???What Kind Of Bird???

[STGRule]

This little guy is living in the Christmas swag hanging by my front door. Any ides what it might be? Can't see its head. Solid grayish back with white spots (may be bars but the bird it puffed up for warmth). Brownish rump and tail with bars across the tail. Rock wren?

[Mad Mikey]

Wow,

I have no clue. Just went through my bird book a few times and came up empty.
Did you get a look at it's beak???

[GutshotApe]

The tail definitely looks "wren-like"...but the spots are not ringing any bells.

[STGRule]

Haven't seen its head yet. We leave in the dark and come home in the dark so for the last two nights we've just seen it from the back. I too looked through all my bird books and can't figure it out. Maybe tomorrow I can see its head and chest.

[Pete]

It looks like a fawn.

[1pump]

A spotted owl!! :shocked:
Quick, let's get over there and stop Ruth and all her neighbors from cutting more firewood and trimming their shrubs! That's owl habitat!

[WheresMyBobber]

I'm going to guess that it's an immature (young) Rufous-sided Towhee. But that is nothing more than a guess.

If you can identify it for sure, please post what it is, because I live in the same area as you and am an avid birdwatcher.

[Silver Hilton]

That was my guess, also no more than a guess. I certainly have not seen the top side spots. The conformation is that of a towhee.

[Thumper]

Load the shotgun!!!! :tongue:

[Norski]

SPOTTED CHICKENBACKBEAK.

[STGRule]

The bird is very small. All puffed up its only about 5-6 inches. Towhees are quite a bit larger than that.

1pump, when I was going through the bird book I was telling husband that it was either a juvenile night heron or a spotted owl. They were the only things I could find with the white spots.

[ 12-19-2003, 08:56 PM: Message edited by: STGRule ]

[DAB]

I know what it is ---it is the rare Eastern Oregon Redheaded Pine cone Bird.
DAB

[Carver_OR]

It looks like it could be the back of a Towhee or maybe a Golden crowned Sparrow.
Pat

[Jennie@ifish]

LOL... I showed Bill, who is usually very good at bird ID.

All he said is, I don't think it is a Towhee. I don't know what it is, but it sure is neat. I wish we had one!"

LOL. I thought that was cute of him. He is very envious!

Jen

[Bill Monroe]

Tail is pretty distinctive (tell-tale?) to the wren family...maybe a rock wren? Wrock ren?
Spots seem pretty big for a Bewick's, but that's more likely...Send this thread to OBOL (Oregon Birds On Line) and see what they say...let us know????

[STGRule]

It was scared away just at dusk on Saturday night and didn't come back. :depressed: All we saw was a flash of white on the front. Don't know if it was the head or the chest. We were hoping it would come back last night but it didn't.
We had all these plans for routing our Christmas Eve guests through the garage or around through the back yard so it wouldn't be scared away. LOL.
I'll send the picture over to OBOL and see what they say. Thanks for the suggestion, Bill.

[Bait O' Eggs]

Defineatly a "Wreath Wren" [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img] and a shy one to boot.

Very rare and usually only show up in the holiday season.

[ 12-22-2003, 08:23 AM: Message edited by: Bait O' Eggs ]

[bllelk]

It's a LBJ (little brown jobber) a smaller member of the Jobber family of which there are Medium Brown Jobbers and Big Brown Jobbers.
If you want to know about members of the Hawk Family you'll have to ask Slowpie.

[Straydog]

Might it have been a baby owl?????

I just happened to notice the similar spotted pattern of the owl in this article........ Likely not, but still an interesting article if you're into birds........

[Thumper]

Originally posted by bllelk:
It's a LBJ (little brown jobber) a smaller member of the Jobber family of which there are Medium Brown Jobbers and Big Brown Jobbers.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">That made my day!!!

[dampainter]

I am surprised at you all, I know exactly what it is.... it is a spoted little bird :grin: :tongue:

[bllelk]

Cracked me up too!
Everything I've learned about the Avian world I learned from Slowpie.
I wish Slowpie picked up and got on with her "Chicken Hawk" story.
I'll pass it on. Nothing much to do today.
When she was learning to be a fish cop in Idaho her training officer was Brent Hyde (forever to be known as Doc Hydes boy). We're talking old time, sorta bowlegged cowboy/game warden here. Slowpie, rookie fish cop with a masters degree in Wildlife Biology.
Brent, she'd say, spying a Sparrow Hawk, "What kind of hawk do you think that is?"
"A little chicken hawk."
Spying a Red Tail. Brent, "What kind of hawk do you think that is?"
"A medium chicken hawk."

You know the rest of the story.

The only funnier story told at his retirement party was the one about the Moose in the marijuana patch.

