Might these be some type of exotic finch that has escaped from captivity? One thing that has me wondering is that about a month ago I received a note via the website from a lady on Greenwood Rd. in Ames who had a blue bird coming to their feeder. The comment was: "The only visual match we could find for this bird was a yellow billed blue finch which I read is native to S.America. Is it an escaped domestic bird?" I'm wondering if there has been a release of some caged birds in Ames. Jim, is this the same general area?
At any rate, a photo would be useful to sort it all out. It is certainly long past time (record late date is Apr 9) for Snow Buntings to be in Iowa. Ann Johnson Norwalk -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim Murdock Sent: Wednesday, June 01, 2011 11:07 AM To: IA-BIRD Subject: [ia-bird] 4 Snow Buntings--Ames--photographer needed A friend took me this morning to her neighbor's yard in Ames where she said there had been four snow buntings for some time (I think she said two weeks). I saw two of the birds (not at the same time, but they looked slightly different). I'll describe them below. My friend will ask the neighbors if they will give permission for a photographer to come. If this is as unusual as it seems, there should be a record of it. I will reveal the address to the first Ames (or nearby) birder with a good camera who contacts me, if the permission is given. The birds I saw seemed to be in winter plumage according to the pictures in Kaufman. (I have not had time to check Sibley or other books.) Beak was orange and conical, thick at the base like the summer male in Kaufman (but the summer male's beak is black). Head was mostly light brown with an indistinct white eye line. Back was light brown on one bird, light brown at the top and white below on the other. Wings were light brown with large white patch. Undersides were white. Tail was white on the edges, and I did not get a good look at the center feathers. One was eating sunflower seeds that had been scattered on the ground. One was perched in a bush near a House Sparrow. The question of a partially albino House Sparrow or other species seems to be ruled out by the reported presence of four birds. ------------------------- Jim Murdock Dept. of Mathematics (emeritus) Iowa State University Ames, IA 50011 [email protected] or [email protected] --- Please contribute your sightings to our list; it is only as good as members make it! --- Birding channel recommendation for FRS/GMRS radio use: Primary selection; channel 5/0 , alternate selection; channel 6/0 --- This mailing list is sponsored by the Iowa Ornithologists' Union. Membership available on-line at http://www.iowabirds.org/iou/membership.asp. ----- You are currently subscribed to ia-bird as: [email protected]
