The oriole was seen today (2/4) intermittently at mid-day, on back-yard feeder with orange peels.
Rick Cech, Emily Peyton, Fritz Mueller From: bounce-121208517-3714...@list.cornell.edu [mailto:bounce-121208517-3714...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Barry E. Blust Sent: Saturday, February 04, 2017 2:09 PM To: 'NYSBIRDS' <NYSBIRDS-L@cornell.edu> Subject: RE: [ebirdsnyc] Re: [nysbirds-l] Red-necked Grebe on CPk Reservoir probably is a bird released by WBF on Wednesday Larry et al, I live in southeast PA, about an hour away for the Black-backed Oriole which I was lucky enough to see yesterday afternoon. Below are a couple of postings from the PABirds Listserv that have mentioned the pedigree issue of the bird. The ongoing discussion and reports of the bird can be found here: http://birding.aba.org/maillist/PA01 Barry E. Blust 21 Rabbit Run Lane Glenmoore, PA Upper Uwchlan Township, Chester County <mailto:barrybl...@comcast.net> barrybl...@comcast.net "When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." -- John Muir =============================== Subject: Black-backed Oriole. Berks county Date: Fri Feb 3 2017 11:20 am From: scottweidensaul AT verizon.net While this is an exciting sighting, I think it's important to realize that this is a species that shows only limited, mostly altitudinal migratory behavior in its natural range in Mexico, and like most orioles is routinely kept there as a cage bird (and thus, perhaps, illegally north of the border as well). I think PORC is going to have its hands full trying to suss out the provenance of this bird. Scott Weidensaul Schuylkill Haven, PA =============================== From: Bird discussion list for Pennsylvania <pabi...@list.audubon.org <mailto:pabi...@list.audubon.org> > on behalf of Geoff Malosh <pomar...@earthlink.net <mailto:pomar...@earthlink.net> > Sent: Friday, February 3, 2017 3:28 PM To: pabi...@list.audubon.org <mailto:pabi...@list.audubon.org> Subject: Re: [PABIRDS] Black-backed Oriole. Berks county Jerald and all, Along with the difficulties Scott Weidensaul already mentioned about this species (primarily altitudinal migrant, endemic to central Mexico, not known to wander widely, commonly kept in captivity at least in Mexico) is the fact that it's an adult male -- precisely the age/sex one would most expect for an escaped or released cage bird. If this were a young-of-the-year bird (probably more likely to "get lost" and while also less likely to have been shuttled up here illegally) it would be a different story. Of course, if it was a young bird it would probably be passed off as a Bullock's or a hybrid, ha ha! The truth is that there is no way to prove that this bird is wild. Unless it's directly shown somehow to be an escaped captive (which *is* provable in certain cases), ultimately the provenance of this bird is unknowable. So it will be up to every individual birder's own subjective judgment and philosophy to decide whether this bird "counts". The Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee, and indeed the ABA Checklist Committee, will likewise be forced to make an entirely subjective judgment on the record according to nothing more than their own personal philosophies and intuition. That's simply the way it is with birds like this -- there's no way to know for sure. So my advice would be this: if you would like a chance to see a free-flying Black-backed Oriole and not have to travel to central Mexico to do it, then go see this bird and enjoy it, and don't get too caught up in the unknowable question of whether it "counts". In the end, everyone's lists are their own. Good birding, Geoff Malosh Allegheny County (PS - my guess is this bird isn't going to "count". I'll probably go try to see it at some point anyway.) =============================== From: bounce-121208407-77645...@list.cornell.edu <mailto:bounce-121208407-77645...@list.cornell.edu> [mailto:bounce-121208407-77645...@list.cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Larry Trachtenberg Sent: Saturday, February 4, 2017 12:45 PM To: Anders Peltomaa Cc: Ethan Goodman; NYSBIRDS; EBirds NYC Subject: Re: [ebirdsnyc] Re: [nysbirds-l] Red-necked Grebe on CPk Reservoir probably is a bird released by WBF on Wednesday Tangentially related, and not that I would chase it, but was curious if there are any thoughts on the pedigree of the Black backed oriole being seen at a feeder in Berks County PA (near Reading)? If accepted I understand it would be a first North American ABA record. L. Trachtenberg Ossining Beautiful adult red shouldered hawk perched low right at entrance to croton point park this a.m. Sent from my iPhone -- NYSbirds-L List Info: <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave Archives: The Mail Archive <http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> Surfbirds <http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01> ABA Please submit your observations to <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/> eBird! -- -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES.htm http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NY01 Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
