Ontbirds subscribers,
Yesterday, on a tip from a friend (who prefers to remain anonymous for now), I
checked and confirmed the presence of a Phainopepla in a residential
subdivision in south Brampton.
Let me preface this by saying that this is a quiet subdivision with many senior
residents, so I believe it would be in the birding community's interest to try
to be good ambassadors for our hobby when searching for this bird. Parking is
limited in the area (so be sure not to block driveways), and views into area
backyards are not easily possible (nor ultimately necessary). It can be found
by staying on local sidewalks. This bird has already been adequately and amply
photo-documented, so walking around this neighbourhood with long telephoto
lenses and cameras is something I think can be deemed an unnecessary intrusion
on the residents of this subdivision. Spotting scopes would also seem
unnecessary and are probably best left in the car as well. The experience in
this instance will likely dictate whether I ever report future rarities via
Ontbirds, so observers have a personal interest in trying to keep our impact on
local residents as benign as possible please.
The bird in question is a male near the end of transition to first basic
plumage. The head, nape, breast and shoulders are entirely glossy-black, with
the belly, flanks and undertail retaining much of the brownish-gray juvenal
plumage. The irides are carmine red. The striking white flash of the primaries
is readily visible, even at great distance (although a little less bright white
than in adult males). It will be helpful to know the call of this species, as
the bird was fairly vocal when I observed it yesterday. The bird has been
present since at least Monday morning when it was initially discovered. It is
typically seen flying from house to house feeding on berries in the various
trees and bushes of front yards, so I will not centre out any particular
address, so as not to encourage vigils in front of any particular house. While
I watched the bird, it was seen concentrating on feeding on berries in barberry
bushes, juniper, wild grape and mountain-ash (in that order) - there would
easily appear to be adequate food for it for some time.
>From the corner of Dixie Rd. and Steeles Ave. E. in Brampton, go north on
>Dixie Rd. Turn right (east) at the second street after going under the railway
>bridge, which is Birchbank Rd. Take Birchbank Rd. east to Avondale Blvd. Turn
>left (north) on Avondale Blvd. Continue north on Avondale Blvd. to Addington
>Crescent (the third right turn north of Birchbank Rd.). Turn right onto
>Addington Crescent. The bird was readily seen in front yards on the east-west
>portion of Addington Crescent.
Good luck in finding this striking rarity.
Glenn Coady
Whitby
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