Somewhat belated Merry Christmas to Tweets and hope you
have a birdy New Year.

Got up before the crack of dawn to stake out a creekside feeder
where a Siberian Accentor had been seen and confirmed this
week. The homeowners were away, but the housesitter had been
alerted not to shoot binocular-toting trespassers. These people
have a nice setting along Campbell Creek and a deck off the
back of the house that supports a variety of feeder styles. Heard
Boreal Chickadee right away and was pleased to see a flock
of about 10 Pine Grosbeaks. They have been rather scarce in
town this winter. Soon Redpolls started arriving, Nuthatches
honking, and Ravens were inbound to their assigned dumpsters, etc.

I was starting to get chilly enough to call it a day when I heard
what I thought was one rather different sounding Bohemian Waxwing
trill (and maybe it was, can't be sure) around the side of the house.
I backtracked and saw a lone, still, bigger-than-Redpoll bird poised
above me in the birch tree. Although my view was mostly from
below and later from the side at a greater distance with intervening
branchlets, it had enough Accentor marks to make me feel
confident that this was the guy. Mustardy yellow breast, with the
same color leading down the flanks; rest of belly gray. Warbler-thin
beak; dark around eye with barely visible (from below) superciliary
streak of lighter, buffier tone. Upper parts dark.

Made my Christmas!

Chris Maack
Anchorage, AK
CMaack at compuserve.com