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Re: Migrants at the SRS, Southern SC.



To me this sounds more like the southern race of the Blue-headed Vireo, 
Vireo solitarius alticola (Mountain Vireo), which oddly is not illustrated 
in most field guides.  The contrast in color between crown and back color is 
usually slight and they may have little yellow on the flanks. Our breeding 
Blue-headed Vireos are not at all blue-headed.   I've only seen a few 
Plumbeous Vireos (in Arizona), but my impression is that they're a cold gray 
color, not at all olive.


On 22 Aug 00, at 17:12, Paul Champlin wrote:

> This morning at the Savannah R. Site (Aiken/Barnwell counties, SC) I had 
> several migrants in mixed species foraging flocks. One was quite the 
> respectable bird; a Plumbeous Vireo. I had long, close looks at this bird as 
> it responded to my screech owl whistle (something I only do when I know 
> there's something I need better looks at). The crown and back had only a 
> slight contrast in olive shade while the white specs, strong pale tips to 
> the coverts and dark eye kept it in this group. As a descriptor, I would not 
> say that this bird was "blue headed" by any means. The flanks had smudges of 
> olive/gray instead of yellow as well. I probably saw this bird 3 times for a 
> total of 5 minutes.

-- 
Charles W. "Will" Cook                  w 919-660-7423
http://www.duke.edu/~cwcook            cwcook@duke.edu
Box 90340, Biology Dept., Duke Univ., Durham, NC 27708