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 _________________________________________________________________ Add some color. Personalize your inbox with your favorite colors. www.windowslive-hotmail.com/learnmore/personalize.html?locale=en-us&ocid =TXT_TAGLM_HMWL_reten_addcolor_0507 ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. 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