FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Re: a rare crow

[<thegeorges@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Apparently such white-marked crows are not unheard of. Sibley includes a
drawing of one on page 360 of his Guide to Birds writing that "individuals
with variable white wing-patches are rare but regular." I saw once such bird
at Huntley Meadows about a year ago.

Albest,
Philip B. George
Arlington, VA 

> From: "David S. Jackson" <djackson@xxxxxxx>
> Reply-To: djackson@xxxxxxx
> Date: Mon, 08 Apr 2002 11:16:28 -0700
> To: va-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [va-bird] a rare crow
> 
> 
> My wife and I had good looks yesterday at a bird we didn't previously
> know even existed. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught the flash of
> white from a sizable black bird in flight and turned to look at what I
> expected to be a pileated woodpecker, a long-familiar and always welcome
> visitor. The bird then flew to the ground about fifty yards away and
> posed in profile. I stared in disbelief, knowing I was seeing a crow,
> not a pileated woodpecker. Even without field glasses, I could see a
> thin white line along the primaries, making this bird identifiable at
> rest.
> 
> After posing for a minute or so, the bird then flew almost directly at
> us, passing within twenty feet before wheeling to land in a neighboring
> driveway, joining a couple of normal American crows already there. They
> were all of essentially identical size, with identical heads, etc --
> only differing in the thin white line this bird showed in its primaries.
> The bird posed for another minute or so, before flying near us again,
> then angling off to land well up in a tree already accommodating a dozen
> or so crows. The bird was silent throughout the five or so minutes we
> observed it.
> 
> I was amazed by the amount of white I was seeing, spanning primaries and
> secondaries, but seemingly not reaching the wing tips anywhere. It's a
> distinct linear feature, with the long dimension along the wing -- like
> an island of white floating in a black sea. Sibley says "individuals
> with variable white wing-patches are rare but regular." His drawing (p.
> 360) doesn't do justice to the amount, intensity, or geometry of white I
> saw, but it's reasonably close. I imagine that with a variant like this,
> individual birds may differ considerably.
> 
> I returned to the spot this morning, but couldn't find the bird among
> the two dozen or so crows nearby. I am hopeful it was more than just a
> weekend visitor and will return. This area -- Pimmit Run stream valley
> -- has had a resident flock of 100 or so crows all winter. Specifically,
> the location was the edge of woods, bordering the the cul-de-sac at the
> end of Beverly Street in McLean (not to be confused with the street of
> the same name in the heart of McLean; these two streets are unrelated;
> hey, this isn't Arlington), which is also the entrance to Kent Gardens
> Park. The crows spread out along the stream, for at least a half mile in
> each direction. There's a nice hiking trailing running along the stream.
> 
> Living half a mile away, I visit this area daily for a hike of several
> miles. So I will be looking, and will post any further sightings of this
> crow.
> 
> I'll be happy to post directions if anyone wants them.
> 
> Dave Jackson
> 
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