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  YELLOW WARBLERS Most small songbirds are usually very colorful, and most have yellow highlights. One warbler in particular embodies this color to a great extreme, and this is the Yellow Warbler (Dendroica petechia). The Yellow Warbler is the most abundant and widespread of any "Dendroica" warbler in North America. It breeds from central Alaska across to Newfoundland and south to Northern California across to north Georgia up to Virginia. There are many subspecies, which include birds in Mexico, the West Indies and South America, and they are arranged into three major groups. The 'aestiva' group, primarily migratory birds breeding in North America, will be looked at here. The Yellow Warbler is small and plump, about 5 inches long. The breeding male is yellow overall, with a dark eye prominent on an unmarked face. He has reddish streaks on his neck and belly. Upperparts can be tinged with green or olive. Females are duller overall, with little or no streaking. The dark eye, all yellow coloring and yellow under the tail distinguish the Yellow Warbler from other similarly plumaged ones. Female Wilson's Warblers will have black under the tail, female Prothonotary and Hooded Warblers will have white under the tail. Their diet is composed of insects and other arthropods, captured by gleaning, hovering or sallying. Wild fruits are eaten occasionally. These birds arrive in our area around the last week of April. Territories are established as soon as males arrive and are confined to about 150 ft. in diameter. The nest is built in about 4 days in an upright fork of a bush, sapling or tree. The nest height is about 3-6 ft., and is composed of grasses and strips of bark, covered with plant down and fibers. I remember watching a female Yellow Warbler bringing nesting material back to her nest site, only to leave for more and her nest being raided be a female Baltimore Oriole also looking for nesting material. She probably took longer than 4 days to build her nest. Territory and mating habits can be seen in some communicative interactions, and there are many. The 'circle-flight' is performed early in the nesting season where a male flies a semicircular pattern around his territory to establish it. The 'moth-flight' is a slow flight away from the female with wing beats twice normal speed and head held high above back, and is used in courtship and territory disputes. The 'chase' is when the bird, male and sometimes female, flies toward and pursues other yellow warblers. The 'wings-out & tail-spread' is self-explanatory, usually with the body held in a horizontal position, and is used primarily in territory conflicts. (terms coined by Ficken & Ficken 1965) Eggs are laid 1 per day, approximately 24 hours apart, on average 10 minutes after sunrise. 4 or 5 eggs are common in a nest. Females spend as much as 35 minutes on the eggs to 3 minutes off the eggs per day. This is called incubation attentiveness, and time spent on the nest is in a ratio to the number of eggs in it. Yellow Warblers are subject to Brown-headed Cowbird parasitism, but some have developed a strategy against this. If a cowbird egg is noticed, the warbler will build another nest on top, another tier. A nest can have as many as 5 tiers, but this is rare. When cowbird and warbler young are raised together, only about 1/3 of the warblers survive to leave the nest. Atmospheric conditions determine adult posture in nest. Simply put, wings can be spread out against the nest edges to protect from rain and cold, or the bird can stand and spread wings to shield from heat. Yellow Warblers breed in and around Peace Valley Nature Center. They are found near wet deciduous thickets, especially near willows. They are quite common from late April to late July, with migrants showing up into September. During the spring and sometimes into the summer, their song can be heard often, a compressed, quick song that is often given the words "sweet-sweet-sweet-I'm-so-sweet". Variations on the song can occur especially where other warbler species nest close by. But by listening for their song, and scanning their favorite habitats, you will no doubt be able to view this most yellow of all the warblers. Chuck Crunkleton, Peace Valley Nature Center ornithologist BUCKS BEAUTIFUL 2007 Warrington Women's Club members sponsored and manned the booth for the Nature Center at the 2007 Bucks Beautiful Garden Show in March. Pictured above are Julia Bizon, Mary Louise Holme and Marie Hegge. Over the years this club has been a great supporter of our efforts, programs and mission. To all members past and present, Thank You! 2007 CAREER ACADEMY Students from Central Bucks East, West and South High Schools are attending the spring 2007 field studies with a focus on environmental ecology. On-site