Hi Ken,
Good question. Here is a link to the photograph Marilyn was able to get:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/crmillerbirds/shares/XERMj2
Relying on the photo, it does indeed appear to be the California subspecies
*barlowi.* What do you think? I did not notice any bright chestnut color on
the flanks, only the back.
Craig
On Sun, Nov 8, 2015 at 7:01 AM, Ken Knittle <washingtonbirder@xxxxxxxxx>
wrote:
Craig,
Was your Chestnut-backed Chickadee the subspecies from California or the
one from western Oregon? This bird might rarer than you think.
Ken
On Sat, Nov 7, 2015 at 8:46 PM, Craig Miller <gismiller@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Hi all,
After birding a nearly all-dry Thompson Reservoir (south of Silver
Lake) this morning, Marilyn and I spent the afternoon hiking up Hager
Mountain (just to the northeast of Thompson Reservoir). While driving up
the base of Hagar Mountain we ran into a small flock of chickadees. One of
the chickadees gave a high squeaky sound unlike the other Mountain
Chickadees. We tracked it down and sure enough, it was a Chestnut-backed
Chickadee. Thanks to Marilyn's quick reflexes, she was able to get a
documenting photo.
This may be only the 2nd record of this species for the county. It is
interesting that Mountain Chickadees seem to be showing up in unexpected
locations west of the Cascades and Chestnut-backed Chickadees are showing
up in unexpected locations east of the Cascades.
Craig Miller
Bend, Oregon
