Rare Bird Report 29-B-09

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: Hermit Warbler (Dendroica occidentalis)
HOW MANY: 1

REPORTER: Jim Holcomb 76 N. Mirage St. Nampa, ID 83651 Tel. 208-466-6030
REPORTER EMAIL: jnbholcomb@earthlink.net

OTHER OBSERVERS:
Found bird: Jim Holcomb
Observed bird: Bob Kiernan, 806 N. Boundary, Nampa, ID 83651; tel. 208-318-3085

DATE REPORT PREPARED: May 10, 2009                          DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: May 8, 2009

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Owyhee Co. about 20 miles north and slightly east of Jordan Valley, OR, on Chipmunk Meadows Rd. Location is 7 mi. south of junction with US Highway 95(milepost #7), along McBride Creek, .4 mi. upstream from the rock quarry. Lat. 43.15N, Long. 116.75W

HABITAT: Open creek bottom with grassy floor, midsize cottonwood trees and willow shrubs. Land adjacent to creekbed is grass hillside with sparse sagebrush and rock outcrops

CONDITIONS: Observed bird at intervals of 5-10 minutes over a period of 90 minutes starting at 2:10 pm. Weather was clear with a slight nw breeze, and a temperature of about 50 degrees. Observation was made looking west with the sun on the left shoulder and the bird was at distance of 30 yards. Observation was made with Nikno 8x42 binoculars and a Nikon Fieldscope at 20X.

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?: FG to the Birds of NA, Natl. Geo., 2nd Ed.,1996 Later the same day: The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Sibley, 2000

DESCRIPTION: Wood-warbler; Warbler-sized bird, bold clear colored yellow head with a dark eye, no auricular patch or shading. Back was mostly gray with two white wingbars. Black marking extended up the back of the head from the nape tapering to the back of the crown where it ended. The bill was dark and the bib and throat were dark black. The breast and belly were clear white with no marks on the flank.

BEHAVIOR: Bird was foraging in a cluster of weathered midsized cottonwoods at streamside which included some willows. Bird first seen as it came to the creek edge to drink, then it flew back into the vegetation out of site. Three yellow-rumped warblers and an orange-crowned warbler were in the trees/shrubs and the yellow-r. warblers would frequenty chase the hermit warbler when it foraged at the edge of the trees. The bird was frequently seen on low lying logs or stones and was never seen above 15 feet about the ground

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? Positively identified the bird immediately with the clear all yellow head, black throat and white belly.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? Clinched ID when checking it against a Townsend's/Hermit hybrid. Eliminated similar species by the absence of auricular markings.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): Limited experience with the bird and seen only in Yosemite NP when I worked there in 1968-71.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: Birdwatching since 1956 and serious birding since 1997. Studied ornithology in college and worked as a National Park Ranger for 30 years. Level of expertise: advanced

WERE PHOTO(S), VIDEO, AND/OR AUDIO OBTAINED BY YOU?: None;