From: "Brad Waggoner" <wagtail at sounddsl.com>
To: <listproc at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 7:26 AM
Subject: Red-throated Pipit on Bainbridge Island


> Hello,
>
> Friday afternoon, May 7, I found a Red-throated Pipit at a private farm
here
> on Bainbridge Island. I stopped at the farm to check and see if the male
> Yellow-headed Blackbird, present the previous evening, was still around.
It
> was not. Walking near a recently plowed and planted strawberry field I
came
> upon a large flock of American Pipits (75-100 birds). I have received
> permission to birdwatch this wonderful spot on the Island and it is a
> reliable spot to find American Pipits during Spring migration.
>
> With my binoculars (Leica 10 X 42), I scanned through the flock of pipits
> when an individual bird grabbed my attention. Its back pattern suggested a
> Savannah Sparrow (common at the farm right now), however its size,
> structure, posture, and the way it walked was exactly like the other
nearby
> pipits. The flock pick-up and flew but fortunately landed in a bare,
plowed
> field further to the West.
>
> Fortunately I was able to re-locate this individual and I enjoyed great
> looks from about 40 feet with my binoculars. The significant field marks
> which I noted and wrote down within minutes of seeing the bird were as
> follows:
>
> 1) Back pattern - This is what drew my attention to the bird in the first
> place, and like I said,, it reminded me of the back pattern of a Savannah
> Sparrow. The back was streaked with dark (blackish) and white alternating
> stripes. A definite contrast to the nearby American Pipits with their
> grayish-brown backs and very faint almost undetectable streaks.
>
> 2)Underparts - The underside (belly) was white. The breast was also white
> with bold black streaks trailing down the flanks. Again, this was in quite
> contrast to the buffy, lightly streaked undersides of the neighboring
birds.
>
> 3) Facial pattern and throat - The side of the face was similar in pattern
> to the other pipits, however the color (including the throat) was a warmer
> rufous buff. The picture of the Pale adult depicted in Sibley's (pg. 420)
> very closely resembled the look of this bird. It did not have the bright
> rufous-red as shown in Sibley's Bright adult.
>
> 4) Pale pink legs - Legs were pale pink and again contrasted from the
nearby
> American Pipits with their legs that appeared black.
>
> After receiving good looks at this bird and noting these field marks, I
> walked (quickly!) back to my truck to retrieve my scope and digital video
> camera. I was able to set-up my scope and prepare for a hopeful video
> capture when, unfortunately, the entire flock (except for 4 birds) took
> flight and then headed over the coniferous woods to the North. Attempts to
> re-locate this flock and bird with George Gerdts later that day and
> yesterday were unsuccessful. We could only find four or five American
Pipits
> in these attempts.
>
> If the bird happens to reappear, I will post immediately. If you have any
> questions contact me at wagtail at sounddsl.com.
>
> Good birding and happy Mother's Day.
>
> Brad Waggoner
> Bainbridge Island, WA
> mailto:wagtail at sounddsl.com
>