Subject: Re: Townsends Solittaire - was A Bird at the Window
Date: Jan 14 17:30:30 1998
From: "Rob Conway" - robin_conway at hotmail.com


Tweets,

I've seen Townsends Solitaire exhibit the behavior mentioned, most
notably at a friends house in Reno many years ago. However, every
Townsends Solitaire I've encountered in Cascadia has been in a small
flock 5-20 individuals exhibiting "thrush-like" behavior. I've also
only ever seen them in the fall. Does anyone know if their
territoriality is a just a winter thing, or maybe a winter and spring
breeding behavior? Are these birds regularly observed at all seasons
here? Help would be appreciated as I find this to be a really
interesting bird - almost ghostly - don't ask me why, they're just one
of my favorites.

Rob Conway
Bellevue, WA

robin_conway at hotmail.com

=====================================================================


ravenn at premier1.net wrote:

I watched the bird as it hovered and gleened insects from an evergreen
bush on the otherside of her yard. Her yard is rich in a variety of
mature plants many of which had berries.

In Kenn Kaufman's book, Lives of North American Birds, he describes
Townsend's Solitaires as usually seen alone. "Feeding mostly on
berries in winter each bird maintains its solitary status by defending
a winter territory, staking out a supply of berries in a juniper grove
or similar spot."


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