[obol] Fwd: Clark's Grebe and Common Tern, Broughton Beach, PDX

From: Beverly Hallberg <mapsout@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx" <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2014 10:44:08 -0700

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Irons <llsdirons@xxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, Oct 1, 2014 at 9:42 AM
Subject: RE: [obol] Clark's Grebe and Common Tern, Broughton Beach, PDX
To: "mapsout@xxxxxxxxxxx" <mapsout@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Greetings All,

I apologize for the incorrect conclusion that I offered on Beverly's grebe
after only looking at the photo on my phone. I had intended to take another
look at this photo on my computer when I got home from work and forgot to
do so. On my phone it looked like the eye was surrounded by dark
feathering, which clearly isn't the case when I look at a larger version of
the image on my computer monitor.

After looking at the bird more, I think it is a hybrid Western Grebe X
Clark's Grebe. In addition to the eye being totally surrounded by white
feathering (not really the case here), pure Clark's are also noticeably
paler on the flanks than a Western, they show a more yellow-orange bill (a
la an adult Western Gull) and the black along the hind neck is narrower
than it is in on a Western Grebe. The face pattern around the eye and the
bill color seem intermediate on this bird and the darkness of the flanks
and width of black on the hind neck seem more like what is shown by a
Western Grebe. Hybrids typically show an ambiguous dark/light pattern
around the eye, which this bird shows.

Dave Irons

------------------------------
Date: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 13:21:16 -0700
Subject: [obol] Clark's Grebe and Common Tern, Broughton Beach, PDX
From: mapsout@xxxxxxxxxxx
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

I was taking pictures of the Western Grebes at Broughton just on the water
near the sandbar with the gulls this morning around 11:30 am and spotted a
Clark's Grebe - unless you think this is a hybrid.  The photo is bad - the
bill is definitely more yellow compared to the dusky green bills on the
others.  Plus there is the white patch above the eye.  But I'm not seeing
any lighter flanks.  One Common Tern continues to fly back and forth near
the gulls.
Photos on flickr:
https://flic.kr/p/paVtkK
https://flic.kr/p/psnJqm

Beverly Hallberg

[obol] Fwd: Clark's Grebe and Common Tern, Broughton Beach, PDX

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