# Kirtland Warbler



## noley20 (Dec 3, 2011)

Hey guys, I'm looking for some information on the Kirtland Warbler for a research paper in my BIO 101 college course. If anyone has any information they know from experience about this bird, you may suggest articles or sources about the bird, and any other information that may be helpful in my paper. I appreciate any help I can get (even pictures) thanks ahead of time.


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## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

I only know they spent millions on them and upland game birds have disappeared from a large portion of the state .


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

A rather large portion of our license fees goes to support the glorified chickadee that has survived thousands of years without our support.


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## noley20 (Dec 3, 2011)

Thirty pointer said:


> I only know they spent millions on them and upland game birds have disappeared from a large portion of the state .


That's a very intriguing comment since I am a very dedicated grouse and pheasant hunter in Michigan. Does the money spent on this bird go towards habitat?


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## Thirty pointer (Jan 1, 2015)

To my knowledge they plant jack pine which has to be in a certain stage of growth .When it gets too old it must be replaced .Even red squirrels can not use it .Lots of critters in bigger trouble than K W even the eastern box turtle once common is disappearing fast .


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

noley20 said:


> Hey guys, I'm looking for some information on the Kirtland Warbler for a research paper in my BIO 101 college course. If anyone has any information they know from experience about this bird, you may suggest articles or sources about the bird, and any other information that may be helpful in my paper. I appreciate any help I can get (even pictures) thanks ahead of time.


This is a MDNR website on the Kirkland's Warbler with some info. It has some links at the bottom of the page.

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_12145_12202-32591--,00.html


*This warbler makes its summer home and breeding grounds in the Jack Pine Forests of Michigan.*

http://www.nature.org/ourinitiative...explore/the-kirtlands-warbler-in-michigan.xml


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## Fishndude (Feb 22, 2003)

Thirty pointer said:


> To my knowledge they plant jack pine which has to be in a certain stage of growth .When it gets too old it must be replaced .Even red squirrels can not use it .Lots of critters in bigger trouble than K W even the eastern box turtle once common is disappearing fast .


While Kirtland's Warblers surely do love Jack Pines, I don't believe the State, or Feds have ever planted Jack Pines. They do controlled burns at times, which will cause Jack Pines to sprout. And, in areas that have Jack Pines, fire is all you really need to create the perfect KW habitat, in about 10 years. 

And, yes, Jack Pines are pretty much worthless, except as habitat for Kirtland's Warblers. Lousy firewood, and nothing eats them. And, following a hard fire, they create such a crowded dense
forest of short crappy trees, that most animals avoid the area. Except for the Warblers.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

Fishndude said:


> While Kirtland's Warblers surely do love Jack Pines, I don't believe the State, or Feds have ever planted Jack Pines. They do controlled burns at times, which will cause Jack Pines to sprout. And, in areas that have Jack Pines, fire is all you really need to create the perfect KW habitat, in about 10 years.
> 
> And, yes, Jack Pines are pretty much worthless, except as habitat for Kirtland's Warblers. Lousy firewood, and nothing eats them. And, following a hard fire, they create such a crowded dense
> forest of short crappy trees, that most animals avoid the area. Except for the Warblers.


The state and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does do a control burn, but it also does seeding and planting. There are 24 management areas in state and national forests. Since the Kirtland's Warbler nesting plan started, the Jack Pine stands are managed by logging, burning, seeding, and replanting on a rotational basis.

https://www.fws.gov/midwest/endangered/birds/Kirtland/kiwamgmt.html


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## James Dymond (Feb 23, 2002)

Fishndude said:


> While Kirtland's Warblers surely do love Jack Pines, I don't believe the State, or Feds have ever planted Jack Pines. They do controlled burns at times, which will cause Jack Pines to sprout. And, in areas that have Jack Pines, fire is all you really need to create the perfect KW habitat, in about 10 years.
> 
> And, yes, Jack Pines are pretty much worthless, except as habitat for Kirtland's Warblers. Lousy firewood, and nothing eats them. And, following a hard fire, they create such a crowded dense
> forest of short crappy trees, that most animals avoid the area. Except for the Warblers.




I trap coyotes in t


Fishndude said:


> While Kirtland's Warblers surely do love Jack Pines, I don't believe the State, or Feds have ever planted Jack Pines. They do controlled burns at times, which will cause Jack Pines to sprout. And, in areas that have Jack Pines, fire is all you really need to create the perfect KW habitat, in about 10 years.
> 
> And, yes, Jack Pines are pretty much worthless, except as habitat for Kirtland's Warblers. Lousy firewood, and nothing eats them. And, following a hard fire, they create such a crowded dense
> forest of short crappy trees, that most animals avoid the area. Except for the Warblers.



I trap coyotes in those pines. It is surprising how much game use the area. I see partridge often , the coyotes must get some food out of it. 

Jim


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## swampbuck (Dec 23, 2004)

The Mdnr and USFS plant a LOT of jackpine!

Several years ago the even got caught using DRIP funds to do it!


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## fowl (Feb 15, 2003)

I would suggest contacting the DNR for the most accurate info. Lots of misperceptions out there.


