Connecticut Warbler - Very Rare Warbler for New Brunswick

 Connecticut Warbler Showing Bright White Eyering  [Mark Morse Photo]

The 25th of September, 2024, brought a very rare warbler species for New Brunswick and a couple of good birders together near Black’s Harbour.  The warbler, a Connecticut Warbler (Oporornis agilis), is so rarely found in NB that it excited birders immediately.  The few sightings we have in NB are primarily in the fall.  Along with several undocumented sightings beginning in 1932 one was photographed from Machias Seal Island in 1966 and two were banded on Kent Island in 1972.  Most sightings have been from southwestern NB but a singing male was seen in the north at Eel River Bar in 1974.

The Connecticut Warbler breeds across North America in a relatively narrow band from east central British Columbia across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba to southern Ontario and south into northern parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.  This species winters in north central South America.  It has different spring and fall migration routes.  In the spring it travels northward up the central flyway and in the fall it travels south usually in an area bounded by the Great Lakes and New England and then southward to the Caribbean islands and on to South America.  Those birds that migrate further east fly over the Atlantic Ocean to South America.  

                Connecticut Warbler  Showing Remnant of Hood [Photo by Mark Morse]

The main identifying features of this species are its bold eyering, its unusual shape, and its unusual walking behaviour.  Pete Donne says that its ‘distinctive, round, white, no-nonsense, complete, staring, eyering makes all other characteristics almost superfluous.’  Wow, it would be interesting to hear from those lucky enough to see this individual if the eyering jumped out at them like this!  See the white eyering  on this bird in the two photos above.  

The Connecticut Warbler is a big, bulky oddly-shaped warbler (15 cm long).  It is described as oddly shaped because its head appears slim, tail short and it has a pot belly.  This doesn’t sound like a sleek warbler!  This species is monotypic with the spring plumage showing a bluish-gray hood covering  the head and throat and upper breast, olive-green upperparts, yellow underparts and olive-green on the sides.  The spring female is similar except the hood is brownish and she may have a buffy or whitish throat.  In the fall both genders are duller and the white eyering may be broken behind the eye.  First season birds are similar to the female.  This warbler shows very long undertail coverts and no wing bars.  Note the undertail coverts extend more than halfway to the end of the tail.

The photos in this blog are from the actual fall-plumage bird see at Black’s Harbour.  In the photos above, note the eyering, the olive-green dorsum and yellow underparts, and the pink legs.  The remnants of the hood can be clearly seen.  In the photo shown below note the olive on the sides and the extension of the yellow to include the vent.  The bird appears large and chunky with a short tail extension and a long primary extension (not shown in the photos).

 Connecticut Warbler  Showing Undertail Coverts Extending Over Halfway to the Tail  

                                                             [Photo by Mark Morse]

The behaviour of the Connecticut Warbler makes it hard to see.  It is a ground-loving species and it walks with an odd gait, somewhat like the Ovenbird.  It bounces and tail-bobs as it walks along.  It often sits motionless for long periods.  Its ground-loving behaviour can help distinguish it from the Mourning Warbler which prefers hopping around the branches of trees.  While the Mourning Warbler sits across the branch in ‘normal’ fashion, the Connecticut will sit along the branch, 90º from the ‘normal’ perching behaviour.  When the Connecticut Warbler is nervous it will move its head in odd jerks and it will reverse its position on the branch in 180º hops.  

The Connecticut Warbler is a loner.  It likes to forage in thick tangles close to the ground.  This causes it to be mistaken sometimes for a thrush.  Its preferred habitat is wet moist woodlands, spruce-tamarack forest and bogs, muskeg and poplar thickets.  The song of this warbler is loud and rich.  It consists of halting phrases which gain in volume and tempo. It is described variously but one example is ‘chuckity-chuckity-chuckity-chuck’.  It sounds a bit like the Common Yellowthroat.  

Connecticut Warbler  [Photo by Mark Morse]                                 

Similar species that we need to distinguish the Connecticut Warbler from are the MacGillivray’s Warbler and the Mourning Warbler.  The former would be extremely rare here but we do see the Mourning Warbler.  The Mourning Warbler lacks an eyering and the breeding male plumage shows black on the lower part of the hood as it extends onto the breast.  The occasional Mourning Warbler shows an eyering but they are a smaller warbler, their undertail coverts are shorter, they have brighter underparts, and they lack the peculiar gait.  Occasionally one might confuse a dull female Yellow Warbler or a Common Yellowthroat with the Connecticut Warbler.  But both species are smaller and have a yellowish throat.    

