IBRC 15-B-09

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE

RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: Black-throated Blue Warbler

HOW MANY: 1 Male

REPORTER: Lou Sternberg, Ph.D. 3956 E Aspen Hill Ct Boise ID 83706

REPORTER EMAIL: lsternberg@electric-logic.com

OTHER OBSERVERS: Valerie J. Steffen, Ph.D. Jay Carlisle; jaycarlisle@boisestate.edu R.L. Rowland; RowlandRL@AOL.com Heidi Ware Denise Hughes Peggy Williams

DATE REPORT PREPARED: February 15, 2009   DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: February 15, 2009

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Aspen Hill Ct, Boise ID; Residential area immediately south of Barber Park.

HABITAT: Front lawn next to residential structure. Underneath River Birch trees.

CONDITIONS: Bird was first sighted at 12:00 noon, and was observed for long periods of time (20 minutes and more per observation in same lawn location, throughout the afternoon until at least 4pm. Overcast skies, temperature ca. 40-degrees F. Distance to bird: less than 10 feet, by multiple observers over the course of the afternoon. Naked eye, binoculars, scope, and cameras.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?: No, not at all

DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?: Yes, during the observation

WHAT GUIDE(S) OR REFERENCE(S) DID YOU CONSULT?: Sibley (2000)

DESCRIPTION: see photos

BEHAVIOR: Feeding on the ground at all times in the lawn. Food unknown. No vocalization. Brief interaction once with a single Junco, who then flew off. Mixed flocks of winter birds (Goldfinches, House Finch, Pine Siskin, etc.) in immediate neighborhood -- but the Warbler had no interaction with them.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? Positive identification came with reference to Sibley. First observations by Lou Sternberg and Valerie Steffen noted, among other field marks, warbler profile, blue head and back, white wing bar, black throat and bold, irregular, black streak.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? none

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): I first saw a Black-throated Blue Warbler on the campus of Purdue University in 1983.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: I have been birding seriously for 3 decades. I would rate my level of expertise somewhere between intermediate and expert.

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