Bob Mauritsen:

>The bird(s) liked to perch on fence posts and the tops of bushes and
>sing. The song seemed to me to be what might result if a robin tried
>to sing like a House finch, i.e., there were some robin-like sounds
>there, but it was longer and more complex than a robin's song. The
>bird was about the size of a robin, but had striping on its belly and
>heavier on the throat and upper breast, a whitish breast otherwise,
>no eye stripe or eye ring (that I could see), a triangle of slightly
>darker color surrounding the eye, and the merest suggestion that the
>striping on the throat might someday form a large spot.

How about Sage Thrasher? If I had to pick a robin-sized bushtop
singer from Schnebly Coulee, that would be it. The song and
description sound right.

Eric Kraig
Olympia, WA
kraig at wln.com