IBRC 58-B-11

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: Bewick's Wren
HOW MANY: 2

REPORTER: Darren Clark 114 Elm Avenue Rexburg, ID 2011 208 390-0031
REPORTER EMAIL: clarkd@byui.edu
OTHER OBSERVERS: Steve Butterworth

DATE REPORT PREPARED: 08/03/2011
DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: July 10, 2010

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Black Pine Road, near Stone, ID Oneida County
HABITAT: Extensive Junipers
CONDITIONS: We observed the bird for about 5 minutes. I don't remember specifics about weather etc.. I do remember it was hot and sunny. We were close to the bird, maybe 30 feet. I was using Nikon Venturer binoculars and photographed the bird with a Canon 7d and a 400mm canon lens.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?: No, not at all
DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?: No, not at all
WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?: none

DESCRIPTION: We saw two birds, a young bird (photographed) and an adult that we weren't able to photograph. The birds were obviously wrens, this was evident by the long slightly upturned tail and relatively long and slightly decurved bill. The bird was brownish gray. The young bird showed a weak line above the eye, while the adult had a stronger line above the eye.
BEHAVIOR: The birds were vocalizing. I always think it sounds like a Song Sparrow. We played tapes and both birds at different times came in to investigate.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? Bob Davis had found the birds earlier and had alerted us to their presence. When I heard one sing I knew that's what it was.
HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? Carolina Wren would be rare, but also has a strong eye line. They are more warm-brown and larger (I believe). House Wren doesn't have the strong eye line and doesn't sound the same. Winter Wren is smaller and has a much shorter tail.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): I've seen a few dozen Bewick's Wrens in Utah, Washington and Arizona. This was my first Bewick's Wren in Idaho.
GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: I've been birding for around 20 year and am a good birder.

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?: Photo