Rare Bird Report 24-B-08

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: Palm Warbler

HOW MANY: 1; unknown age and sex

REPORTER: Sylvia Copeland, 1301 W. Aberdeen Ave., Nampa, ID 83686; Tel. 208-461-5390

REPORTER EMAIL: copeland@icehouse.net

OTHER OBSERVERS: Tim Copeland

DATE REPORT PREPARED: 10/24/08

DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: 10/12/08

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: southwest Nampa

HABITAT: backyard, sage, water

CONDITIONS:
20+ minutes in the morning from our breakfast table. Bird was ~40 ft away. Weather: clear, no wind, 45-50 F Optics: 10x42

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?:
DA Sibley. 2000. Sibley Guide to Birds. RT Peterson. 1990. Field Guide to Western Birds, 3rd edition.
JL Dunn and KL Garrett. 1997. A Field Guide to Warblers of North America.

DESCRIPTION: Parulidae body shape and size; bill shape and length; plumage

BEHAVIOR: hopping on ground and occasionally up on shrubs and forbs and gleaning from those plants

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU?
got binoculars when I realized there was a warbler in our yard; decided it was not one commonly seen around here; looked at bird several times for identification marks, i.e. yellow underneath tail, dark eye line, otherwise very drab, but some streaking on breast; then consulted field guides. Photo on p. 374 of Dunn and Garrett 1997 clinched the ID

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY?
similar species considered were Common Yellowthroat and Audubon's Warbler. As stated earlier; the combination of the characteristics listed above only fit the Palm Warbler

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): Have seen Palm Warblers in the East during the breeding season; have identified confusing fall warblers during migration in the East and West

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: 10+ years; high level of expertise

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