Hi all,
This morning a finch with entirely white plumage was flying around in a
Christmas tree farm along Airlie Rd., about 3 miles west of Hwy 99W.
When I first saw it It was feeding in a weedy area in close proximity to
three different kinds of finches (American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch,
and House Finch) plus White-crowned Sparrows and Chipping Sparrows. It
was handy to have all of these birds there to compare shapes; with an
all-white bird, there's not much else to go on!
In terms of general proportions, size, and bill shape it looked most
like the American Goldfinches. When it finally flew, it went with a
flock of about 8 American Goldfinches and had the same undulating style
of flight.
I saw the white goldfinch and its flock a couple more times while I was
out there, roaming over a wide area (a quarter mile or more). So if you
happen to be driving along Airlie Rd. and keep your eyes open, you might
get to see this very striking bird.
Speaking of Hwy 99W, it's still snarled up just north of Adair Village
by the aftermath of the fuel tanker spill that happened 11 days ago. A
nice scenic, paved detour route if you're headed north from Corvallis is
to go west on Tampico Rd. (at Adair Village) and follow this all the way
to where turns into Berry Creek Rd. and then runs into Airlie Rd.
Happy birding,
Joel
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
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