Kelly,

While at the Wenas campout last weekend I heard at least
two Cassin's Finches which mixed notes of other species in their
songs. The first finch I found doing this was actually observed
singing and mixing in the other species calls - if I hadn't
actually been watching the bird as it sang I might've thought
that i was hearing several birds. One of the species it imita-
ted was the Evening Grosbeak (the loud "Cleer!" call note of
the Grosbeak) and I think the other bird imitated was the Red
Crossbill. Certainly both of these other species are present at
Wenas giving the finches plenty of learning opportunities.

Upon seeing and hearing this interesting song i dimly
recalled reading that one of the Goldfinches mixed imitations
of other species calls/songs into its songs. I think I read
this in the Audubon Master Guide to Birding. I'll have to go
back and look at it; I think it may even mention mimcing in
the Cassin's Finch account.

Several times over the remaining days of the campout
I heard one particular finch singing that mixed one grosbeak
callnote into its song. From my campsite, at a distance the
grosbeak note really stood out and at first I was fooled, but
eventually I noticed that I would only hear one grosbeak call
and that it always came while the finch was singing. Eventually
i put two and two together. The only Evening Grosbeaks I
encountered during the campout were in deciduous trees near one
of the entrances to Hardy Canyon, down the road from the Wenas
campground.

Jim Flynn
Renton, WA
bf519 at scn.org