Subject: Re: "Pink-sided" Junco
Date: Oct 22 18:55:39 1997
From: Eugene Hunn - hunnhome at accessone.com


Russell,

Thanks. More or less what I had concluded with much less justification.

Gene Hunn.

At 01:52 PM 10/22/97 -0700, you wrote:
>Hellow Tweeters,
>
>I have been looking at lots of juncos at close range the past year or so,
>286 individuals, with a total of 816 captures, to be exact. I have been
>looking at this exact problem of race very closely. I have determined that
>not only can I not identify birds in the hand to race, I can not do it to
>sex either. Some birds that I would sex by plumage, would be the opposit
>sex by wing chord (lenght from wrist to tip of longest primary). this
>applies to birds that are clearly "Shufeldt's" Oregon Junco (our breeding
>race).
>
>I see birds that look like the might be "Pink-sided," but when I get them
>in my hand they will not have the right amount of white in the tail, or
>something else will not be quite right. I also caught several females this
>summer that looked like "Pink-sided," but they could not have been because
>that were on eggs locally.
>
>The point I am tryng to make here, is that beyond the major groups of
>races, (i.e. Oregon, Slate-colored, etc.) these birds are very difficult
>to identify under the very best of conditions. I can't do it in the hand
>or by sight. They are difficult even when you can layout a bunch of skins
>in a museum and compare them side by side.
>
>Based on what I found in the field, in museum collectons, and in the
>literature, I can say that I know of know confermed specimen or record of
>Pink-sided Junco for the state of WA.
>
>Russell Rogers
>
>On Tue, 21 Oct 1997, Eugene Hunn wrote:
>
>> Hi Gayle,
>>
>> While pink-sided juncos no doubt are occasional in Western Washington I
>> don't believe the records committee has seen a really solid description.
>> Problems is I'm not entirely sure how to tell them from the range of female
>> Oregon Juncos. Anybody out there have a reliable identification routine?
>>
>> Gene Hunn.
>>
>> At 10:39 AM 10/21/97 -0700, you wrote:
>> >Hi Tweeters
>> >Am curious about distribution of Junco subspecies. We live on Orcas Island
>> >and have a large flock of resident Dark-eyed Juncoes ("oregons") around the
>> >house. I have noticed in the last week, however, that a couple "pink sided"
>> >have joined the flock. Does this seem a little unusual or is it common for
>> >them to wonder so far afield? We have only lived here for 3 years, but this
>> >is the first year we've seem them.
>> >Gayle Benton
>> >Eastsound, WA
>> >gbenton at pacificrim.net
>> >
>> >
>> >
>>
>>
>
>
>