Hello Ontbirders.
Recently on the Richmond Hill C.B.C. I stumbled upon an interesting Junco. After some close scrutiny and perusal of photos and online ramblings by folks like David Sibley, Ted Floyd and Alvaro Jaramillo, I have decided this bird was a 'Cassiar' Junco. Upon first viewing this bird that flushed into a tree I knew immediately it wasn't just a first-year or female hyemalis Slate-colored Junco; I also knew it wasn't a typical 'Oregon' Junco though either. My first crazy thoughts were the very rare (to Ontario) 'Pink-sided' Junco. While most of the field marks on this bird fit that subspecies group, the bird just didn't look 'bright' enough especially in the flanks. What struck me most was the richer color to the back (than one would expect on our 'typical' juncos) and the rich tawny-brown color to the upper flanks / upper breast sides (as shown in Sibley). The bird was in a female-type plumage of course (though unsure if it was an adult?). I suspect most readers have never heard of the 'Cassiar' Junco. I urge you to read for yourself at the following website and perhaps further if you wish. Sibley depicts the bird as 'Rocky Mountain' Slate-colored Junco. 1. http://www.oceanwanderers.com/JuncoID.html 2. http://www.nazaudubon.com/sightings/viewthread.php?tid=3781 Checklist of Recognizeable Forms of Ontario Birds 3. http://www.ofo.ca/reportsandarticles/recognize.php I especially enjoyed reading Ken Kaufman's comments which seem to make the most sense of all that I read. I would be especially interested to know of banding records from Ontario of such birds which would of course be "in-the-hand" identification. I intend to go look for the bird I saw again but haven't had the chance yet. I also understand that a 'Pink-sided' type bird was seen on the Presquile C.B.C. I look forward to seeing whether photos or proper documentation arise from that sighting. >From what I understood a few years ago there had been few to NO verifiable >records of this subspecies group in Ontario. The bird does appear to be >listed in Ron Pittaway's Checklist of Recognizeable forms of Ontario Birds but >there are several others there (such as the Newfoundland race of Red >Crossbill) that I am unsure if they have ever been seen in Ontario >VARIFIABLY??? I'm sure Ron will answer this for me. If there are local birders in the area looking for something to do on a cold day my bird was seen this past Saturday morning along a wooded creek path next to a school. I will post further DETAILED directions when I hear back from the birding chum I was with (I'm not familiar with the area!) but I wanted to post this ASAP anyways since there are lots of CBCs still going on that may come across such 'mystery' juncos. Cheers and good birding, Andrew Keaveney P.S. I'm sure I'll see a few of you at the Wilson's Warbler tomorrow ;) _________________________________________________________________ Eligible CDN College & University students can upgrade to Windows 7 before Jan 3 for only $39.99. Upgrade now! http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=9691819_______________________________________________ ONTBIRDS is presented by the Ontario Field Ornithologists - the provincial birding organization. Send bird reports to ONTBIRDS mailing list ONTBIRDS@hwcn.org For information about ONTBIRDS visit http://www.ofo.ca/
