Three new birds from Idaho

Publication Type:

Journal Article

Authors:

Wilbur, Sanford R.

Source:

Murrelet, Pacific Northwest Bird and Mammal Society, Volume 46, Issue 3, p.45-46 (1965)

Call Number:

A65WIL01IDUS

URL:

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3534970

Keywords:

Blackpoll warbler, Brown Thrasher, Dendroica striata, Hylocichla mustelina, Setophaga striata, Toxostoma rufum, Wood Thrush

Abstract:

During 1963, I observed three species of birds apparently not recorded previously in the State of Idaho. Although no specimens were collected, all three birds were observed closely and ample time was available for identification. On May 5, 1963, a blackpoll warbler (Dendroica striata) was discovered at the Meader Trout Farm near Pocatello, Idaho. This bird, a male, was feeding in a willow grove with a large number of Audubon's warblers (Dendroica ouduboni), I watched for approximately ten minutes, then it flew to another tree and I could not relocate it. No Idaho records are known; however, Blackford recorded this species near Libby, Montana, about 500 miles northwest of Pocatello. A brown thrasher (Toxostoma rufum) was present on the Minidoka National Wildlife Refuge near Rupert, Idaho. It was first seen September 4 by Robert G. Nelson, then manager of the refuge, who tentatively identified it as this species. I went to the area on the following day and confirmed his observation. It was still present on September 9. I can find no records, of this species in Idaho; however, there have been numerous records in adjoining states: eastern Oregon, central Nevada, southeastern Washington and western Montana. The A. O. V. Checklist of North American Birds (1957) also lists it as casual in Utah. On October 8, 1963, a wood thrush (Hylocichla mustelina) was seen at the Minidoka Refuge headquarters. It was observed on and off during the day, during which time it scratched in the duff at the edge' of my lawn or perched silently in a nearby tree. The A.O.V. Checklist (1957) describes this species as casual in Colorado, and Peterson (l961) makes a similar statement for Wyoming. I can find no records geographically closer to this southcentral Idaho site.