[Birdnet] Possible Tricolored Blackbird in Holladay

Sun Mar 22 17:46:46 MDT 2009

I posted this message earlier, but the photo attachment may have thrown it into the black hole.  Sorry if this posts twice.

Hi Folks -

Although I have concluded that the possible Tricolored Blackbird is indeed a Red-winged Blackbird, I would like to respond to Tim's comments from Friday.

I see little prudence in an armchair assessment of a bird someone hasn't seen (and that is only 20 minutes away)and for which photos have not even been reviewed.  

I have no general disagreement with Tim's discourse on the propensity of various species to wander.  The information he provided on the four non-wandering songbirds piqued my interest in vagrant sightings.  My research produced some intriguing findings:
  a.. The South Polar Skuas migrate from Antarctica, where they nest, to North American waters where they stay from May to October.  Range maps indicate the skuas are quite true to our coastal waters; but, a vagrant was documented in North Dakota. 
  b.. While the Red-breasted Sapsucker is typically found in the western coastal states, one made it halfway across the country to Texas in 1996. 
  c.. Normally confined to the southwest, there have been at least three Bendire's Thrashers sightings in Canada. 
  d.. And the example which I find most germane to this discussion is Tim's very own Western Gull whose range mimics on a larger scale that of the Tricolored Blackbird.  Until 2006, as far as we know, a Western Gull had never wandered into Utah.  This sighting was approved as a first state record.
So, is it likely that a non-wandering bird will wander - no; but, is it impossible - no.  Wandering and non-wandering birds have wings and sometimes they just don't get the memo about staying in their specific areas.

Tim goes on to say that there are zero records from outside the Pacific time zone for the Tricolored Blackbird.  That's the whole point of this discussion - a possible first record outside the bird's usual range.  The number is always zero until the first such sighting occurs.  What am I missing here?

Tim next directs us to the Patuxent static map for the tricolored.  Check out the map for Tim's Western Gull:

http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/i0490id.html

As with the tricolored, zero sightings outside the Pacific time zone.

As with most of you, I can't imagine how many Red-winged Blackbirds I've seen through the years, but unlike Tim who has seen many with white median coverts, I have not seen one.  Some of the expert opinions Mark solicited suggested a plumage anomaly for the subject bird.

I have little field experience with tricoloreds (which was the trigger for my post), but I did have the good fortune of seeing a breeding colony in Klamath Falls a few years back.  Tim apparently has much more field experience.

Tim details the importance of documentation and I agree.  After taking field notes and photos, calling in three other observers and attempting to record the bird's song, I went home and studied until long past midnight.  I had books open all over my office, the web going full bore and was on the phone with two respected and trusted birding friends, one of whom called in an expert from Oregon.

My decision to post this sighting did not come easily.  I really struggled because I didn't want to deal with this kind of backlash.  But believe me - if my fifty-something year old brain can retain even half of the tricolored information I have stuffed into it in the past few days - I'll be ready next time around.  I may just get a chance at the Godwit Festival in Arcata next month.

Tim - your disclaimer that maybe you are dead wrong doesn't lessen the sting of a slap in the face.  And as to your invitation to keep the reports coming - I'm not inclined knowing that you are out there lurking and ready to strike.  Makes me think of the line from the old children's poem - "Will you walk into my parlor?" said the spider to the fly...

You all might find it interesting to know that there is a tricolored sighting currently pending before the Idaho Rare Birds Committee.  Here's the link:

http://www.idahobirds.net/ibrc/archive/Review_Records/Tricolored%20Blackbird/1-A-07/Wiegand.html

Finally, Jack Binch took a wonderful photo of "my" bird.  If the attachment doesn't come through, I'll send it to Milt to post.

I'm done.  Good birding to all.

Pomera

----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Tim Avery 
  To: birdnet at utahbirds.org ; birdtalk at utahbirds.org 
  Sent: Friday, March 20, 2009 12:09 AM
  Subject: [Birdnet] RE: Possible Tricolored Blackbird in Holladay

  Pomera, et, all,

  I am going to look like the young curmudgeon, if there can be such a thing, and go out on a limb (not too far) and venture that thee bird you saw is a Red-winged Blackbird. 

