[obol] Re: South beach wagtail report
- From: Jeff Gilligan <jeffgilligan10@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: joel.geier@xxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 27 Nov 2013 09:53:26 -0700
The four pale Varied Thrush theory occurred to me as well. I have seen very
few of those in my life, so the odds are slim that there would be four
together.
I have seen White Wagtails land on the tops of small bushes in open country. I
never said that they never land on trees, just that of the large number I have
seen have not done so. They land on roof, poles, etc.
White Wagtails often are in towns, and there is even an Oregon record of one
that was photographed on a lawn in North Bend.
True - wagtails wagging their tails is something that one would have been
expected to have been reported.
The bottom line from my stand point though is similar to Dave Irons'.
I would be happy to be shown that they were wagtails, but I think it is
extremely unlikely.
Jeff Gilligan
On Nov 27, 2013, at 8:30 AM, Joel Geier <joel.geier@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> There are certainly valid reasons to wonder if this report is correct.
> Here are a few thoughts which I'm sure will not resolve anyone's doubts,
> but will hopefully put the issues in perspective.
>
> I'm coming at this from three years of residence -- plus enough return
> trips to count for at least another year of my life -- in countries
> where White Wagtails are familiar species, known to every school kid.
>
> Issue #1: Four wagtails together would be unprecedented in North America
> south of Alaska.
>
> Certainly. Wagtails are extremely rare in the lower 48, and the odds of
> four of them show up must be even less. However, White Wagtails do
> migrate in small flocks. And birds that migrate in flocks can get lost
> in flocks.
>
> Issue #2: Perching in trees or bushes seems uncharacteristic of the
> species.
>
> This is incorrect. Perching in trees or bushes is not stereotypical
> behavior for White Wagtails, but it's something that you will see them
> do if you watch them frequently enough (though perhaps not in situations
> where people go to look for them in North America, where there are just
> not many trees around).
>
> Issue #3: The birds were described as "slightly" smaller than Steller's
> Jay.
>
> I would personally not make too much out of the single word "slightly"
> in a second-hand report that was conveyed by telephone, even though
> Range is more skilled than most of us would be at passing on such
> reports. The report also indicates that the observer wasn't really
> paying attention to relative size. I agree that wagtails should look
> *much* smaller than a Steller's Jay in terms of bulk -- they are slim,
> elegant birds. However, if the observer was thinking in terms of length,
> the difference is only about 35%.
>
> Issue #4: The birds were described as "interacting" with a Steller's
> Jay.
>
> This is a non-issue. The word "interacting" could mean practically
> anything. Here I'd like to share some amusing stories of Steller's Jays
> in our driveway "interacting" with everything from juncos to our
> domestic chickens, but that would make this posting far too long.
> Bottom-line, Steller's Jays are aggressive and rascally birds that will
> either pester or intimidate practically any other bird that they
> encountered in a shared-resource situation.
>
> Issue #5: No one has raised this yet, but wagtails have a very
> distinctive action.
>
> My suggestion is that Range could try to prompt the observer for a
> description of how the birds behaved and moved about. That could be
> informative, and is something to think about for any wagtail report.
>
> Issue #6: The birds were reported by a single observer in a location
> along a private drive that no one else can get to.
>
> If these birds were really wagtails, that hardly matters -- they will
> most likely move on and never be seen in the same place again. At least,
> that seems to be the track record for wagtails in Oregon.
>
> If they were not wagtails, but some other uncommon/rare species (I can't
> imagine what), they might also not be seen again. However, if they were
> something more expected, there's a good chance they will show up again
> at the same bird bath, and the observer will have a chance to make a
> more informed identification.
>
> Issue #7: What the heck else could they be?
>
> The mention of a black bib in the original description does rule out
> Gray Jay. That is a very distinctive feature on wagtails and it doesn't
> seem like something that would be mentioned if it wasn't observed.
>
> The only other "regular" birds I can think of that fit the description
> of the pattern of black/gray markings are Black-throated Gray Warblers
> (*much* smaller than Steller's Jays) and Varied Thrush.
>
> Four pale-phase Varied Thrushes might be even more improbable than four
> White Wagtails, but it certainly would be interesting. However, even
> regular orange-phase Varied Thrushes have been known to throw casual
> birdwatchers for loops.
>
> Not knowing anything whatsoever about the experience level of the
> observer (except the mention that he had never seen wagtails), I am not
> going to speculate about probabilities of this type of
> misidentification.
>
> However (see Issue #6) if this is such a case, we could well find out
> eventually. In the meantime, hopefully this report has given everyone an
> opportunity to study the wagtail page in their field guide, and to
> realize that they do sometimes perch in trees and shrubs. It's always
> good to be ready for the unexpected, especially with species like this
> that seldom give a second chance when they show up in Oregon.
>
> Good birding,
> Joel
>
> --
> Joel Geier
> Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
>
>
>
>
>
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