Hello, Birders. Thanks to David Waltman and others for their discussion of the Boulder County wren. David says: > The bird sang and called, but I don't trust my memory > and skills enough to use the vocalizations to be sure > about which race (species after the split) this bird is. Maybe somebody's mentioned this already, but I can't recall. Anyhow, there is a wonderful summary--with excellent, and easily downloaded, soundfiles--at Nathan Pieplow's blog. Here are the call notes of the two "species": http://earbirding.com/blog/archives/774 And here are their songs: http://earbirding.com/blog/archives/826 Definitely, listen to these recordings, before you head out for the wren. (After you check your lat./long. coordinates!) As to David's photos, I agree that the bird looks like an Eastern/Winter Wren, not a Pacific Wren. Even with the caveats about photographic artifacts--and those are certainly important--I'd still learn Eastern/Winter, not Pacific. But do bear two things in mind: 1. These two species look similar! The illustrations in Sibley--which several folks have referenced--are best thought of as "good" or "typical" birds for their respective "species." But there are plenty of individuals that are not as "well-behaved," if you will, in terms of how they appear. Vocalizations, not plumage, are the key point of distinction between the two "species." 2. Going all the way back to the original observation, recall that there were likely two wrens in there. That complicates things a little. Still, if you hear the bird vocalizing, you're in pretty good shape. The calls are widely regarded to be distinctive, and I would say the songs are also distinctive. I didn't actually hear the bird sing, but apparently others have? Fun stuff, for sure, and a great learning experience. By the way, Paul Hess will be covering the Pacific Wren story in "News and Notes" in the March 2010 issue of Birding, so stay tuned... -------------------------------
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