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GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist and her five parrots are currently relocating to Germany, where she will continue writing her blog while also writing a book and learning German. (Meanwhile, her parrots will continue to nibble on her extensive personal library.) If you appreciate GrrlScientist's writing, you can help pay her living expenses by hiring her to "blog" your conference, speak at your club or write articles for your publication (or by clicking on the Paypal button below). If you read an essay on this blog that you especially enjoyed, please nominate it for inclusion in OpenLab2009.
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Topic Categories: Birding • Education • Mystery Birds • Photography • Teaching
Posted on: June 4, 2009 9:59 AM, by "GrrlScientist"
tags: Townsend's Solitaire, Myadestes townsendi, birds, mystery bird, bird ID quiz
[Mystery bird] Townsend's Solitaire, Myadestes townsendi, photographed in Clallam County, Washington State. [I will identify this bird for you tomorrow]
Image: Marv Breece, 23 May 2009 [larger view].
Canon EOS 350D 1/2000s f/7.1 at 300.0mm iso400
Please name at least one field mark that supports your identification.
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Comments
Townsend's Solitaire, catbird-like but no black cap, more or less all grey, lighter on the bottom, light & darker patches on edge of wing.
Posted by: Monado | June 4, 2009 11:04 AM
...but it's the wrong range and I missed the notched tail.
Posted by: Monado | June 4, 2009 11:07 AM
Looks like Townsend's Solitaire. Thrush-like in shape, overall nondescript, white eye-ring, slight evidence of some buff on the wing (I think).
An idea: Why not have a mystery quiz on bird songs/calls? Link to an mp3 call and see if folks can identify the bird based on its song alone. You wouldn't need to do it every day, but just once in a while (weekly, monthly, randomly)? I love the visual mystery bird feature...it is a fun way to hone my skills, and learn new birds. Doing a song recognition would also be educational especially if the answer would include a "handle" or "field mark" that identifies this particular bird (e.g. the "mrrweow" of the catbird).
Posted by: Daniel J. Andrews | June 4, 2009 11:10 AM
Dark-sided flycatcher: white eye-ring, notched tail.
Posted by: Monado | June 4, 2009 11:27 AM
good idea, daniel. you've given me an idea .. i'll see if i can get a collaborator with birdsong files to work with me. it's certainly challenging for me to get these images, but i have a little idea for sound files that, if it works, i'll be excited to tell everyone about. of course, if you have any suggestions of who might be interested to work with me on this, i'd be thrilled about that, too.
Posted by: "GrrlScientist" | June 4, 2009 12:07 PM
If you wanted me to look into it, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology might be able to help with this. We've got oodles of sounds in our archives at the Macaulay Library (link above), so it would mainly be a matter of sorting out permissions and logistics. E-mail me if you like... Hugh
Posted by: Hugh | June 4, 2009 1:42 PM
GrrlScientist...I just sent you an email to your feedback link from my Yahoo.ca account. -dan
Posted by: Daniel J. Andrews | June 4, 2009 11:18 PM
There's an app for iPhone which I use called iBird that has birdsongs from over 800 species. It's pretty cool. I use the version called iBird Plus.
SH
Posted by: Stephen Hubbard | June 8, 2009 6:34 PM
If this is a Townsend's solitaire, why does it have a notched tail?
Posted by: Monado | August 10, 2009 11:06 AM
We have one (Solitaire Townsend) that hangs out by all of our windows flying lightly into the windows. Including the windows on our car. I cannot figure out if it is trying to get in, feeding on insects, or going after its own reflection. It is not hurting itself, so I just leave it alone after first attempting to shoo it away from the windows. Anyone else observe this behavior?
It is a really sweet bird though, and has a beautiful song book.
Posted by: Chris | November 7, 2009 4:31 PM