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Bird ID Help



Hi C-Birders,

Perhaps some of you will look at Steve's photos (see URL given below) and
put in you two cents' worth about the identify of this bird seen near
Columbia, SC. From Steve's description I thought that the bird might be a
Blue Grosbeak. Now that I see the pictures I am inclined to think that it
might be some other member of the genus Passerina, namely Painted Bunting.
Bear in mind that Painted Buntings breed at Saluda Shoals Park. The bird in
Steve's photos looks too yellow or yellow-green to be either a Blue Grosbeak
or an Indigo Bunting. As for the sideways twitching of the tail, all members
of Passerina will do this.

What say ye, C-Birders?

Robin Carter
Columbia, SC
rcarter@sc.rr,com



----- Original Message -----
From: "Steven Tracey" <steventracey@sprintmail.com>
To: "Robin Carter" <rcarter@sc.rr.com>
Sent: Wednesday, December 25, 2002 10:30 AM
Subject: Re: Bird ID Help


> Robin,
>
> Thanks.  After your suggestion, I re-looked at Sibley's and noted multiple
> references to tail-wagging in the B.G.  Not sure how I missed this
> originally.  I would certainly concur with your ID, and I have got my
photos
> back and while they are not especially good shots, they do seem to confirm
> your ID.  If you want to take a look, I posted them at
> http://home.sprintmail.com/~steventracey/index.html , follow the "Latest
> Outings Photos" link.
>
> Thanks,
> Steve
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Robin Carter <rcarter@sc.rr.com>
> To: Steven Tracey <steventracey@sprintmail.com>
> Cc: Mike Turner <teebird1@sc.rr.com>; Lisa Baker <BAKERZONE@aol.com>; Leah
> Campbell <faeriemaiden@hotmail.com>; Julie Wilking <jwilking@scprt.com>;
> Hodge <hodgejjr@earthlink.net>; Bob Ellis <Ellis29205@aol.com>; Bob Wood
> <bobwood@ix.netcom.com>; Carol Kososki <CKososki@SCES.ORG>; Caroline
Eastman
> <ceastman@sc.rr.com>; Carroll Richard <cyrichard17@hotmail.com>; Cindy
Woods
> <Cindy.Woods@PalmettoHealth.org>; Dan Tufford <dtufford@bellsouth.net>;
> Donna S. Bailey <dsbailey@conterra.com>; Heidi Hoerman <hoerman@sc.edu>;
> Irvin Pitts <ipitts@prt.state.sc.us>; Jerry Griggs <griggs@math.sc.edu>;
> John Cely <jcely@CLEMSON.EDU>; John Grego <grego@math.sc.edu>; Kathleen
> O'Grady <katbird33@hotmail.com>; Lex Glover <bglvr@CLEMSON.EDU>; Steve
> Dennis <stevecdennis@sc.rr.com>; Tim and Melanie Kalbach
> <grebe@mindspring.com>; Tom Hankins <tomhankins@peoplepc.com>
> Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2002 6:10 PM
> Subject: Re: Bird ID Help
>
>
> > Steve,
> >
> > I think that you might have seen a Blue Grosbeak, which is a rare but
> > possible species in South Carolina in early winter. I remember in teh
> 1970's
> > that Robert Ridgeley found a Blue Grosbeak on a Durham, NC CBC. You
could
> go
> > to the Christmas Bird Count website and search for records. I really
think
> > that is what you found.
> >
> > Robin Carter
> > Columbia, SC
> > rcarter@sc.rr.com
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Steven Tracey" <steventracey@sprintmail.com>
> > To: "Carolinabirds" <carolinabirds@acpub.duke.edu>
> > Sent: Sunday, December 22, 2002 4:31 PM
> > Subject: Bird ID Help
> >
> >
> > > I was hoping someone could help me with a bird ID.  I was at Saluda
> Shoals
> > > Park(Columbia) this morning and saw a bird in a wet section of narrow
> > power
> > > line field that I am not sure of an ID.  It was initially in the tall
> > grass,
> > > amongst numerous sparrows.  My initial thought upon seeing the bird
was
> a
> > > female indigo/painted bunting.  The bird had a thick beak, and was
solid
> > > drab light olive/brown (I am fairly color blind so consider a wide
range
> > of
> > > possibilities here).  No evidence of any streaking or color change
> > anywhere
> > > except the wings, which showed slightly darker, with possibly slight
> > > evidence of wing-bars, although this was not a clear marking and may
> have
> > > just been seeing light reflections.  The bird had what I would best
> > describe
> > > as solid dark gray underside of the tail.  The tail was not especially
> > long,
> > > and was a rounded "W" shape when viewed from underneath.  The bird
> > > continually pumped its tail.  It wasn't the up and down motion seen in
> > Palm
> > > Warblers but rather a side to side, even circular motion, with
> occasional
> > > slight fanning of the tail during the motion.  As I have said, I
> initially
> > > thought female bunting of some type, but what threw me off this was
that
> I
> > > saw this bird about a foot away from a swamp sparrow in the same
little
> > weed
> > > patch, and the bird was nearly 1.5 times as long as the swamp sparrow.
> I
> > > followed the bird through the grass and it eventually went up into the
> > trees
> > > along the edge of the power lines.  The bird had a "chip" type call,
> what
> > > seemed to me to be a little softer and less musical than a cardinal.
> > Given
> > > the time of year, the possibilities seem limited and I had considered
a
> > > female cardinal missing crest feathers, but a number of the field
> markings
> > > seem to contradict this.  I have gone through what I guess are the
other
> > > possibilities: buntings, grosbeaks, tanagers, but none seem to be
> > definitive
> > > match to what I observed.  In the books I have, I didn't see any
> reference
> > > to tail pumping on any of these species and don't seem to remember it
in
> > any
> > > previous, more obvious sightings of these birds.  The good news is
that
> > this
> > > bird was very tolerant of my presence and not very fidgety so I was
able
> > to
> > > get numerous photos.  The bad news is I have slide film in my camera
and
> > > will be a while before I can get it processed.  So in the meantime, if
> you
> > > have any suggestions to the ID of this bird I would appreciate it.
> > >
> > > Steve Tracey
> > > Columbia, SC
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>