The Townsend’s Solitaire is a peculiar bird in that some of its population filters out from the pine, spruce, and fir of high altitude western mountain ranges into the Midwest each winter. Some of the population stays put in those mountain ranges, some birds migrate downslope, while others migrate south into Mexico. With the arrival of winter, this bird is driven by a berry—mainly the juniper berry. In western woodlands, this treat can be found on western, oneseed, and Rocky Mountain junipers; while the Midwestern offering includes the eastern red cedar.
Juniper berries are a fan favorite for this species. Photo by Andrew Reding FCC (taking in Bellingham, WA)
Though rare, potential spots to see this bird include Mississippi River bluffs and cedar glades in the Driftless region, and at Devil’s Lake. The Townsend’s Solitaire prefers steep slopes with a coniferous component, again, most often red cedar in Wisconsin. If the food source provides, Townsend’s Solitaires will occupy a territory on a winter range, and can often be heard singing their chaotic song on territory.
Like the windblown loess and sand transported from the Rocky Mountains thousands of years ago, the Townsend’s Solitaires in the Midwest migrate from those near-alpine environments to the prairies and savannas derived from those same soils. But, there’s more to this story.
The birds flock to cedar; red cedar is fire intolerant; it burns off and does not resprout if completely burned. Under our historic fire regime, very little area would remain on the landscape for red cedar to establish; those areas that did remain were mostly high and dry--in the habitat cedars prefer--and often buffered by a firebreak of exposed bedrock. Thus, habitat at Devil’s Lake or along the Niagara Escarpment presents a natural and logical place for Townsend’s Solitaires to overwinter.
Devil’s Lake in summer. Photo by Joshua Mayer
Yet, if you’re seeing Townsend’s Solitaires in southern Wisconsin outside of an area with exposed bedrock, you’re probably in a former dry prairie that has converted to cedar woodland. The engine of this conversion is fire suppression. So if you see this unusual western bird this winter, by all means, enjoy its cheery song and activity. Though the bird would dissent, it might be time to thin out the cedars and run a prescribed fire through the surrounding landscape.
Due to frequent fire at Faville Grove, we’ve reduced cedar in most of the sanctuary, but a few spots remain where you could conceivably find a Townsend’s Solitaire—and if you did find one, it might just indicate that the area needs a good prescribed burn.
Written by Drew Harry, Faville Grove Sanctuary land steward
Cover photo by Myles Hurlburt
