ix264@sdcc6.UUCP (ix264) (01/10/85)
A San Diegan may not strictly speaking count as an
easterner, but let me share what little I know about Oregon
Juncos in the east. I have done a considerable amount of
birding in Chicago and have never encountered Oregon Juncos
there, but they are not unknown in the area. The better part of
my library on birds in the Midwest is presently in transit from
there, but what I can lay my hands on is the following.
Ellen Smith's _Chicagoland Birds_ lists Oregon Junco as
present but rare from mid-October to about the end of April.
Dave Bohlen's _An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of
Illinois_ says of Dark-eyed Juncos (which is what the AOU is now
calling the species, including the Slate-colored, Oregon,
White-winged, and Gray-headed Juncos), "Besides the regular
wintering subspecies (J. h. hyemalis [Slate-colored Junco]),
J. h. shufeldti and J. h. montanus (Oregon Juncos) occur as rare
migrants and winter resident, [sic] and both have been
collected. The subspecies J. h. aikeni (White-winged Junco) is
hypothetical in the state."
Floyd Swink's _A Finding List of the Birds of Morton
Arboretum_ says that in this area outside Chicago the subspecies
is "Very rare, erratic," and lists one record from Dec. 18,
1954. He describes it as "One of the prizes sought by
birdwatchers in the Arboretum."
Finally, Trautman and Trautman's _Annotated List of the
Birds of Ohio_ shows Oregon Junco to be accidental to uncommon
both in winter and in March and April. They also give a
worthwhile cautionary note that "Only exceptional individuals
can be identified before late Dec. because rufous-tipped
feathers of fall plumaged Slate-colored Juncos are superficially
similar; intergrades between Oregon and Slate-colored Juncos
numerous and show every possible color intergradation." I have
personally seen eastern birds I would describe as such
intergrades.
None of these sources makes J. h. montanus look very common
in the Great Lakes region. One interesting exception to this
pattern shows up in a carefully prepared book on the birds of
the Ligonier State Park in western Pennsylvania. I don't own
this book or recall the author, but he claims that a large
proportion of the Dark-eyed Juncos there are Oregons or
intergrades (I think he claims something like 5% Oregons and 15%
intergrades). I know also that my mother-in-law, who runs a
huge bird feeding operation in Pittsburgh (she has had 75
Northern Cardinals in her back yard at once) has seen Oregon
Junco there. Are these birds really more common in PA than they
are slightly to the west? If so, can anyone think why? Any PA
birders out there who can tell us about their juncos?
I second Jeff Myers' call for reports on field trips and
birds. Even short bits on common species would give us all a
better feel for what birds are abundant at different seasons in
different places. Those of us who can't bird as much as we'd
like because we are paid to look at these little green screens
instead could enjoy some of the fun vicariously.
________________________________________
"So what sparrow goes Zeeeee zit-zit-zit?"
Tim McLarnan
Dept. of Mathematics, Univ. of California at San Diego
..sdcc6!ix264phillips@reed.UUCP (Patrick Phillips) (01/20/85)
** I live in Oregon and would gladly send anyone who wants it a crate-full of Oregon Juncos. They are extremely common in Southern Oregon; perhaps the most common bird there. (they're friendly too!) > I second Jeff Myers' call for reports on field trips and > birds. Even short bits on common species would give us all a > better feel for what birds are abundant at different seasons in > different places. Those of us who can't bird as much as we'd > like because we are paid to look at these little green screens > instead could enjoy some of the fun vicariously. I third it. --------------- Patrick Phillips Reed College, Portland OR ...!tektronics!reed