Subject: [Tweeters] Possible TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD at Wenas Lake
Date: Jun 14 20:37:00 2008
From: Brett Wolfe - m_lincolnii at yahoo.com


Hi Carl,
 
During the Annual Audubon campout a couple weekends back, I had what I thought were two Tri-Colored Blackbirds (TRBL). Their call notes all differed from anything I have ever heard Red-winged Blackbirds make, and their epaulets didn't seem to have the normal yellow edging, but the white I have always noted with the Tri-colors. I did not hear any mention from anyone else at the campout (spoke with a couple folks I knew were going there/had been there) who went to the lake of seeing or hearing TRBL. The main reason I did not post them is because A) I have only seen TRBL in California before, in the Central Valley, and B) I have only seen TRBL in flocks numbering 10,000+. I have never seen just two birds before and was skeptical of my ability to ID them without additional cues that I just wasn't getting.
 
So, that is no real help to you, but I too would be interested if anyone else has been getting any TRBL at Wenas Lake the past few weeks. Cheers!
 
Brett A. Wolfe
Seattle, WA
m_lincolnii at yahoo.com

--- On Sat, 6/14/08, Carl Haynie <hayniec at comcast.net> wrote:

From: Carl Haynie <hayniec at comcast.net>
Subject: [Tweeters] Possible TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD at Wenas Lake
To: "Tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Date: Saturday, June 14, 2008, 7:49 PM

Hi Tweets,

I'm hoping that someone can confirm a sighting at Wenas
Lake in Yakima County. Tom Walker and I walked the trail
upstream from this lake today. In the marshy upper end,
near the opposite shore, there was an adult blackbird
with scarlet red epaulets bordered below with an obvious
and even white margin. No yellow was seen and the bill
did appear thin when compared to Red-winged Blackbirds.

If this was a TRICOLORED BLACKBIRD, be aware Red-winged
Blackbirds were far more prevalent at the lake (particularly
on the same side of the lake as the trail). The time was
3:30 p.m., under full sun, and a Questar was used at high
power to make this observation.

Earlier in the day at the Wenas campground, there was
several singing Veeries, a calling Gray Flycatcher, and a
singing Nashville Warbler all along the stream that runs
through the camp not too far away from the entrance.

Cheers,

Carl Haynie
Sammamish, WA
hayniec AT comcast DOT net

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