
Using Technology Appropriately
Merlin provides examples of songs and animated pictures so you can figure out what you are supposed to be listening and looking for. It is surprisingly accurate for the most part. Occasionally a mimic such as a mockingbird or blue jay can fool the app. Because of this, it’s best to use other clues to positively identify the species of a bird when using Merlin’s suggestions: markers such as color, shape, size, environment, behavior, time of year, etc. Once you develop an interest in birdwatching, we can talk at length about the finer points of identification, reporting, volunteering and general birding etiquette.
For the average person, seeing the bird species digitally animated on your phone screen when you can’t see the actual bird provides some immediate gratification. Hopefully just enough to spark a larger desire to find and observe the physical bird (if not that day, then in the near future) and start looking for others. Since I didn’t develop a Pokémon-level obsession for birds until my senses began to deteriorate, I appreciate the extra help. If a bird call is too low to hear, I use Merlin as an alert to look for a particular species in the area. It’s great for kids and adults alike, at home or on vacation. Take it to Parvin for the great spring migration coming on in the next few weeks.
Parvin State Park
Parvin State Park is great for birding. There is parking right next to the picnic table pavilion at Thundergust Lake Day Use Area, and a surprising number of species can be seen and heard right there near the playground and bathrooms. You could walk down to the lake or a different habitat at varying levels of distance, time and effort. You could also take a kayak out from the newly renovated boating area. I always come away satisfied with the experience. Please note that the bathrooms were locked at the pavilion, but there is a very nicely maintained set of porta-pots available.
Even if you don’t go to Parvin to observe the great spring migration, travelers should be reminded that the speed limit in the area is 35 mph and mostly no passing, on account of all of the birders observing the great spring migration and other pedestrians utilizing this beautiful natural resource.
Pics or it Didn’t Happen
I apologize that I wasn’t able to take a picture of the yellow-throated warbler the other day, and I humbly offer the pictures that I did manage to take. They include some other regulars in the area. Now please do remember, I took these mediocre pictures just sitting at the picnic table on my lunch break, so I am sure others have had more success than I have. If any reader has had luck in capturing a picture of a warbler—or any other species—at Parvin State Park, in your back yard, in Salem County, or anywhere else for that matter, please share!
Above: White Breasted nuthatch creeping sideways across the bark of a pine tree at Parvin State Park.