Rare Bird Report 17-B-09

IDAHO BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE
RARE BIRD REPORT FORM

SPECIES: carpodacus purpureus

HOW MANY: 1 adult male

REPORTER: Jack Binch 1564 Crest - Sandy, Utah 84093 801-255-8260

REPORTER EMAIL: Roostertael@aol.com
OTHER OBSERVERS: Found by Jack Binch, and also observed in the same car by Bob Huntington

DATE REPORT PREPARED: March 3, 2009         DATE SIGHTING OCCURRED: February 22, 2009

LOCALITY OF OBSERVATION: Bellevue, Idaho Glen Aspen Drive House # 1217

HABITAT: front yard

CONDITIONS: High overcast at about noon. The light was flat but plenty of it. The bird was sitting in a triangular feeder with a tray. I used Swarovski 10x and Bob uses Swarovski as well. The bird sat in the feeder for several minutes. It then flew up into the tree a little closer to us. I started to dig out my camera while Bob continued to observe the bird.

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?: Small Sibley Guide to Birds, Peterson Field Guide to Western Birds, and Kaufman Birds of North America

DESCRIPTION: Finches, overall size and shape of bird and beak. The feature that first made me take a better look at it was the all red head. The red extended back down the neck. There did not appear to be any darker areas behind the eye or under it. The head seemed uniform red all over. This may be because of the flat light or perhaps the time of year. There was not any white near the eye at all. The beak was the short stout finch type beak. It did not appear any larger than a House Finch's. Bob and I were both looking at the bird, and I was telling him to verify the things I have just written. It then flew up into the tree and I quit looking at it to get my camera out of the back seat. By the time I got it and turned it on, the bird had left. We waited another hour and a half to get a photo, but it did not come back. We used this time to consult the field guides and Bob told me that he had observed that the red extended down to nearly its feet and there were no brown streaks.

BEHAVIOR: The bird was sitting in a feeder tray actively feeding, the upper two thirds were visible.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOU POSITIVELY IDENTIFY THE BIRD, AND WHAT CLINCHED THE IDENTIFICATION FOR YOU? I knew what it was as soon as I saw the all red head. I am a Utah birder, and there was a female Purple Finch found in southern Utah last fall. I get a lot of Cassin's Finches at my feeders in Sandy, Utah in the spring, and studied the two birds with the hopes of finding one at home. I knew exactly what to look for and this bird was really easy to identify.

HOW DID YOU ELIMINATE SIMILAR SPECIES, AND WHAT WERE THEY? This bird did not have the marginal red of a House Finch and no dark streaking on its breast. It did not have a crest such as on the Cassin's Finch, and no white around the eye. Size appeared to be slightly larger than a House Finch, but not quite as big as a Cassin's.

EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SPECIES (AND SIMILAR SPECIES): No experiance with the Purple Finch, but lots with Cassin's at home about fifteen feet away, and of course lots with House Finches.

GENERAL BIRDING EXPERIENCE: Birding since 2000. Very good level of expertise, expecially having studied the bird recently. Bob has been birding longer, and probably is a bit better than I. Both of us are absolutely sure of the identification.

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