IBRC 46-B-11

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: Blue Grosbeak
HOW MANY: 2 one male one female

REPORTER: Darren Clark 114 Elm Avenue Rexburg, ID 83440 208 390-0031
REPORTER EMAIL: clarkd@byui.edu
OTHER OBSERVERS: Steve Butterworth, Mark Delwiche, Kit Struthers. We were on a field trip with the Snake River Audubon Society. There were probably 15 people present.

DATE REPORT PREPARED: August 3, 2011
DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: July 16, 2011

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Grandine research station, near Stone, ID. Oneida County
HABITAT: Scattered trees (some large cottonwoods and smaller Russian Olives) and bushes near marshy pond surrounded by fields and sage
CONDITIONS: We observed the bird for around 20 minutes. The bird was as close as 30 feet and most of the time sang in trees about 100 feet away. The lighting conditions were very good. The bird was front-lit in morning sun. Winds were calm. I was using Nikon Venturer 8x32 binoculars.

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: The bird was obviously a finch-type bird. It had a huge bill and was about the size of a large sparrow. The bird was dark blue with rust colored wing bars.
BEHAVIOR: The bird was vocalizing, which initially drew our attention to the bird. Mark Delwiche was the first to recognize it singing. We all gathered around and the bird was sort of visible from a distance. A recording of Blue Grosbeak was played and it flew in directly and gave good views. The female was observed by some of us in a Russian Olive about 100 feet away. The male interacted with her briefly (basically perching near her while singing).

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? When Mark pointed out the vocalization I knew that's what the bird was (we had been playing recordings in the car to familiarize ourselves with its song). When we played the tape and the bird came flying in and gave good looks there was no doubt.
HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? Other "blue" birds that would be possible are Indigo Bunting (lacks rusty wing bars), Mountain Bluebird (lacks rusty wing bars), various Jays (too big and lack wing bars).

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): I've seen hundreds of Blue Grosbeaks back east and three or four in Idaho.
GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: I've been birding for close to 20 years. I'm a good birder.

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

Photo taken by Darren Clark on 7/16/2011 at Grandine Research Station near Stone, ID with a Canon 7d with a 400mm canon lens