Hi all,
First, I have to take exception with Mitch Ratzlaff's comparison of
yesterday's wagtail as a "one and done" similar to U. of Kentucky
basketball players.
This guy was a regular Frank Kaminsky. Maybe not all U W(agtail) fans
were fully satisfied but he put on a pretty good show compared to most
other recent wagtails. It sounded like at least 20 people managed to see
him yesterday, which is close to 20 above the median number of observers
for a wagtail in Oregon.
Second, about the somewhat faint eyestripe, Alström & Mild (Pipits &
Wagtails, p. 350) note that in ocularis this is "usually distinct both
on the lores and ear-coverts, but sometimes indistinct or even absent on
the lores." From available photos this bird seems to be the other way
around (indistinct on ear coverts but fairly distinct on lores), though
field observers seemed to have the impression that the eyestripe was
stronger than it appears.
One way to look at this is that ocularis breeds across about as many
degrees of longitude as separate Red-breasted Sapsuckers in British
Columbia from Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in Newfoundland. It seems
reasonable to expect a bit of variation, especially when you consider
the possibility of gene flow from interbreeding with nominate (alba)
along the Yenesei River, and with baicalensis in the Baikal region --
both subspecies that show practically no eyestripe.
Finally, just to get a few more details for my upcoming book, "Wagtails
of the Willamette Valley -- Status and Distribution" (featuring 36
fanciful maps and seasonal abundance charts):
Could someone please clarify who is "Jeremy D," and should they be
credited with finding this bird? Anyone else? And who were the USFWS
staffers who observed the perching behavior? Any other noteworthy
behavior? Was the wagtail associating with the pipits that it walked
past in Tim Janzen's video clip, or did they just happen to be foraging
in the same field?
Happy birding,
Joel
--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis
OBOL archives: www.freelists.org/archive/obol
Manage your account or unsubscribe: //www.freelists.org/list/obol
Contact moderators: obol-moderators@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
