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Index of Subjects This message is in MIME format. --=_367yqtglu20w Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello All, I could do with some help with the following bird ID question from a friend who is a beginning birder. Cheers, Pat On 07/01/2008, cgrandy@staff.ednet.ns.ca <cgrandy@staff.ednet.ns.ca > wrote: > > Hi Pat, > > Greg and I need your help. When we were walking in Manor Park this > morning we saw a bird we can't identify. We didn't get a clear look at > its body as it was in an evergreen tree flying around. It caught my > eye when it flew into the tree. It was about the size of a robin and > had a rusty red breast like a robin. But it had a bright white strip > under its beak going down its neck. It also had white narrow stripes > (maybe 2 on each side) on the sides of its head. I wish I'd had my > camera! Any ideas? > > I had a Norhtern Flicker at one of our suet cages this morning. I was > hoping he would go to your suet log but no luck. > > Take care, > Cathy Hello Cathy, Hmmm, you've got me stumped I'm afraid. There aren't too many birds the size of a Robin which have a rusty red breast, and I can't think of any that have the white facial markings you describe. Here are 3 vague possibilities that fit some of your criteria. 1. Bohemian Waxwing: This is a very pretty bird, but mainly a soft greyish brown. It does however have rusty red underneath its tail and chestnut bits on its face. It does have a white stripe from under the bill going downwards towards the neck. There is a hint of a thin white line underneath the eye. They usually travel in flocks however, so it would be slightly unusual to see only one. Their call note is unusual and quite distinctive - reminds me a bit of the noise made when a car's alternator belt is slipping. 2. Rose breasted Grosbeak - First winter male. (Your Peterson may not show this plumage (mine doesn't), I am looking at Sibley). This bird has a rusty red breast a bit like that of an adult Black-headed Grosbeak, and it has two bright white stripes on the side of its head, but not the white under the bill going down towards the neck. 3. Pine Grosbeak - adult male. This has the right colour, but not much white about the face, although as you have already seen in your photos earlier this winter, they can show more white than the text books credit them with! Of the 3, I am inclining towards the Waxwing. They have been present in numbers in the city this winter, and your description of the white lines seems to fit somewhat. My second choice would be the Pine Grosbeak, but only because I know that they have been around in numbers as well this winter. The Rose breasted Grosbeak has not been reported anything like as often as the other two species. I will forward this to another of my other birding friends to see if they have anything else to add. Cheers, Pat ----- End forwarded message ----- --=_367yqtglu20w Content-Type: text/html; charset=UTF-8 Content-Disposition: inline Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <br><span class="gmail_quote"><br></span><br><br><div><div><span class="e" id="q_11756d4bc5e994fb_1"><span class="gmail_quote">On 07/01/2008, <b class="gmail_sendername"><a href="mailto:cgrandy@staff.ednet.ns.ca" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)"> cgrandy@staff.ednet.ns.ca</a></b> <<a href="mailto:cgrandy@staff.ednet.ns.ca" target="_blank" onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)">cgrandy@staff.ednet.ns.ca </a>> wrote:</span><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Hi Pat,<br><br>Greg and I need your help. When we were walking in Manor Park this <br>morning we saw a bird we can't identify. We didn't get a clear look at<br>its body as it was in an evergreen tree flying around. It caught my<br>eye when it flew into the tree. It was about the size of a robin and <br>had a rusty red breast like a robin. But it had a bright white strip<br>under its beak going down its neck. It also had white narrow stripes<br>(maybe 2 on each side) on the sides of its head. I wish I'd had my<br> camera! Any ideas?<br><br>I had a Norhtern Flicker at one of our suet cages this morning. I was<br>hoping he would go to your suet log but no luck.<br><br>Take care,<br>Cathy</blockquote></span></div><div><br>Hello Cathy, <br><br>Hmmm, you've got me stumped I'm afraid. There aren't too many birds the size of a Robin which have a rusty red breast, and I can't think of any that have the white facial markings you describe. Here are 3 vague possibilities that fit some of your criteria. <br><br>1. Bohemian Waxwing: This is a very pretty bird, but mainly a soft greyish brown. It does however have rusty red underneath its tail and chestnut bits on its face. It does have a white stripe from under the bill going downwards towards the neck. There is a hint of a thin white line underneath the eye. They usually travel in flocks however, so it would be slightly unusual to see only one. Their call note is unusual and quite distinctive - reminds me a bit of the noise made when a car's alternator belt is slipping. <br><br>2. Rose breasted Grosbeak - First winter male. (Your Peterson may not show this plumage (mine doesn't), I am looking at Sibley). This bird has a rusty red breast a bit like that of an adult Black-headed Grosbeak, and it has two bright white stripes on the side of its head, but not the white under the bill going down towards the neck. <br><br>3. Pine Grosbeak - adult male. This has the right colour, but not much white about the face, although as you have already seen in your photos earlier this winter, they can show more white than the text books credit them with! <br><br>Of the 3, I am inclining towards the Waxwing. They have been present in numbers in the city this winter, and your description of the white lines seems to fit somewhat. My second choice would be the Pine Grosbeak, but only because I know that they have been around in numbers as well this winter. The Rose breasted Grosbeak has not been reported anything like as often as the other two species. <br><br>I will forward this to another of my other birding friends to see if they have anything else to add.<br><br>Cheers,<br>Pat<br></div><br></div><br> --=_367yqtglu20w--
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