Tweeters,

Roger Peffer requested information on 'weird' Oregon Juncos - those that =
we'd seen with white on the face/head, etc.

I think that I might have started the most recent thread of "weird =
juncos", with my comment that I'd been seeing a banded male junco with =
white on the face and wing coverts. The bird was banded and with about =
30 other 'normal' Oregon Juncos being fed during the cold-dry weather we =
had last week at my home in west Oly. (Currently it's 45 degrees F and =
raining hard - winter's back!)

I looked back through my banding records and found I *had* had a male =
junco with slight white flecking on the face and head (amazing how =
quickly the memory goes...). And just last year!! On 12 March 1995 I =
netted and banded a male Oregon Junco with white feathers in its face - =
made a sketch in my notes:

Looks like 2 white feathers or so below the right eye, 3 or 4 white =
feathers in the 'chin' just below lower mandible. On the left side of =
the face, I drew 1 or 2 feathers immediately above the left eye that =
were white, 4 or 5 in a sparse group below the left eye and a feather =
just posterior to and slightly below the left eye that was white. No =
notes that any of the body or flight feathers were involved.

The bird I saw through about the 31st of Jan. had much more extensive =
white 'flecking' on the face, although there were no "patches" of white. =
There were 'patches' of white on the upper wing coverts (the =
'shoulders'), however, and an impression of white into the primaries/ =
secondaries. I've not seen the bird since the 31st (Haven't seen the =
flock at all in this rain....). =20

Since the bird I saw last week *was* banded, I might speculate that he =
was, indeed, good ol' number 1960-15667 come 'home' to the feed. =
Perhaps during the ensuing year, he molted several more white feathers =
in. Would this be caused by stress during the molt? I wouldn't think =
it was diet-related, as is the color in male house finches or the =
waxwing tip colors, but??...

Anyhow, if I can verify the 'weird' bird, I'll sketch his plumage =
aberrations and let you know (and/or describe it over the email - I'm =
clueless on graphics with this computer stuff... :-))

Jon. - did I mention it's raining? - Anderson
Olympia, Wash.
festuca at olywa.net