Subject: Big year for color morphs
Date: Jun 21 20:40:42 2000
From: MBlanchrd at aol.com - MBlanchrd at aol.com


Hi, Tweeters,

I have been noticing the number of color variations in different species
this year. I've seen more this year than any since I began birding.
I've seen:

1 Varied Thrush with white markings rather than yellow
1 American Robin with white wing bars and white "shadowing" on the primaries
3 male American Goldfinches feeding at my feeder-
1 with no black cap but otherwise normal coloration
1 with extensive buff coloration on the rump, back and thighs.
1 with color so pale yellow that he appears white rather than yellow.

But I think the winner of the season was a Brewer's Blackbird that I saw
today. It was with a small flock of other Brewers, and its wingtips were
bright yellow. I saw the flock settle into a vacant lot and flushed them just
to make sure I wasn't imagining things. I wasn't. I saw the bird again, very
clearly. Both its wingtips are bright lemon yellow.
This bird and its flock was seen at the following spot:
Old Highway 99, in Tumwater. The vacant lot is on the left side of Del's Feed
and Farm Supply, across the street from the hangers of Olympia Airport. I'd
appreciate it if someone else may try and spot this bird just to corroborate
my sighting. There's always opportunistic birds hanging around this feed
store, so I'm betting someone else may see this bird.

Michelle
MBlanchrd at aol.com
Oly, WA