Townsend's Solitaire

 

October 12^th (posted Oct. 14^th)

          Mike and I found out that a very rare Townsend’s Solitaire had been seen Monday evening at Magee Marsh.  Due to various commitments, we were unable to chase the bird on Tuesday when “everybody and their brother” saw the Townsend’s. 

         Bright and early Wednesday morning we headed for Magee, hoping that that Townsend’s Solitaire would still be present.  We entered the boardwalk from the east end, turned right at the big loop and headed for the bridge where the bird had been seen the day before.  There were other birders there, but no one had spotted the bird yet.  We continued west past the bridge and ran into a guy who had seen the Townsend’s further west by the start of the small loop but said it had flown off.  Mike exchanged cell phone numbers with a woman, and they promised to call each other if the bird was spotted.  We were all the way down by the small loop when Mike’s phone rang.  We hustled back and everyone got great looks at the Townsend’s Solitaire although it was flitting around from tree to tree.

         The Townsend’s Solitaire is an elegant, wide-eyed bird of the western-mountain forests.  It is very rare east of the Mississippi.  Their drab gray plumage contrasts with a bold buffy wing patch and prominent white eyering.  The Townsend’s Solitaire is a thrush but perches upright on top of trees and shrubs and can easily be mistaken for a flycatcher because it flies out of back to nab insects on the wing.  In winter, they move south or to lower elevations to feed on juniper berries.

(1 new species, total for the year 296)

Townsend’s Solitaire (very rare)

                                           Townsend's Solitaire

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