David Sibley and Kenn Kaufman on how to identify warblers
From the editor -- April 2008
Published:
February 22, 2008
 Chuck Hagner scans the treetops for warblers on a spring day in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Photo by © Jessica Eskelsen
I bet you know what it feels like: Winter's snow and ice are long gone, a warm breeze is in the air, and you're at your favorite spot. Warblers are in the treetops high overhead -- maybe even a Blackburnian, the bird with the blazing orange throat pictured on the cover of this issue.
You bring your binoculars to your eyes and peer upward, straight up, arching your back and kinking your neck, but the birds dart from branch to branch fast, and all you can see when they come to rest are chests, bellies, and tails. No wingbars. No eye rings. No head stripes.
Worse, the birds are lit from above; from where you stand, their colors are next to impossible to make out. You'll need more time to make your ID, for sure, so you continue to gaze upward, but your arms are getting heavy and your neck is starting to ache. You're getting warbler-neck.
That's when the horns of your birdwatching dilemma seem the pointiest: If you lower your binoculars, you risk missing the moment when your quarry reveals itself. If you look down to rest your neck, the warbler may no longer be around when you look up again.
What to do? David Allen Sibley and Kenn Kaufman provide the answer in this issue. They describe birds spotted in different circumstances -- Kenn talks about a species that prefers leaf-littered forest floors ("ID Tips," page 40), while David addresses warblers in treetops -- but their message is similar: Look for more than traditional field marks. The shape of the head and tail, the body's bulk, and a bird's behavior -- not only are these things easy to see, they're fool-proof.
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