Possibly a case of partial albinism? -----Original Message----- From: Chris Mansfield [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 11:29 PM To: [email protected]; [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: [mou] Wood Lake bizarre warbler photos
http://198.174.119.50/tmp/20031002/index.html Today (Oct. 2) Ben Hopland and I finally refound and photographed this bird. It has been extremely secretive and difficult to see, let alone photograph. It flies seldom, preferring to creep through the undergrowth. I've seen it hop but not walk. It's never vocalized. It was no longer associating with any other birds (was loosely with Yellow-rumped, Orange-crowned, and Nashville Warbler flock at first sighting on Sept. 30). The close-up, stable views afforded by the photos expose some errors in my original description of the bird: the black marks on the flight feathers include inner primaries on the right side of the bird, at least. And the photos show that there are some small dark markings on the bird's back as well; these were not visible to me in very brief looks with 7x35 binoculars in field conditions. Unfortunately none of the photographs include a good look at the tail. Not that we did not try! The flash photo shows good detail, but the natural-light photos, blurry though they are, convey the bird's colors more accurately. I'd appreciate hearing from anyone else who sees this bird, and of course from anyone who can clue me in more to a species ID. Has anyone seen or heard of anything similar? When we took a break from our vigil and ventured east into the warm sun of the Prairie Trail, we were rewarded by three or more Purple Finches (male singing from the very tall cottonwood near the viewing platform, and at least two females) and a Rusty Blackbird (same cottonwood, with a few Red-winged Blackbirds). A snipe flew overhead, and Lincoln's, Swamp, and White-throated Sparrows scattered all over the paths. Lots of life out there in the marsh, but very little at our ghost-bird stakeout in the woods. At least it's finally recognizably documented, after many frustrating attempts. Chris Mansfield Richfield, Hennepin Co. [email protected] (612) 281-0310 __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product search http://shopping.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ mou-net mailing list [email protected] http://cbs.umn.edu/mailman/listinfo/mou-net
