After thinking about it since the beginning of the year I have decided to finally pull the trigger and try for a big warbler year in the US. It is something I have thought about doing for years and now that I'm retired I have the time. I had not committed at the start of the year as I was not sure if I could get it to come together, I was worried about Wilson and I was not sure on the costs. After a productive stay in Florida from early January into early February that netted me 21 species including an overwintering Swainson's Warbler, a short trip to south Texas that produced Tropical Parula and Mangrove Yellow Warbler and a trip to southeast Arizona that held multiple new species including Rufous capped Warblers plus the fact that access in the Big Bend NP for Colima Warbler will be curtailed starting this May for at least two years I decided to try to throw together series of trips that would have a good chance of seeing all the regularly occurring warbler species in the US. At this point (mid March) I have found 28 species of the 51 somewhat regularly occurring species. There is always the chance that something will come up with Wilson that will derail the plans but I'm hopefully that will not happen. Here is the plan going forward to see the species I have yet to see. I will be taking a whirlwind trip to Texas and then Arizona in early April. In Texas I hope to see Golden cheeked Warbler in the hill country and then Colima Warbler at Big Bend NP. Arizona will hopefully net me Lucy's Warbler, Virginia Warbler, Grace's Warbler and Red faced Warbler (on the early side for that species). During May and into June I hope to catch up with a number of eastern/southern warblers both at home and likely a trip down south of home...location to be determined. In early July I will make a short stop in Minnesota/Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan for Golden winged Warbler, Prothonotary Warbler and Kirtland's Warbler before heading to Alaska and then Oregon on the way home. Between Alaska and Oregon I should be able to add MacGillivray Warbler and Hermit Warbler. There is also the slim chance of finding one of the rarely occurring warbler species that have showed up in the US before (Crescent chested Warbler, Gray crowned Yellowthroat, Fan tailed Warbler, Golden crowned Warbler and Slate throated Redstart) although that chance is quite low. In addition I'm also toying with the idea of a late year trip to Puerto Rico to add two more species for the year with Elfin Woods Warbler and Adelaide's Warbler.
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