  There are hundreds of species of birds in North American that are known to wander during migration, the winter, the spring, post-breeding, the fall, etc.  Some species wander very short distances, and others can cover hundreds if not thousands of miles out of their typical range.  These birds could be expected, or even fantasized to show up at any number of odd locations, based off patterns of vagrancy and sheer dumb luck.  Take for instance a Magnificent Frigatebird in Juab County... Or a Whip-poor-will in Cache County (believe that one boggles my mind every time I think about it).  Those could be called dumb luck.  Or perhaps we could go with jaegers, or warblers, or tanagers, or sparrows.  These species have wide ranging migration patterns, and tend to be seen away from their typical ranges are a much higher frequency that the previous 2 species mentioned.  These would be birds that some expect every year, like Blackpoll Warbler, or Parasitic Jaeger in Utah.  Although for many species if not most, there isn't an exact science to predicting a species showing up, there can be some degree of guesswork along with historical data that can be used to work at finding such species.  We know that jaegers migrate south between July and November, and Utah has a number of September and October sightings.  So the best time to look for a jaeger in Utah would be in September or October.  Or we know that the month of September is usually the best month for vagrant southbound migrant warblers in Utah, so spending some time at migrant traps in the fall is a good way to increase your odds of finding a rare warbler.  

  Then there are species that just do not wander.  Take for instance Gunnison Sage-Grouse, White-tailed Ptarmigan, or Himalayan Snowcock.  Okay those really aren't fair examples, as they are all game birds and well, their ranges are very limited, and habitat specific.  But none-the-less, you arent going to find a ptarmigan at Brighton, or Sundance... You get my drift.  So lets use some more realistic songbird examples, like LeConte's Thrasher, Olive Warbler, Seaside Sparrow, and Tricolored Blackbird.  Most of us in Utah probably haven't seen any of these species--definitely not in Utah anyways.  If you have gone to the east coast, or Florida, Louisiana or Texas along the gulf, you have probably seen Seaside Sparrow. If you had spent time in the mountains of southeast Arizona you probably have Olive Warbler on your life list.  And if you've been lucky to come across a LeConte's Thrasher in the deserts of Arizona, Nevada or California--you may have seen a LeConte's Thrasher  (or you are one of the lucky few who has come across this species in Utah.  I think Merrill Webb is in this exclusive club--I still have high hopes for myself!).  And if you have spent time in any marshes throughout California you have probably seen a Tricolored Blackbird.  You may have even come across one in southern Oregon, or extreme western Nevada.  These species have very specific habitat, climate, food, biological characteristics that limit their range to very specific areas.

  Tricolored may wander too the north a bit, and too the south a  bit, and even just a tidge east.  But there are ZERO records from outside the Pacific Time Zone for the very reason, that this species just does not wander.  Here is a link to the eBird map for Tricolored Blackbird (its flash):

  http://tinyurl.com/cr7f6n

  If you couldn't view that click on the following for a static map:

  http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/id/framlst/CBCMap/ra5000.gif

  The one location I would imagine this species could potentially show up in Utah would be in Washington County (mind you I also imagine that Pyrrhuloxia, Greater Pewee, and Hepatic Tanager along with a  number of other species "could" show up down there).  But even that would be a long shot.  Besides the vagrancy issue, plumage can be a tricky boat.  I can't count the number of Red-winged Blackbirds I have seen that have had white median coverts.  Depending on how worn the feathers are or even based off of some defect, white median coverts are not out of range for a Red-winged Blackbird.  Here are some pictures, I only have one that had whitish coverts but...

  http://www.timaverybirding.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=87

  With that said, I applaud Pomera for her report.  And since I didn't see the bird, I cant comment on its appearance, or song, etc  of the individual, I just wanted to provide a little input on the scientific side of things.  With any vagrant species, careful observation and field notes, along with photographic, video or recorded evidence is always helpful in ID'ing these birds.  Pomera has her fair share of rarities under her belt ;)

  And who knows, maybe I am dead wrong on this... It wouldn't be the first time--nor will it be the last!  

  Good Birding and KEEP THOSE REPORTS COMING!

  Tim

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