I have detected the species in Lake County once, and in the summer. I'm pretty
sure it was at Mud Springs Campground in the Warner Mtns, late June 1984. But
it might have been early June 1982 at East Bay Campground, Thompson Lake. Lars
On Nov 8, 2015, at 8:34 AM, Craig Miller wrote:
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
