New Post on Bird-o: The Pine Warbler

Or should I say “The Chipping Sparrow”, as this story is really about them.

The search for Pine Warbler began in earnest early in Quebec, at the onset of white pine, after the St. Lawrence River narrows around Quebec City.

“We have to stop if we hear this sound coming from pine trees, ok?” Said Nigel, playing me the warblers call on his iPod. “It could be a Pine Warbler… or a Chipping Sparrow.  The call’s so similar.  Supposedly the warbler’s more musical.  But coming from pines, it is most likely a Pine Warbler.”

It wasn’t long before we heard the sound; the high-pitched trill of a songbird singing from the top of a group of pines.  Excitedly we pulled over and Nigel scanned the trees with his binoculars.

He lowered them again in disappointment.  “Chipping Sparrow,” He said.

It would prove to be prophetic.

The chipping-pine-sparrow-warblers continued to haunt us as we made our way along Lake Ontario.  Every other day or so a trilling roadside bird would stop us in our tracks, and we would hunt and stare at a bunch of pine trees until finally a small bird hopped into view and… Chipping Sparrow...read more on bird-o