Recent birdy things

Hybrid warbler from Oregon:

https://www.dropbox.com/gallery/24246065/1/Mystery_Bird_2?h=f33097#/

A recent topic of discussion on ID frontier's is this hybrid Warbler... Photographed a few days ago, it's a real looker. I get some Black-throated Blue and Canada warbler sort of feel from the bird, but it also wouldn't surprise me if it had some Macgillivray's Warbler in it.. It has some surprisingly similar features to the "Junkin's Warbler" in NY a few years ago:

The bird:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/mystery

more pictures:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/mysteryfiles/clues

the answer:

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/mysteryfiles/answer/document_view


So it that bird has some Mourning in it, it wouldn't surprise me if the Oregon bird had some Macgillivray's.  But I guess we never REALLY know with these beasts.


There are some "known" hybrid warblers (Eg,/ Brewster's, Lawrence's, Sutton's) but it's really fun when these "unknown" hybrids are found/reported. A fun one from Michigan a few years ago is here:

http://www.amazilia.net/images/Birds/NewWarblers/Hybrid_Warbler.htm


And there's more out there online if you do some google'ing



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Rare shorebirds:

It might mainly be the pacific coast, but there always seems to be a pattern of mega-rare eurasian shorebirds occurring early in fall shorebird migration. I'll do more with this in a WHILE, but here's some fun photos:

Bar-tailed Godwit in BC:

http://www.surfbirds.com/media/gallery_photos/20110628113746.jpg


Lesser Sand Plover (Mongolian Plover) in California:

http://www.surfbirds.com/media/gallery_photos/20110626050329.jpg


Red-necked Stint in Texas:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-Email-_-Sharee-_-Top


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A few other rarity photos:

Little Egret, Maine: (I wonder if when/where Ontario could get this species)... James Bay might be a decent spot in my opinion. Too bad there's a few thousand KM's of great habitat no one is checking. ever.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhitchcox/5885974780/in/pool-437129@N20/


Dickcissels continue to be reported all over the states:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tsirtalis/5882216489/in/pool-437129@N20/



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These "days" in Ontario birding history:

Green Violet Ear in Thunder Bay - June 30 - 1991

Baird's Sparrow - Rainy River - July 2, 1996

Yellow-nosed Albatross, July 4, 2010 (sad, sad memories)