I may be over-thinking this, but... This bears striking similarity with Audubon's drawing of Townsend's Bunting Spiza townsendi, a bird which identity has never been fully elucidated, but possibly a hybrid between a Dickcissel and a Blue Grosbeak: http://archive.today/8vzJX.
This may be an opportunity to resolve a long standing ornithological mystery... Denis Lepage dlep...@bsc-eoc.org Senior Scientist, National Data Center Bird Studies Canada PO Box 160, Port Rowan, ON N0E 1M0 519-586-3531 x155 visit Avibase: http://avibase.bsc-eoc.org eBird Canada http://ebird.ca/ ----- Reply message ----- From: "Support" <supp...@bsc-eoc.org> To: "Denis Lepage" <dlep...@bsc-eoc.org> Subject: [Ontbirds] Dickcissel? at Prince Edward Point NWA Date: Wed, May 14, 2014 23:05 ------------------------------------------- From: ONTBIRDS on behalf of Kyle Blaney via ONTBIRDS[SMTP:BIRDALERT@ONTBIRDS.CA] Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 11:04:31 PM To: birdalert Subject: [Ontbirds] Dickcissel? at Prince Edward Point NWA Auto forwarded by a Rule I came across an odd bird today at Prince Edward Point National Wildlife Area. It had the white lower eye crescent and thin dark throat stripe of a dickcissel but unlike a dickcissel its head was gray without any hint of yellow and it appears to have a wingbar. Photos and a discussion of the bird are available on whatbird.com at http://www.whatbird.com/forum/index.php?/topic/119420-sparrowjunco-hybrid/. I initially thought the bird was a hybrid (white-throated sparrow X dark-eyed junco?) but others on whatbird.com have suggested that it looks more like a dickcissel. Does anyone have any comments or suggestions on an ID? Prince Edward Point NWA is at the end of Long Point Road in Prince Edward County, south of Picton. Kyle Blaney _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide _______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to birdalert@ontbirds.ca For information about ONTBIRDS including how to unsubscribe visit http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdssetup Posting guidelines can be found at http://www.ofo.ca/site/page/view/information.ontbirdsguide
