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Date:         Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:18:52 -0500
Reply-To:     mcneely4@COX.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Dave Mcneely <mcneely4@COX.NET>
Subject:      Re: Friday bird AKICIV (All Knowledge is Contained in Vandom)
Comments: To: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed; delsp=no

David, so far as I know, all eastern sparrow type birds that could possibly be confused with juncos are predominantly brown, but some might appear grayish in poor light. But, most also have some degree of streaking and some degree of head patterning. Could it be that the pink bill appears yellow in the light you are observing with? That sounds most reasonable to me. You mention no red, but rosy finches should not be where you are, and house and purple finches are definitely quite streaked. Google Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, and when you get it, select the identification pages. Of course, you likely have good field guides, so the lab pages may not help much. I'd say junco, and the bill color is deceiving. Especially since you say you are colorblind, and pink is just dilute red. On the Cornell pages, some photos show the bill as appearing yellowish, anyway (though in hand all are definitely pink). BTW, you probably have a regional email list or two devoted to birding -- our local one is OKbirds.org. Try googling for one for New England.

Davd

On Fri, Nov 20, 2009 at 10:43 AM, David Beierl wrote:

> Twice in the last month I've had a small junco-ish bird at my feeder > in Rhode Island. I thought it was the first of the winter junco > crop, but it has an obviously yellow sparrow/finch type short > straight un-crossed bill with overall smooth coloring > darkish/gray-looking above and whitish below. Can't tell you eyes > except dark, head patterns except nothing striking, flight pattern > etc. If there's any red on it I'm colorblind enough that I wouldn't > have seen it without binocs. Both times sitting on a feeder perch in > the company of my rowdy street-gang of sparrows/LBJs, not engaging in > aggressive behavior that I saw. > > Any ideas? I'm stumped. > > Yours, > David


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