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## BoonDog (Feb 21, 2006)

Funny story seeing that Cowbird trap. While I was at Central studying Bio, we took a field trip to the KW preserve to learn about KW habitat, ecology, etc... When we came to one of the traps, the DNR staff told us how the Cowbirds would use the KW nest to put their eggs in and the KW would incubate them as they did not know the difference. To help the KW, they trap the Cowbirds to limit this behavior. So this little blonde snowflake of a hippy girl asks the DNR guy what they do with the trapped Cowbirds. I'll never forget this - he ponders for a second and says, "we perform thoracic compression until pulmonary cessation". A few of us that got it chuckled while the rest gave that tilted head impression of a dog that you are trying to talk to. Sensing the mass confusion, he then says, "we crush their chests until they stop breathing." The resulting looks were fantastic! Lol


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## James Dymond (Feb 23, 2002)

BoonDog said:


> Funny story seeing that Cowbird trap. While I was at Central studying Bio, we took a field trip to the KW preserve to learn about KW habitat, ecology, etc... When we came to one of the traps, the DNR staff told us how the Cowbirds would use the KW nest to put their eggs in and the KW would incubate them as they did not know the difference. To help the KW, they trap the Cowbirds to limit this behavior. So this little blonde snowflake of a hippy girl asks the DNR guy what they do with the trapped Cowbirds. I'll never forget this - he ponders for a second and says, "we perform thoracic compression until pulmonary cessation". A few of us that got it chuckled while the rest gave that tilted head impression of a dog that you are trying to talk to. Sensing the mass confusion, he then says, "we crush their chests until they stop breathing." The resulting looks were fantastic! Lol


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## James Dymond (Feb 23, 2002)

boondog: Did they explain how the trap worked?


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## BoonDog (Feb 21, 2006)

James Dymond said:


> boondog: Did they explain how the trap worked?


Hi James - they may have, but that was about 20 years ago so I honestly can't recall-sorry. However, I just googled Cowbird trap and a whole slew of info came up. Hope that helps!


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## Downsea (Apr 12, 2005)

You should've contacted the USFS in Mio by now for info. They would sit at the rear of a running pickup with a bag of cowbirds and jam one after another into the tailpipe for a few seconds. This was in the 70s and early 80s.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

BoonDog said:


> Funny story seeing that Cowbird trap. While I was at Central studying Bio, we took a field trip to the KW preserve to learn about KW habitat, ecology, etc... When we came to one of the traps, the DNR staff told us how the Cowbirds would use the KW nest to put their eggs in and the KW would incubate them as they did not know the difference. To help the KW, they trap the Cowbirds to limit this behavior. So this little blonde snowflake of a hippy girl asks the DNR guy what they do with the trapped Cowbirds. I'll never forget this - he ponders for a second and says, "we perform thoracic compression until pulmonary cessation". A few of us that got it chuckled while the rest gave that tilted head impression of a dog that you are trying to talk to. Sensing the mass confusion, he then says, "we crush their chests until they stop breathing." The resulting looks were fantastic! Lol


What a horrible thing to do! How inhumane!
Couldn't they sterilize the cute little birds and drive them to Ann Arbor. There they could be released to live out their happy little lives. The ditzes that live there could feed them while they poop on everyone's Priuses and Subarus.


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## noley20 (Dec 3, 2011)

Haha thx y'all for the help


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## ICEGUY (Aug 2, 2003)

Huron National Forest has them.


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## cedarlkDJ (Sep 2, 2002)

petronius said:


> Couldn't they sterilize the cute little birds and drive them to Ann Arbor. There they could be released to live out their happy little lives. The ditzes that live there could feed them while they poop on everyone's Priuses and Subarus.












An oldie classic......


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

The DNR and USFS both cut and replant Jack Pine on a large scale to maintain Kirtland Warbler habitat. I would like to plant those jobs but the contracts generally run at the million tree level for USFS or 6 million trees (per season) for the DNR, though much of those contracts would also include Red Pine plantings.

Red Squirrels like Jack Pine quite a bit as it sets one of the most reliable cone crops of all the Michigan conifers. And it has a highly persistent cone so there is always food on the tree for the Red Squirrels.

I personally like that managing for an Endangered Specie mandates regular timber harvest. Young timber is good for a lot of wildlife, at least until a Jack Pine monoculture site begins to shade out all other species. After a while a stand of Jack Pine will only be good for the KW, a few other conifer-seed using bird species, Red Squirrels, and the predators that hunt Red Squirrels. But the stands aren't allowed to get all that old before they are harvested and replanted due to the finicky nesting preferences of the KW.


I have been wondering for some time what is done for KW in their winter range, which I believe consists solely of the island of Bermuda in the middle of the Atlantic. I think the entire species cohort migrates there every winter. I have to wonder if the carrying capacity on Bermuda makes for any limiting factor in their overall abundance.

Overall I think the management of public lands for the Kirtland Warbler has been a basic conservation success story. If I wasn't so busy 7 days a week every spring I would like to hear one Warble, some day.


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## Petronius (Oct 13, 2010)

B.Jarvinen said:


> The DNR and USFS both cut and replant Jack Pine on a large scale to maintain Kirtland Warbler habitat. I would like to plant those jobs but the contracts generally run at the million tree level for USFS or 6 million trees (per season) for the DNR, though much of those contracts would also include Red Pine plantings.
> 
> Red Squirrels like Jack Pine quite a bit as it sets one of the most reliable cone crops of all the Michigan conifers. And it has a highly persistent cone so there is always food on the tree for the Red Squirrels.
> 
> ...


The Kirtland's Warbler are smart. They winter where it's warm in the Bahamas, not Bermuda.


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## B.Jarvinen (Jul 12, 2014)

Ahh, thanks. That is a much bigger range than just Bermuda.


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