I could stop over. I'm outside of Ames about 15 minutes and have telephoto equipment. Call any time: 515-451-3881
Joe Monahan Boone County On Wed, Jun 1, 2011 at 11:06 AM, Jim Murdock <[email protected]> wrote: > 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] > --- 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]
