[TN-Bird] help with bird ID (Blue Ridge Mtns, GA)

From: "Robin Barrow" <braveladyrobin@xxxxxxxxx>
To: TN-Bird <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 24 May 2007 16:25:46 -0400
I'm having trouble with a bird ID that I hope the list might be kind
enough to help me with, despite the bird being just south of
Tennessee, in Fannin County, GA. I'm on holiday in the Blue Ridge
Mountains. Altitude is somewhere between 3-4000 feet. The mountains
are deciduous, typical Appalachian. We've heard Wood Thrushes, Hooded
Warblers (which I still haven't managed to see), Phoebes, and several
warblers, and Indigo Buntings love to perch atop the pines. On our
first day we saw and heard two Red-Shouldered Hawks. Our cabin is on
the side of a ridge, so we can overlook the tops of trees.

Just off my deck is the bare top of a tall maple tree. At first we
thought the bird was an old leaf, it was so small. It stayed perched
long enough for us to get a good look. Its size is smaller than a
bunting. It perches like a passerine. It has a long thin beak, like a
hummingbird. In fact I thought it might be some sort of hummingbird,
but its colors don't match any in my Peterson's guide and it didn't
fly like one: It dove off the top of the tree, and later I saw it fly
swiftly by the bunting on the pine (which is how I can compare their
size). It moved very fast with little obvious flapping. Its colors:
the back is very black, perhaps with a green tinge but that might be
the bright sunlight. Its belly seemed to be streaked with gray. Its
neck had a distinctive collar of bright orange. The orange stripe is
thin enough that it disappears when the bird tucks its "chin."

I've been flipping through my Peterson's trying to find something that
even resembles it, so I'd be grateful for any suggestions where to
look. Its most noticeable features for me are the orange collar, its
small size, and its very long beak, much longer than say a nuthatch or
gnatcatcher.

Robin Barrow
Mineral Bluff, GA
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[TN-Bird] help with bird ID (Blue Ridge Mtns, GA)

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