Subject: possible hybrid bluebird at Conboy NWR
Date: Apr 6 22:35:11 2002
From: Denny Granstrand - osprey at nwinfo.net


Hi Tweeters,

Today I led a Yakima Audubon field trip to Conboy NWR and the Lyle area. We
spotted one very unusual male bluebird. It was all blue, like a Mountain
Bluebird, but a shade darker overall. It had a rufous patch on each side of
the breast just in front of the bend of the wing. I suspect it was a hybrid
between Western and Mountain Bluebird but have never heard of that. It was
seen on Krep Road on the south side of the refuge.

At Conboy we found eleven Sandhill Cranes, three White-fronted Geese and
many thousand Canada Geese. On the Trout Lake Road just south of the
headquarters entrance road were a pair of White-headed Woodpeckers, two
Hairy Woodpeckers and two Brown Creepers.

We did not see Acorn Woodpeckers at the grainery tree on Old Highway 14 but
there were several Scrub Jays in the neighborhood.

In Lyle we found one Lesser Goldfinch, five Cassin's Finches and one female
Anna's Hummingbird.

Denny Granstrand
* * * * * * * * * * *
* Denny Granstrand *
* Yakima, WA *
* osprey at nwinfo.net *
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