Day three of Malheur trip
Last evening in Page Springs campground, Pam Otley reminded me of the
sighting of a Plumbeous Vireo in the campground Aug 19. I've always said
that I would never dare to claim a Plumbeous Vireo in Oregon because I've
seen skeptics argue about reports at such length. However, Noah Strycker is
a good act to follow. I decided to take a stab at it.
This morning I drove down from Burns and got to Page Springs at 8:50 AM. I
met Pam on the entrance road. She had not found a vireo in the early hours
of the morning, and was heading up Steens Mt.
I pulled in, parked near the pay station, and wrote some notes.
When I got out of the car, I heard a raspy birdsong coming from the bushes
along the Blitzen River west of the pay station. I pursued it. It was
singing phrases like a solitary vireo: 3 notes.pause.3 notes.pause.3
notes.pause.3 notes.pause. I saw a bird fly to the middle cottonwood just
south of the pond by the pay station, and then the song came from that tree.
I went around the tree to look from the sunny side. I saw movement in the
tree. Then it flew east across the road to some short, dying alders with
lots of dead branches.
I was finally able to see the bird and get it in my scope. It moved and had
to be refound several times. I took mental notes. Finally, the bird quit
singing and disappeared. I went back to the car and wrote notes - before
looking in the book.
Vireo voice, raspy, harsh
Crisp plumage, well-defiined.
Slaty gray cap, nape, back, wings
Two crisp white wingbars
When seen from behind, the rear of the wing had well-defined parallel
pinstripes
Well-defined spectacles on face
White chin, cheeks, throat, underparts.
Vague smudge at sides of lower neck, a non-necklace.
NO yellow or greenish tones.
Vireo bill, thick, black
Legs black.
When I looked in Sibley the pinstripes on the wing proved to be the edges of
the secondaries.
PLUMBEOUS VIREO - Yipee!
I'm glad others got to see the bird Sunday.
My other sightings 9 - 11 Am
1 Virginia Rail
2 Hairy Woodpecker
1 Plumbeous Vireo
1 American Crow
1 House Wren
1 Marsh Wren
5 American Robin
1 Orange-crowned Warbler
1 Yellow Warbler
2 Common Yellowthroat
2 Yellow-breasted Chat
1 Green-tailed Towhee
8 Song Sparrow
1 Black-headed Grosbeak
Refuge headquarters
12 Turkey Vulture
1 Sandhill Crane
3 Ring-billed Gull
1 Common Nighthawk
1 Black-chinned Hummingbird
1 Anna's Hummingbird
1 Rufous Hummingbird
1 Lewis's Woodpecker
1 Townsend's Solitaire
3 Sage Thrasher
1 MacGillivray's Warbler
2 Western Tanager
6 Yellow-headed Blackbird
5 House Sparrow
Good birding,
Paul Sullivan
