At 12:18 PM 11/20/2009, mcneely4@cox.net wrote: >Could it be that the pink bill appears yellow in the light you are >observing with? Yellow is about my best color, so I don't think so, but could be I suppose. The breast as well as belly was whitish, and the back etc weren't anywhere near as dark as the slaty-colored juncos we get here, and could have been brownish rather than grayish -- my red/green deficiency makes that sort of distinction a bit chancy. Definitely not a warbler bill. Can't swear to the streaking but sitting together on the feeder rail with miscellaneous sparrows the contrast was notable. Smaller than an English sparrow. When I went for the glasses it flew, of course, both times. I'm beginning to wonder about a sport of some kind -- the yellow bill was striking, like a grackle's pale eyes, and I haven't found anything yet that seems remotely possible. Just for giggles I'm going to look in my book of British birds... Thanks, David |
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