[obol] Re: Painted Bunting, Canary, Coincidence?

  • From: Jeff Gilligan <jeffgilligan10@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: matthewghunter@xxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2013 15:09:05 -0700

There may be a few instances of people trapping Painted Buntings, but the 
species is highly migratory, quite common,  has a history of vagrancy and has 
reached Oregon before, including an adult male once at Malheur NWR. North of 
the Mexican border I would think that trapping of Painted Buntings is very 
rare.  I would consider it a wild vagrant. The other bird looks like a domestic 
canary.  That it too was at the feeder is in my best guess likely a coincidence.

Jeff Gilligan




On Aug 29, 2013, at 5:20 PM, Matthew G Hunter <matthewghunter@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> HI Folks,
> 
> I'm not even sure how to start ... how 'bout the beginning....
> 
> I received an email from some considerate Salem folks letting me know that 
> ... 3rd hand they had received forwarded photos of a PAINTED BUNTING coming 
> to a feeder at a rural residence near Lookingglass (SW of Roseburg a few 
> miles). After about a day (which is pretty good considering there were 
> several links between me and the original observer), I was able to obtain 
> contact information for the original observer/homeowner. I went over there 
> today to see if the bird was still around. No bunting. Turns out they had 
> only seen it one morning a week or two ago, but I did see the feeder and 
> background shown in the bunting photo. Here is the homeowner's photo from 
> that morning (I hope to obtain more photos of the bunting from that morning):
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/matthewghunter/sets/72157635287515375/
> 
> I also learned when I was over there that another odd bird had shown up; a 
> very yellow bird (photos in same set as above). She said the whole bird was 
> that peachy yellow color. I was told "last spring"; the image data says 2 
> July 2012. She asked me what I thought those were. Unfortunately the photos 
> do not show the whole bird, and I was stumped. However, it dawned on me that 
> it just looks like a "Canary." No, not a goldfinch, a Canary, the common cage 
> bird. See what you think. The board the bird is sitting on/behind is a 2x6, 
> which would be 5 1/2 inches tall.
> 
> So this then led me to wonder ... a Canary in summer 2012.  A Painted Bunting 
> in summer 2013.  Painted Buntings are trapped and sold illegally here in the 
> U.S., I've read....  Could this indicate a bird breeder/seller near this area 
> that is loosing birds?
> 
> Any thoughts on the identity of the yellow bird? Is it a Canary? And if it is 
> a Canary, any thoughts on the coincidence of a Painted Bunting appearing at 
> the same residence one year later?
> 
> Matt Hunter
> Melrose, OR

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