RFI passerine

[Julie]

hi all

While out for a walk on the Ajax-Pickering lakefront trail this past, gorgeous, Saturday, I came across a bird I can't ID. It was with a flock of chickadees in a fruit / coniferous tree grove bordering a scrubby meadow area. I couldn't get an absolutely clear view of it because of branches but it was only 30 feet away and the light was excellent.

When I first put my bins on it, I thought "snow bunting" because I could see a strong black and white contrast, and the size and bill structure was about right. It was clearly a (largish) sparrow-sized perching bird with a seed eater's bill. The head had clear black and white markings/ stripes. i thought I caught a chestnut flash on its sides, and when it turned its black and white (spotted? streaked?)  tail to me I could see bright yellow undertail coverts. I half wondered if it was a goldfinch moving into breeding plumage but that didn't seem right.

Its continuous song was a clear, musical, two note whistle, high to low, followed by a pause. It appeared to be alone-- no answering calls.

Some kind of longspur comes to mind... either that or an escapee! If you want to know exact locations, drop me a line: jules@web.ca I'd be happy to have the mystery cleared up even if I'm proven an ornithological fool!!

Julie

[Iain]

You've described what sounds like a monster chickadee, right down to the two-note call.  But seeing as how you had other chickadees around Im assuming that this was another species.  Maybe you heard a chickadee call and mistook if for the call of the bird you were trying to id.

By 'seedeater's bill' did you mean finch-like?  If so, the head markings, bill shape and rufous sides could be White-throated or White-crowned Sparrow, or maybe I'm missing an obvious alternative.  

Here's a link to the Cornell website with the Black-capped Chickadee's call:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBi ... .html#fig1

Just below the image and map, there is a link to the Chickadee's call.

Have a look in your guide at the sparrows or check them out on the Cornell site by clicking the 'species accounts' link in the upper-left hand side of the Chickadee page.

Good luck,

Iain

[Walter Sobchak]

I doubt it would be a Snow Bunting or Longspur given the location.  Snow Bunting are more brown anyways and are only really found on the ground in flocks.

When you said Yellow tail I thought Waxwing.



A towhee meets the requirements for the Chestnut, and Black/white contrast ( See my avatar )

A White crowned sparrow meets the requirements for the head.



That's all I can think of.  Sounds like you got a good look at him.

Hope this was a help

[Carl-Adam]

Sounds like a goldfinch to me.

[Julie]

hi all

thanks for the tips. It definitely wasn't a chickadee-- I grew up in BC being woken every summer morning at dawn by their incessant two tone calls, and this was a very different call (much more melodious!). Waxwing occurred to me but the head was marked black and white. White crowned and white throated sparrows don't have yellow undersides, right? And it wasn't a towhee-- again,  not the right call and the tail was way too short. And again, there was a very clear yellow.

I agree, longspurs would be highly unlikely. Maybe it was a goldfinch but it was in pretty funny molt if so. Oh well-- tine to get a decent camera!

Julie

[Kin Lau]

Have you tried looking up Tufted Titmouse?