subjects include dendrology, botany, entomology, soil investigation, watershed and wetland delineation and aquatic studies which include biotic and abiotic comparisons as well as chemical testing of the soil and comparative water sampling. These energetic accomplished students are accompanied by CB East teacher Angelique Auger. The classes begin each morning first block (7:30 am), a quick meet and greet then off to the study of the day. The first week of classes these bodacious group of students braved the flooding conditions to see first hand the impact of the nor-easter. Sloshing down the trails in more than a foot of water, we all witnessed the awesome power of water and the impact of the building and pervious surfaces brought about by increased population. It is a pleasure and an honor to get to know these students, share in their discovery and witness the growth of environmental awareness. Gail Hill PLANT SALE Many volunteers, beautiful plants and great weather all combined to ensure the success of this years plant sale. Selling native perennials, native trees, aquatic plants and ferns helps to raise awareness of the need for the replanting of these species in Bucks County. Knowledgeable volunteers were on hand to help with where to plant and what to expect. For season long color and the tasty freshness annuals and herbs were also available. Many thanks to our cadre of plant knowledgeable volunteers and those who purchased the plants. All proceeds benefit our environmental educational endeavors. MEMBERSHIP, MEMORIALS AND DONATIONS WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Philip & Sue Hinkle Walter Robin Maria Farkel-Pesch Andrew Young Douglas & Deborah Faulkner David Volkin & Anna Hagen Gregory J. Mihalyak Tom & Nicole Palladino Tanya Letourneau Robert Logan IN MEMORY OF In Memory of William J. "Bill" Kilkenny, Jr.: Vince Menna George & Barbara Theiss James & Donna Faunce III James R. Laser In Memory of Elizabeth Mills: Stephen Berkson In Memory of Debbie La Sala: John La Sala EDUCATOR PROFILE KERRI GARGES Kerrie has graced the educational endeavors of PVNC for more than 10 years. She has shared her adventures and love of nature with thousands of school children, scout groups and adults. From sloshing through the mud teaching wetlands to introducing children to the wonders of stream critters, Kerrie brings her passion of caring for the environment to all that she teaches. Many folks may remember her as the spider lady, along with son Dylan on the Gaggles of Ghouls and Ghosts walk each fall. Kerrie worked at Stepping Stones Daycare & Nursery School before coming to Peace Valley Nature Center. Many of us recall her accompanying the children on their field trips and remember her great sense of humor and ease of working with children. She has broadened her environmental stewardship to working with students at Tohickon Middle School. They have completed many service projects at Peace Valley, on school grounds and around the community. "I love working at the nature center, I work with a great bunch of people. (best job ever) I particularly enjoy working with the kids from the city. To see them look at something or touch something they have not experienced before is really cool. You can see the WOW in their faces." Kerrie & Dan have been married for almost 20 years and have 4 boys, 2 daughter in-laws and 3 granddaughters with another grandchild expected in May. Sons Dylan and Cody have been part of Peace Valley for many years. They have taken Summer Nature Classes and are counted on to volunteer in many, many capacities. As a family they enjoy camping, hiking and kayaking. Kerrie notes, they are especially looking forward to the family vacation this year to Alaska, heading up to Barrow and hopefully a dip in the Artic Ocean. We are very fortunate to have Kerrie as part of our incredible group of Teacher Naturalists. VOLUNTEER DAY 2007 More than 45 of the best volunteers that Peace Valley Nature Center has known attended our annual luncheon . Great food, great people is always a combination of success. Craig Olsen, director naturalist expressed his appreciation of the dedication of the many volunteers that make our efforts great. He thanked Carolyn "Corey" Jarin for founding this community and the original assembly of these fantastic folks. An informative and delightful program was presented by Pennsylvania Raptor & Wildlife Association, Inc. of Mt. Bethel, PA. Tom Nelson and Hope Anwyll presented a lively educational program that included a Bald Eagle, Harris Hawk, Turkey Vulture, and a Barred Owl. They also enlightened the audience as to the plight of many misunderstood animals, explaining their natural history and place in the ecosystem. Click [HERE] to view back issues of our newsletter. |
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