The Connecticut Warbler nests on the ground.  The nest is made of bark pieces and grass and is lined with fine plant materials and mammal hair.  Two to five white eggs marked with brown and lavender are laid and incubated 11 to 12 days by the female.  This species feeds on insects, spiders, berries, seeds and snails.  The young leave the nest by late July and both adults feed them.

Despite the name of the Connecticut Warbler, it is rarely seen in Connecticut.  It was named by Alexander Wilson who first saw this species in Connecticut.  This species is difficult for birders to find.  It is a much sought-after species.  It is easy to mistakenly try to turn other species into this one but it is said that it is difficult to second-guess a real Connecticut Warbler!

                                    Connecticut Warbler  [Photo by Mark Morse]

Four Immature Little Blue Herons

                                                Immature Little Blue Heron from Miramichi

The last week in August, 2024, brought a flight of immature Little Blue Herons (Egretta caerulea) to the Maritimes.  One was at the Ducks Unlimited Marsh in Miramichi City on 21 August.  One was along the edge of the Nashwaak River at Marysville (Fredericton) on August 23.  One was at Saints Rest Marsh in Saint John on August 27.  One was at Bridgewater, Nova Scotia on August 30.  In all cases the birds stayed for a few days.  

The Little Blue Heron is a rare visitor to New Brunswick.  Most records come from areas near the Bay of Fundy.  The very first record came from Kent Island in 1936.  Usually the reports are for single adults.  However, in 1971 there were 3 at Little Dipper Harbour.  

It is unusual for immature Little Blue Herons to arrive here.  Why was there a flight to the Maritime provinces this summer?  Little Blue Herons breed on the east coast along the southeastern, south-central and Atlantic Coast of North America.  They also breed in extreme southern California.  Those breeding north of southern New Jersey and in the interior migrate to the southern Atlantic and Gulf Coasts for the winter.  Fall migration is normally from late July to late November.  After nesting the young are prone to migrate and some wander as far north as Newfoundland and other parts of southern Canada.  Understanding this and the fact that some breed and winter as far north as southern Maine, we can now understand why we had at least 4 individuals arrive here (assuming we have 4 separate individuals).  

                                        Immature Little Blue Heron from Miramichi

The arrival of the individual in Miramichi required a bit of careful observation and study to differentiate this individual from a Snowy Egret.  Both species are about 60 cm tall and mostly all white.  The immature Little Blue has a heavier, bicoloured bill (dark tipped and blue-gray at base), pale blue lores, greenish yellow legs and feet and sometimes dark tips to its primary feathers.  Snowy Egrets have a thinner, mostly black bill and lores that are distinctly yellow.  An immature Snowy Egret has greenish yellow legs and feet, so careful observation is sometimes required.  The immature Snowy Egrets I have seen had a black line running down the shins of their greenish yellow legs.  Another good way to tell the immature Little Blue from the Snowy Egret is its behaviour.    The Little Blue is a slow-moving, methodical hunter.  It usually hunts with its neck extended.  The Snowy Egret usually hunts while holding its neck in an “S” curve.  

The Reddish Egret, which is very rare here, rarely has a white morp,.  It is a larger bird standing 76 cm tall.  It has a heavier, bicoloured bill (pink with a black tip) and the bird is much shaggier.  Its behaviour identifies it because it is very active and wildly runs around the shoreline as it feeds.

The Little Blue Heron keeps its white wing feathers until the next year of its life, usually May.  It then appears white with patches of blue wing feathers showing, looking quite piebald sometimes.  

                                 Immature Little Blue Heron from Marysville Showing Feeding Posture

The population size of the Little Blue Heron is declining.  Since this species does not have long showy plumes in the breeding season it, fortunately, escaped the decimation of the millinery trade in earlier years.  It is declining in recent years because of its exposure to heavy metals.  Development along coast lines, nest predation and parasites are other reasons.  Another interesting reason for nest failure is that if Cattle Egrets are nesting nearby, the Cattle Egrets, being later nesters, sometimes steal the sticks from the Little Blue nests.

Perhaps with the appearance of at least 4 immature Little Blues here this summer, it might mean the population in the northeast is increasing or at least healthy.  We can hope so.