FreeLists / va-richmond-general / [va-richmond-general] Re: Help with Bird ID: a bit more info

["Bob Reilly" <rjreilly@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Diane,

Yes, some phoebe's can have relatively faint white wingbars, often tinged buffy 
in first-year birds.

Bob
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Diane Bumpass 
  To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2005 8:50 PM
  Subject: [va-richmond-general] Help with Bird ID: a bit more info


  I failed to mention that the bird had white wing bars.  They weren't wide, 
but that's why I said wood peewee instead of phoebe.  Do phoebe's have bits of 
white in the wings?  The bird faced me head on the entire time I watched him, 
so I didn't see his tail (thought I was hoping to observe this).  He made not a 
peep.
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: botnizn@xxxxxxx 
    To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    Sent: Wednesday, December 21, 2005 8:21 PM
    Subject: [va-richmond-general] Re: Help with Bird ID


    did you notice any interesting behavior as the bird was perched? if it was 
a phoebe as Larry predicted, it should have been wagging  its tail up and down 
while perched. did you hear it call?
    kristi
     
    -----Original Message-----
    From: Diane Bumpass <dbumpass@xxxxxxx>
    To: va-richmond-general@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
    Sent: Wed, 21 Dec 2005 15:18:39 -0500
    Subject: [va-richmond-general] Help with Bird ID


    Today in the James River Park I saw a bird who looked a lot like a wood 
peewee, but my bird guide indicates that flycatchers aren't in this area in 
winter.  He looked a bit larger than the flycatcher sizes listed in my guide, 
maybe as large as a robin.  Many flycatchers seemed to have some yellow, but I 
saw no yellow.  He had a beautiful, broad white breast and throat.  His bill 
was narrow and dark.  The books indicated a light lower bill, but I wasn't able 
to see any lighter color there.  His eyes were dark and I didn't see an eye 
ring.  His back and the top of his head were medium gray.  He had a long, 
narrow tail.  I thought I saw horizontal stripes (a dark black stripe about two 
inches from the bottom), but I'm not sure it wasn't a shadow.