#: 83-B-07

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES:

Blackpoll Warbler

HOW MANY:

1 adult male

REPORTER:

Cliff Weisse
4125 Beaver Springs Rd.
Island Park, ID 83429
208-558-7789

REPORTER EMAIL:

cliffandlisa@octobersetters.com

OTHER OBSERVERS:

none

DATE REPORT PREPARED:

9/11/2007

DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED:

9/7/2007

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION:

On River Rd, about 3 miles north of Ashton, Fremont County, and about 1 mile east of US 20 and adjacent to the Henry's Fork of the Snake River.

HABITAT:

Riparian / Chokecherry thickets

CONDITIONS:

Total observation time was about 1.5 minutes at about 10:00am, in direct sun, at distances between 20 feet and 30 yards. Binoculars used were Nikon Premier 10 x 42 LX, no noticable wind.

DID YOU TAKE NOTES?:

No, not at all

DID YOU CONSULT FIELD GUIDE OR OTHER REFERENCES?:

Yes, later the same day

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

Peterson's Field Guide to Warblers of North America

DESCRIPTION:

Small warbler with very short tail. Undertail coverts clean white. Tail had white on outer rectrices, seen in flight. Mantle greenish with crisp dusky streaks. Head greenish with faint darker eye line. Wings with two white bars. Tertials black with white edges. Belly white. Breast yellow fading into white of belly. Flanks with short, crisp, dusky streaks that did not form solid lines.

BEHAVIOR:

This bird flew in from the north and landed right in front of me at about 20 feet and three feet off the ground providing excellent views of the upperparts. It foraged actively and moved several times from one Chokecherry to another. It then flew off towards the river and was not relocated. No vocalizations or interactions with other species were noted.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU?

I noticed the wing bars and extensive white on the upperparts as well as the white in the tail and short tail as it flew in. When I looked at it with binoculars I saw the wing bars, yellow breast, streaked flanks, streaked mantle and faint eye line which I quickly recognized as a Blackpoll.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY?

Pine and Bay-breasted Warblers are the obvious species for confusion. Pine is eliminated by the short tail and streaked mantle. Bay-breasted is eliminated by white undertail coverts and crisply streaked flanks. Tennessee Warbler has unstreaked flanks and mantle. American Goldfinch is similar in color pattern but has a unstreaked flanks.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES):

I've only seen one fall Blackpoll previously and have never seen a fall Bay-breasted. I've seen several Pine Warblers most recently in April 2007 in NJ.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE:

14 years

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

None