Hi Troy and all,
The pursuit of Swainson's Warblers in Ohio is a bit of a birding Holy
Grail, but there are several records of summering birds, although I
suspect most or all were unmated. We don't have classic Appalachian
habitat for them, in regards to plant communities. Below is an excerpt
about Swainson's Warblers from an article about potential new breeders
that I wrote for the inaugural newsletter for the Ohio Breeding Bird
Atlas II; if you'd like to see the whole article it is found at:
http://www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/newsletters.php
Swainson's Warbler. This species breeds in Kentucky and West Virginia,
very near Ohio, although it is not common in the northern reaches of its
range. There have been records of summering territorial males in Ohio,
in Jackson, Jefferson, and Lawrence counties.
The primary habitat for nesting Swainson's Warbler in eastern portions
of the range are Canebreaks (sites dominated by a large bamboo-like
grass Arundinaria gigantea) underlying riparian woodlands. This habitat
no longer occurs in Ohio, at least of a size that would accommodate
breeding of this species.
In montane Appalachian haunts - which occur very near Ohio - Swainson's
occupy two distinct habitats.
The first is cool forested slopes with a preponderance of Hemlock (Tsuga
canadensis) overstory (tree canopy), and understory (shrub layer)
thickets dominated by large species of Rhododendron and Mountain Laurel
(Kalmia latifolia), with interspersed American Holly (Ilex opaca). Such
habitat does not exist in Ohio in sufficient quantity to support nesting
Swainson's Warblers; for instance, our only large native Rhododendron is
Great
Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) and it is considered threatened in
Ohio. The primary Rhododendron of Swainson's Warbler breeding sites in
the Appalachians is Catawba Rosebay (R. catawbiense), which isn't in
Ohio.
The other Appalachian habitat occurs here more prolifically. Swainson's
will utilize mesic (moist soil) mountain coves dominated by Tulip Tree
(Liriodendron tulipifera), Red and White Oak, (Quercus rubra and Q.
alba), and maples, primarily Sugar Maple, (Acer saccharum). The
understory is dominated by shrubs like Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) and
large tangles of Greenbrier (Smilax ssp.). Still, other important
Appalachian components of this plant community don't quite make it this
far north, and Ohio representatives of this habitat may not be suitable
for Swainson's Warbler.
Most if not all of the territorial males that have appeared in Ohio
occupied a much more common habitat - overgrown logging clearcuts on
steep slopes. This habitat is superficially similar to the latter two
habitats described above, at least in density of vegetation. Such places
are certainly suboptimal and are unproven to successfully support
breeding Swainson's, but birders should still be on the lookout for them
in such places in unglaciated southeastern Ohio. Swainson's Warbler
sounds remarkably similar to Louisiana Waterthrush, and waterthrush-like
songs coming from clearcut habitats should be investigated.
Jim McCormac
Ohio Division of Wildlife
2045 Morse Rd., G-3
Columbus, Ohio 43229
614-265-6440
-----Original Message-----
From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of
troy shively
Sent: Wednesday, May 23, 2007 8:20 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [Ohio-birds] RFI: rhododendron patches in southern Ohio
Hello all,
This weekend I decided to spend three days looking for Swainson's
warblers. I was hoping a few people on this list might be able to tell
me about large patches of rhododendron in the southern counties. This
is the habitat Swainson's are found at in Kentucky and West Virginia,
and I was hoping to find suitable habitat in Ohio. Also,
I have heard rumors of a large hemlock grove in/around Shawnee St.
Forest and was hoping to check that out as well if I could get a
location. Thanks in advance, and please respond privately.
Troy Shively
937-935-9023
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