[obol] Re: Malheur Plumbeous
- From: David Irons <llsdirons@xxxxxxx>
- To: Tim Blount <harneybirder@xxxxxxxxx>, OBOL Oregon Birders Online <obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2014 06:42:33 +0000
Tim et al.,
Just looking at the images of this bird, I would lean towards this bird being a
Cassin's Vireo. In the dorsal shots, the lower back and rump look green and the
edges of the secondaries don't show much contrast and don't look white. Of
course, I don't know if what the images show is consistent with what you saw in
the field. Comparing the wingbars on this bird with images of known Plumbeous,
it seems that the wingbars are both narrower and less conspicuous than they
seem to be on most Plumbeous. This may be a seasonal (wear) difference, with
both species potentially showing narrower and less conspicuous wingbars in
Summer. In terms of the amount of green or yellowish-green that appears on the
flanks, I am a bit puzzled by where Plumbeous starts and Cassin's ends. I've
yet to discuss this with anyone who seems to have a good handle on how these
two species differ in this regard.
When I see Cassin's during spring and summer the amount of
green/yellowish-green that I see on the flanks is very light dependent. When
birds that are in the shade and appear to have no 'color' on the flanks one
moment change angle or pop into the sunshine, they often reveal quite colorful
flanks. I have this experience consistently with Cassin's. Just last weekend
Shawneen spent several minutes photographing a Cassin's in Morrow County. I
haven't gone through those images yet, but when I looked at them in the
viewfinder in the field the amount of color on the flanks was all over the
place on the same individual bird.
The vocalizations may well be the best clue to separating these species in
places where both may occur. I look forward to hearing Alan's voice recording.
I've been hearing more singing Cassin's than normal this year, so I feel more
prepared than I might be in most years to make comparisons.
This continues to be a vexing ID issue, for which there seems to be no easy
answer.
Dave Irons
Portland, OR
Date: Wed, 4 Jun 2014 20:47:54 -0700
Subject: [obol] Malheur Plumbeous
From: harneybirder@xxxxxxxxx
To: obol@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi All,
I have posted photos of what Alan and I believe is a Plumbeous Vireo from
Malheur NWR HQ today. Alan first heard it singing and both of us were able to
get photos though it would never decend from the crown of the cottonwoods. I
will add Alan's recording of the song to harneybirder.com when he is able to
send that from a better location.
The sightings column has been updated.
Cheers!
Tim Blountwww.harneybirder.com
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