| Common Name | Townsend's Solitaire |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Myadestes townsendi |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 04/08/2020 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Edward Cooper |
| Mailing Address | 1814 Center Road Corinth, VT 05039 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 04/15/2020 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | None |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44-01-13.14 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 72-18-20-50 |
| Place Name | Tenney Road |
| Township | Corinth |
| County | Orange |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 04:25 PM |
| Length of Time Observed | About 2 minutes |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | About 300 yards |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | About 30 yards |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | Temperature in the 30s, overcast, windy. |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Bushnell 8x40 binoculars. Canon EOS 7D camera with Canon 100-400 mm IS lens. |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | None with this species. I was immediately struck by it's superficial resemblance to a Northern Mockingbird, but closer observation and photographs showed that it was a Solitaire |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | The bird was near the top of a fairly tall tree beside a dirt road in a quite isolated valley, on one side of which there's a large wetland (where two pairs of Great Blue Herons are nesting), and on the other side of which there's a hillside with scrub, bushes, some medium-sized evergreens and some medium-sized deciduous trees. Nearby there's a large, open hillside field. |
| Behaviors Observed | The bird was perching near the top of a fairly tree beside the road. As I approached, it flew to a second tree about 50 yards further along the road. About a half minute later, it flew off in a northeasterly direction across an open field, until it disappeared into or over a woodland area. |
| Description of Vocalizations | None. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | I first saw the bird as I was walking along Tenney Road towards Corinth Center. It was near the top of a fairly tall tree about 30 yards ahead of me, in plain sight but against a bright sky background and too far away to identify immediately. At first I thought it might be a Northern Mockingbird, but its relatively upright posture and slim shape (particularly the shape of its bill and the v-shape of the end of its tail) didn't seem right for that. I was able to take a few (not very good) photographs. It then flew to a second tree about 50 yards further on. I walked towards it and took a couple more photos before it flew away across an open field. |
| Relative Size & Shape | Seemed about the size of a small American Robin (locally abundant at this time of year) or Northern Mockingbird. |
| Head | See photographs. White eye ring. |
| Feet & Bill | See photographs. Shorter bill than Northern Mockingbird. |
| Upper Back | See photographs. Gray. |
| Lower Back & Rump | Not clearly observed. |
| Wings | See photographs. Buffy wing patches characteristic of Townsend's Solitaire. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | See photographs. Lighter gray than back. |
| Tail | See photographs. Long tail, slightly forked at tip, white edges/undersides. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | Northern Mockingbird. Its posture and shape (particularly the shape of its bill and the v-shape of the end of its tail) didn't seem quite right for that. See photographs. |
| Other Notes & Comments | I have now seen this bird in the same area on three occasions, on 4/8/20, 4/12/20 and 4/14/20. On 4/14/20, two other Vermont birders more experienced than me (Kyle Jones and Tii McLane) also saw it. I'll submit separate reports for 4/12/20 and 4/14/20. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
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