In a joint effort to expand the knowledge and understanding of the flora and fauna of Polk County, the Pacolet Area Conservancy (PAC) and David Campbell need your help in locating this month’s “Most Wanted-Animal,” Cerulean Warbler, (Setophaga cerulea, formerly of the genus Dendroica).
With the arrival of spring – the blooming of wildflowers, the emergence of leaves on the trees, and the rise in insect activity – many of “our” songbirds are returning to the area, either passing through on their journey farther north, or to stay and establish territory for raising their young.
Cerulean Warblers, which are Neotropical migratory songbirds, are an early migrant, arriving on their breeding grounds up to 2 weeks before other wood warblers. After spending the non-breeding season concentrated on the eastern slopes of the Andes Mountains in western South America, many individuals make the risky, one night journey over the Gulf of Mexico in spring, reaching the United States and returning to their breeding grounds in mid-April.
The breeding range of this species extends from the southeastern and south central United States, north to southeastern New York and Ontario and west to the Mississippi Valley.  Although less common in North Carolina than other areas, there have been reports of breeding activity and nest sites in western North Carolina, mostly along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  However, there are 6 North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (NHP) Element Occurrence’s for this species in Polk County!  (An Element Occurrence is a basic unit of record for documenting rare plants and animals, exemplary or unique natural communities, and important animal assemblages.)
The Cerulean Warbler was first documented by NHP in Polk County in 1974 and last documented in 2010.  It has been spotted on ridges and slopes with mature oak-hickory forests dominated by Tulip Poplar along Cove Mountain, Warrior Mountain, Round Mountain, and White Oak Mountain from late April through mid-June.
Cerulean Warblers are small canopy-foraging insectivores; wood warblers. They prefer large forest tracts of tall, deciduous, broad-leafed trees near stream bottoms, lakes, or rivers and can often be found high in the canopy of these mature forests.
They are about 4-5 inches in length, with long pointed wings, a short tail, and long under tail coverts. As with most songbirds, males and females look quite different from each other. Males have blue upper parts and are white below.  They have black streaking on their back and sides and a black line, or “necklace”, across their neck.  Females are bluish-green to olive-green above with white under parts and a white or yellowish eyebrow stripe and they have no “necklace”. Both sexes have 2 white wing bars and white tail spots.
With the emergence of leaves on the trees, it will become more difficult to see birds, so listen for the distinctive song of the male – rapid buzz-like notes on one pitch followed by a short series of rising and accelerating notes, ending with a high buzz-like trill, ZHEE ZHEE ZIZIZIZI zzzzeeet. (Visit the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website, http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Cerulean_Warbler/sounds, to listen to the song of this bird and to learn more about the species.)
The Cerulean Warbler was once among the most abundant breeding warblers in the Ohio and Mississippi river valleys.  However, in the late 1900s, its numbers plummeted, making it one of the species of highest concern in the eastern United States because of its small total population size and significant declines throughout its range. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists this species as Vulnerable, it is federally listed Special Concern, and ranked as Imperiled in North Carolina.
If you think that you have seen or heard this bird, or know where it might be located, please contact PAC at 828-859-5060, or e-mail comments, questions, or photos to: landprotection@pacolet.org.
The purpose of this project is to gain a better understanding of the flora and fauna in Polk County and document the species present in the county.
PAC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization (land trust) founded in 1989 to Protect and Conserve the area’s natural resources (PAC’s mission).  PAC works with area landowners to ensure the long-term protection of their property through voluntary conservation easements (agreements) which enable landowners to maintain ownership of their property, preserving precious natural resources (open lands, forests, wildlife habitat, scenic vistas, farmland, stream banks, etc.), and potentially obtain significant federal, state, and local tax benefits.  PACs vision is a community living and growing in harmony with our natural resources and or goal is to provide a legacy that will endure and be valued by generations to come.
PAC works diligently to provide leadership to encourage conservation and provide education programs emphasizing native species appreciation and responsible land use practices to help – save the places you love.

– article submitted
by Pam Torlina