| Common Name | Say's Phoebe |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Sayornis saya |
| Type of Report | Rare Species |
| Date of Observation | 01/01/2021 |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Mae Mayville |
| Mailing Address | 11 Wolff Drive Essex Junction, VT 05452 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 01/10/2021 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | Jon Erickson: (function(){var ml="enu0sidvcro%mk.j4",mi="?:1>0958=4:1;@327062",o="";for(var j=0,l=mi.length;j<l;j++){o+=ml.charAt(mi.charCodeAt(j)-48);}document.getElementById("wpmt-259422-510867").innerHTML = decodeURIComponent(o);}());*protected email*, Bill Mayville: (function(){var ml="e.cv0yoglm4%iwa",mi="=919>53<81269",o="";for(var j=0,l=mi.length;j<l;j++){o+=ml.charAt(mi.charCodeAt(j)-48);}document.getElementById("wpmt-457546-726064").innerHTML = decodeURIComponent(o);}());*protected email* |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.028995 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -73.4237805 |
| Place Name | Chimney Point |
| Township | Addison, Vermont |
| County | Addison |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 07:46 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | Visual obervation was a few seconds while in flight. Vocalizations were heard multiple times over a period of 10-15 minutes. |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 100 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 90 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | overcast |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Nikon Monarch binoculars, 8 x 42 |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | Observed (seen and heard) dozens of times in three other states besides Vermont. Have spent considerable time watching this species "fly-catching" and flying from perch to perch. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | Weedy bank at the edge of Lake Champlain with shrub growth and a few trees. The only other passerine species present were European Starlings, which were hundreds of feet away from the area where the Say's Phoebe was heard and seen. |
| Behaviors Observed | Vocalizations heard repeatedly. Visually observed in flight, but not perched. |
| Description of Vocalizations | Slurred "phee-urr" whistle |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | When we arrived at the location, Jon Erickson had already heard the Say's Phoebe in the area by the lake just below where the bridge reaches land on the Vermont side. He had already brought it to the attention of Brendan Collins, who also heard it and was trying to locate it to get visual confirmation. Bill and I, along with Avery Fish, also heard the Say's Phoebe and joined Brendan in trying to get a look at it. By that time, the Say's Phoebe had continued to move deeper along the shore and had reached the top of the bank. It seemed to me that the sound was coming from the area of the gazebo located behind the green house on the lake side of Route 17 (the property labeled "An Affair By the Lake" on Google Maps). So I walked back along the shore and passed under the bridge, walking all the way to Route 17. I crossed the road, climbed over the guardrail, and walked all the way to the fence that I believed to be the property line (staying on the State Property side of the fence). I continued to hear the Say's Phoebe calling from the gazebo area, but could not see where it was perched. Then I observed a bird fly from the gazebo area toward the green house. I got my binoculars on it briefly, and was able to see the colors: gray above and peachy underneath with a dark tail. I believed that it was the Say's Phoebe by its shape, its coloring, and by the way it flew. I believed it had landed in the area of the green house because I heard the Say's Phoebe call from that area afterward. After trying unsuccessfully for a few minutes to find its perch, I went back down to the bank where I had left everyone else. Jon Erickson, who had observed the Say's Phoebe with Allan Strong on the NY side of the lake two days prior to this observation, wrote the following on his ebird report for 01/01/2021 at Chimney Point: "Heard calling along shore northeast of bridge. Presumably the bird that’s been on the NY side this past week. I made an auto [sic] recording (and photographed) this bird in the Crown Pt. Campground two days ago. Call was identical to my recording." On January 3rd, Jim Mead informed me he heard the Say's Phoebe in the exact location as I had described above (the bank near the gazebo). He also informed me that Allan Strong had also heard the Say's Phoebe. I bumped into Allan later that morning and he confirmed where he (near the bridge) and others (the bank near the gazebo) had heard the Say's Phoebe at Chimney Point that day (January 3). Later in the day (January 3) I read an ebird report from Craig Provost, who was able to get photos of the Say's Phoebe at Chimney Point. Richard Littauer also made an audio recording of the Say's Phoebe on January 3 (ebird checklist: https://ebird.org/vt/checklist/S78587219 ). |
| Relative Size & Shape | Medium-small size bird. I had the sense that it was smaller than a European Starling, though I didn't have anything to compare it to in that brief glimpse. |
| Head | The head, including face, was gray. |
| Feet & Bill | Feet not visible; I did not specifically look at the bill. |
| Upper Back | Gray. |
| Lower Back & Rump | Gray |
| Wings | I did not discern any markings. |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | Breast, belly and sides were all peachy in color. |
| Tail | Dark grayish-black. |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | The Say's Phoebe was lighter in color than a European Starling, with a peachy breast and belly. |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
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