[Mad Mikey]

&gt;&gt;&gt;It's a LBJ (little brown jobber) a smaller member of the Jobber family of which there are Medium Brown Jobbers and Big Brown Jobbers.&lt;&lt;&lt;

Not only is that funny but it is the first time I've heard that in almost 20 years.
I had a Zoology teacher at LaGrande High School who would test us on our "Genus/species" of birds with a slide show from time to time. Each test we were allowed to use "LBJ" on only ONE bird that flummoxed us. I think he called it a "little brown jobbie". Close enough.
On a related note my geometry teacher also allowed us one mulligan on a theorem we couldn't name. He called it the A.A.P.F.C.P.S. which could be used ONCE per quarter.
Oh, it stands for, "As Any Poor Fool Can Plainly See"..... :grin: [img]graemlins/1zhelp.gif[/img]

[STGRule]

Yahoo!! Merry Christmas to me. It's back!!! Hope I can tell what it looks like from the front tomorrow.

[GutshotApe]

It must like that spot...it must be warm or at least sheltered from the wind...or both.

About 2 yrs ago in winter I was down in the woods below my house sitting on a bench I'd placed along the trail. It was just before dusk...the temperature was close to freezing and would get colder that night. A small birdhouse I'd made from old cedar shingles was on a dead snag across the trail about 25' away. I decided to take the birdhouse back to the house to remove the roof and clean out last summer's debris, etc. After taking it down from the staub I went back to the bench to sit for a couple more minutes before hiking back up the hill.

Then, I saw a LBJ bird fly in...I think it was a bushtit or dickie bird...and the little bird landed on the staub right where the birdhouse had been. It seemed agitated...flittered around...then flew to the next tree to the right...then back to the staub...then to the next tree to the left...and back to the birdhouse location on the snag. It seemed to be looking for something.

So, I took the birdhouse back over and replaced it on the snag...after which I again returned to the bench to watch what happened next. Within seconds the little bird flew back in and landed on the front of the birdhouse...and immediately went inside. Apparently the nestbox was its winter home...so I went home without further disturbing the little guy...or gal.

[Bill Monroe]

STG, white on the front would almost certainly make it a Bewick's wren...or a BLBJ

[STGRule]

Bill, I looked it up to find pictures and I can't find any that look like this bird. I can't find one that has the spots on its back and The color seems too olive for this bird.

Here is a new (better) pic from tonight,



[ 12-25-2003, 09:07 PM: Message edited by: STGRule ]

[STGRule]

GSA, the swag is under the eves on my front porch that faces SW. It is completely sheltered from the rain and almost all the wind we get here. I just wouldn't have expected a bird to cozy up 3 feet from my front door. But I am awfully glad he did. It’s been a great treat.

[Bill Monroe]

Tail's pretty long for a Bewick's...I'm back into the book, but still thinking wren-ish...

[AuntyM]

They were the only things I could find with the white spots.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">How about a juvenile Townsends Solitaire? Size and coloring are right and the tail length seems right. The key is a small white eye ring if you can get a glimpse of the eye.

[STGRule]

I went out and looked at it at about 7ish this morning and it was up and ready to take off. I was looking at its head and for the brief second before it flew off all I saw was a dark eye without any color around it. It flew off away from me so I didn't see any white that husband said he saw.

[Bill Monroe]

STG Rule...Got your email...call Harry Nehls at 503-233-3976. He's the obol secretary and is very computer savvy...send him the thread and he can probably tell by looking at it...I went to my Audubon encyclopedia and am back to canyon wren, based on a white-ish cheek...

[Mrdorkfish]

After looking at so many sparrow's (and wren's) i'm thinking it could be either... Something to keep in mind is this bird may still be a juvenile... or seeing it's first winter and may not be showing it's true colors...I looked at this site for about an hour :shocked:
Birds most likely to be seen in Oregon
I'm going with Juvenile House Wren
My eyes hurt..hope this helps anyone else looking :smile:
OOPS ! i guess i was wrong Great find STG :smile:
MrDorkfish [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img]

Louis

[ 12-26-2003, 02:32 PM: Message edited by: Mrdorkfish ]

[STGRule]

I found that one too MrD. I bookmarked it for the future.
Mr. Nehls from Oregon Birders Online got back to me and he thinks it is a Canyon Wren. They are common on the east side and rarely seen on this side of the Cascades. So I'm twice blessed. I not only have a cool bird roosting on my front porch, but its rare to the area too.

Thanks for all the help everybody. I have a LBJ, aka Canyon Wren.

[Thumper]

Do they taste good? :tongue:

[Point-of-Sale Clerk]

Thumper

It depends on the sauce…

[STGRule]

Well, we're back to Rock Wren.

