The remaining two pairs were only feeding two young on the day following the departure
of the young from the nest. Similarly, of two black-throated green pairs (one in 1956, one in 1957) where young could be followed, one kept all four young alive and the second only raised two of the fledged four. It was difficult to determine
the number of young the parents were feeding.It was also difficult to be at the nest site when the young left the nest to determine the number of fledged young. Consequently, no more observations suitable to report were made. When the
young leave the nest, they fly to nearby trees quite independently of one another and apparently never return to the nest. The result is that within a few hours the young are widely scattered. In this condition they are very susceptible to predators and exposure, and should one fly when its parents were not nearby, it would rapidly
starve. Normally, the young only fly or chatter loudly when a parent with food is calling nearby, and the parents seem remarkably good at remembering where the young have gone. At best, however, this is a very dangerous period. It is of some interest to note that adult warblers will feed not only young of other birds of their own
species but also of other species. Skutch (1954) reviewed several published cases of this. Hence, when a wood is densely settled with warblers, the members of a large clutch might have a better chance of surviving, the straying young being fed
by neighbors. This high density is, of course, the situation which obtains during a budworm outbreak when bay-breasted and Cape May warblers are so successful.