[obol] Early heard-only Swainson's Thrush reports
- From: Joel Geier <joel.geier@xxxxxxxx>
- To: Oregon Birders OnLine <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Wed, 09 Apr 2014 23:57:33 -0700
Hi all,
Though it's anyone's guess whether the person(s) who posted the two
reports of early Swainson's Thrushes in Benton County even pay attention
to OBOL ....
Two common species that can generate false reports of "heard-only
Swainson's Thrushes" are Song Sparrow and Brown-headed Cowbird. Both of
them can give notes that sound very much like the "water drop" call note
of a Swainson's Thrush.
There have not been any reports of Swainson's Thrush so far on the
mid-Willamette Valley birding list, which includes a large proportion of
the active birders in Benton County.
However, after I posted the expected Corvallis migrant timetable for
April to that list, I did get a note from one birder who thought they
had heard a Swainson's Thrush, and then had noticed that their possible
observation didn't fit with the phenology.
Considering that some birders now post reports straight from the field
on mobile devices, I wouldn't be surprised if that report had already
gone into eBird, and could thus be the source of at least one of the
reports that Tim Rodenkirk noticed in the daily alert. I also wouldn't
be surprised if that report has been retracted by now.
Turning to "seen and heard" birds, today I finally saw my first
BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER of the season, after hearing what sounded
like one singing yesterday. This was hanging out in a cherry tree with a
couple of Orange-crowned Warblers.
Back in the realm of "real or imagined" heard-only birds, I heard what
sounded like a flock of GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE flying over outside
the window, as I was typing up this note.
Happy migration,
Joel
P.S. Not to start a rumor or anything, but while browsing OBOL I noticed
something about a Lesser Black-backed Gull at Yaquina Bay ... ;-)
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
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