Dear Harry and Ruth,
I think this bird is a Rock Wren. In reviewing the photo on the web site the long barred tail clearly suggests this bird is a wren. The spots on the back would suggest that it is either a Rock Wren or a Canyon Wren. However, there are a number of things on this photo which strongly suggest that this is a Rock Wren rather than a Canyon Wren:
1. The tail has more dark bars on it than one would expect for a Canyon Wren. Canyon Wrens generally have about 7 dark bars on the tail whereas Rock Wrens generally have about 12 dark bars. This bird has at least 12 dark bars that I can see.
2. The overall coloration of the back and tail don't seem to be rufous/orange enough to suggest a Canyon Wren. Instead, the gray/brown back and the rufous/brown tail would be more consistent with a Rock Wren.
3. There seems to be quite a bit of contrast on this bird between the gray/brown back and the rufous/cinnamon colored rump. This would be more consistent with Rock Wren since Canyon Wrens don't have much contrast in the coloration between the lower back and the rump.

Canyon Wren is similar to the Rock Wren but has a white throat and upper breast contrasting with its darker underparts and a longer bill. Rock Wrens have essentially white underparts with a little bit of cinnamon coloration in the flanks. It would be interesting to know what the underparts look like. Ruth, I would be interested in seeing any additional photos that you might be able to get of this bird, particularly shots of the underparts. If you reach a conclusion that this bird is anything besides a Rock Wren please let me know. I do a lot of birding in Clackamas County and would be interested in seeing the bird if it proves to be something other than a Rock Wren.
In any case, Ruth, this is a rare bird for this area. Rock Wrens are very local in Clackamas County in the high Cascades in the summer. I am not aware of any Rock Wren records for the winter in the Clackamas County and I am not even aware of any winter records in the entire Willamette Valley.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Either way, its rare and cool!

PS Thumper and ***: :tongue: You're both just jealous you don't have a cool bird roosting on your front porch.

[ 12-28-2003, 11:00 AM: Message edited by: STGRule ]

[Thumper]

I think I'd shoot that little sucker (very small shot size and a sporting guage, of course) and have it mounted. Sounds rare. :tongue:

[kayakfisher]

Maybe someone should ask him what kind of bird he is.

M.

[GutshotApe]

Originally posted by Thumper:
I think I'd shoot that little sucker (very small shot size and a sporting guage, of course) and have it mounted. Sounds rare. :tongue:

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">That reminds me of when I was in forestry school...I recall an ad posted on the bulletin board (the old-fashioned kind) for "dickie bird shot"...size 12. A wildlife grad student had done just what you suggested...collected & stuffed a representation of tiny "dickie birds" found in NW forests. He loaded up some .410 shotgun shells with half-ounce loads of #12 shot. The lead came in a 25 lb. bag...but he used only a few pounds, at most...so was trying to sell off the surplus. Don't know if he had any takers or not.

If I'd been the guy I would have used a .22 rifle or pistol with factory .22 "birdshot" loads which come with #12 shot...and avoided the hassle. Don't know about dickie birds but .22 birdshot loads worked well on the mice that inhabited a logging camp's buildings where I once worked, way up the Kalama River. We always avoided stationary shots...only took "sporting" shots at running mice.

[Thumper]

Size 12 would be about right for that little spotty critter ....

[Silver Hilton]

"dickey bird"??? Please, let's get the terminology right. Those are IBBB's. That is, Itty Bitty Brown Birds.

[STGRule]

Little bird is still coming back almost every night. I didn't turn on the Christmas lights last night and he didn't come. So tonight I decided that they are "Winter Lights" and turned them on. It came back! I think it needs landing lights. So my neighbors are just going to have to put up with the a weird scene for a couple months of "Winter Lights" and a "Winter Swag".

[Silver Hilton]

Yer gonna have to name him soon.

[STGRule]

Well I don't know if it really is a "him". "Little Bird" has worked for a name so far. It will be a newspaper celebrity in a couple weeks too probably. At least then I can give a copy to the neighbors so they might not roll their eyes at us over the "Winter" decorations still in use.

[STGRule]

Just a quick update. Little Bird is still coming home every night. I experimented and found out Little Bird doesn't need the landing lights (winterlights(Christmas lights)) to come back. The swag appears to be the only need so the neighbors won't think we are quite so weird. We did turn off all the motion lights so Little Bird can sleep in peace. I carefully open the front door every night to see if Little Bird is there. I use my fancy, expensive light source to check on it every night.



Isn't that the coolest flashlight you ever saw? I bet you're all jealous. I have a little bird AND the neatest flashlight ever made.

[Pete]

I think I read somewhere that it's a Wreath Wren. :grin:

[STGRule]

Yipee!!!