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Re: Bird ID Help



Robin and C-Birders,

I intially thought bunting myself, but I am now more inclined to go with
Blue Grosbeak.  Two aspects leading me to this, that are not necessarily
clear from the photos are the size issue (as I said originally the bird was
almost 1.5x the length of a Swamp Sparrow seen next to it), and also, from
looking at Sibley's guide, the Blue Grosbeak shows streaking on the back,
where the buntings do not.  If you look at Picture 1, you can see streaking
barely (this is more clear on the slide itself...scanning loses some
resolution).  I don't know if this would be distinctive.  Any thoughts.

Steve Tracey
Columbia, SC
----- Original Message -----
From: Robin Carter <rcarter@sc.rr.com>
To: CarolinaBirds <carolinabirds@duke.edu>
Cc: Steven Tracey <steventracey@sprintmail.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 25, 2002 10:46 AM
Subject: Bird ID Help


> Hi C-Birders,
>
> Perhaps some of you will look at Steve's photos (see URL given below) and
> put in you two cents' worth about the identify of this bird seen near
> Columbia, SC. From Steve's description I thought that the bird might be a
> Blue Grosbeak. Now that I see the pictures I am inclined to think that it
> might be some other member of the genus Passerina, namely Painted Bunting.
> Bear in mind that Painted Buntings breed at Saluda Shoals Park. The bird
in
> Steve's photos looks too yellow or yellow-green to be either a Blue
Grosbeak
> or an Indigo Bunting. As for the sideways twitching of the tail, all
members
> of Passerina will do this.
>
> What say ye, C-Birders?
>
> Robin Carter
> Columbia, SC
> rcarter@sc.rr,com
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steven Tracey" <steventracey@sprintmail.com>
> To: "Robin Carter" <rcarter@sc.rr.com>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 25, 2002 10:30 AM
> Subject: Re: Bird ID Help
>
>
> > Robin,
> >
> > Thanks.  After your suggestion, I re-looked at Sibley's and noted
multiple
> > references to tail-wagging in the B.G.  Not sure how I missed this
> > originally.  I would certainly concur with your ID, and I have got my
> photos
> > back and while they are not especially good shots, they do seem to
confirm
> > your ID.  If you want to take a look, I posted them at
> > http://home.sprintmail.com/~steventracey/index.html , follow the "Latest
> > Outings Photos" link.
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Steve
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Robin Carter <rcarter@sc.rr.com>
> > To: Steven Tracey <steventracey@sprintmail.com>
> > Cc: Mike Turner <teebird1@sc.rr.com>; Lisa Baker <BAKERZONE@aol.com>;
Leah
> > Campbell <faeriemaiden@hotmail.com>; Julie Wilking <jwilking@scprt.com>;
> > Hodge <hodgejjr@earthlink.net>; Bob Ellis <Ellis29205@aol.com>; Bob Wood
> > <bobwood@ix.netcom.com>; Carol Kososki <CKososki@SCES.ORG>; Caroline
> Eastman
> > <ceastman@sc.rr.com>; Carroll Richard <cyrichard17@hotmail.com>; Cindy
> Woods
> > <Cindy.Woods@PalmettoHealth.org>; Dan Tufford <dtufford@bellsouth.net>;
> > Donna S. Bailey <dsbailey@conterra.com>; Heidi Hoerman <hoerman@sc.edu>;
> > Irvin Pitts <ipitts@prt.state.sc.us>; Jerry Griggs <griggs@math.sc.edu>;
> > John Cely <jcely@CLEMSON.EDU>; John Grego <grego@math.sc.edu>; Kathleen
> > O'Grady <katbird33@hotmail.com>; Lex Glover <bglvr@CLEMSON.EDU>; Steve
> > Dennis <stevecdennis@sc.rr.com>; Tim and Melanie Kalbach
> > <grebe@mindspring.com>; Tom Hankins <tomhankins@peoplepc.com>
> > Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2002 6:10 PM
> > Subject: Re: Bird ID Help
> >
> >
> > > Steve,
> > >
> > > I think that you might have seen a Blue Grosbeak, which is a rare but
> > > possible species in South Carolina in early winter. I remember in teh
> > 1970's
> > > that Robert Ridgeley found a Blue Grosbeak on a Durham, NC CBC. You
> could
> > go
> > > to the Christmas Bird Count website and search for records. I really
> think
> > > that is what you found.
> > >
> > > Robin Carter
> > > Columbia, SC
> > > rcarter@sc.rr.com
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Steven Tracey" <steventracey@sprintmail.com>
> > > To: "Carolinabirds" <carolinabirds@acpub.duke.edu>
> > > Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2002 4:31 PM
> > > Subject: Bird ID Help
> > >
> > >
> > > > I was hoping someone could help me with a bird ID.  I was at Saluda
> > Shoals
> > > > Park(Columbia) this morning and saw a bird in a wet section of
narrow
> > > power
> > > > line field that I am not sure of an ID.  It was initially in the
tall
> > > grass,
> > > > amongst numerous sparrows.  My initial thought upon seeing the bird
> was
> > a
> > > > female indigo/painted bunting.  The bird had a thick beak, and was
> solid
> > > > drab light olive/brown (I am fairly color blind so consider a wide
> range
> > > of
> > > > possibilities here).  No evidence of any streaking or color change
> > > anywhere
> > > > except the wings, which showed slightly darker, with possibly slight
> > > > evidence of wing-bars, although this was not a clear marking and may
> > have
> > > > just been seeing light reflections.  The bird had what I would best
> > > describe
> > > > as solid dark gray underside of the tail.  The tail was not
especially
> > > long,
> > > > and was a rounded "W" shape when viewed from underneath.  The bird
> > > > continually pumped its tail.  It wasn't the up and down motion seen
in
> > > Palm
> > > > Warblers but rather a side to side, even circular motion, with
> > occasional
> > > > slight fanning of the tail during the motion.  As I have said, I
> > initially
> > > > thought female bunting of some type, but what threw me off this was
> that
> > I
> > > > saw this bird about a foot away from a swamp sparrow in the same
> little
> > > weed
> > > > patch, and the bird was nearly 1.5 times as long as the swamp
sparrow.
> > I
> > > > followed the bird through the grass and it eventually went up into
the
> > > trees
> > > > along the edge of the power lines.  The bird had a "chip" type call,
> > what
> > > > seemed to me to be a little softer and less musical than a cardinal.
> > > Given
> > > > the time of year, the possibilities seem limited and I had
considered
> a
> > > > female cardinal missing crest feathers, but a number of the field
> > markings
> > > > seem to contradict this.  I have gone through what I guess are the
> other
> > > > possibilities: buntings, grosbeaks, tanagers, but none seem to be
> > > definitive
> > > > match to what I observed.  In the books I have, I didn't see any
> > reference
> > > > to tail pumping on any of these species and don't seem to remember
it
> in
> > > any
> > > > previous, more obvious sightings of these birds.  The good news is
> that
> > > this
> > > > bird was very tolerant of my presence and not very fidgety so I was
> able
> > > to
> > > > get numerous photos.  The bad news is I have slide film in my camera
> and
> > > > will be a while before I can get it processed.  So in the meantime,
if
> > you
> > > > have any suggestions to the ID of this bird I would appreciate it.
> > > >
> > > > Steve Tracey
> > > > Columbia, SC
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>