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HIstorical observations submitted on behalf of Ray Ekstrom, using his hand written note, by Kevin Spencer. These notes are compiled from clear recollections about the observation.
Dickcissel at Shasta Wildlife Area; It was approaching the vesper hours on April 26th of the year 2017. I was driving a 4WD Ford 150, and sitting quite high above the road as I pulled up on Trout Lake's west side dam and headed north. I had seen neither White nor Golden-crowned Sparrow on this count period and stopped for movement that I glimpsed in a roadside bush. It was my Sparrows, and two of each species that flew out onto the road about 15 feet away. I watched as they pecked at the road, but they were soon joined by a fifth bird that landed closer to me joined in at the pecking at the ground. Then it faced me, and WHOA! I was looking at a bright yellow well defined breast patch. It let me puzzle over it for about 10 seconds, then flew back in the bush, returned a short time later but a much briefer visit. I wanted to make it into a chat. I even foolishly wrote it down (as Chat), fortunately with pencil and I soon erased it. That was not a Chat! It was similar in size to the sparrows, perhaps a bit smaller. I was looking down at about a 45 degree angle. (I) could see markings on the head and throat, the the bright yellow breast patch and been the center of my attention so that I had to leave the bird as an unsolved puzzle. Fast forward exactly two months to June 26. While leafing through OREGON BIRDS, Volume 43, No. 1, on page 36, was a Dickcissel photo portraying a frontal view of a bird. That's my bird! It all fits. Lone birds that get off course can join sparrow flocks, forages on the ground, and is the only bird with size, stature, mannerisms, and a bright yellow breast path that one might hope to find in this area. It's highly unlikely that a Whinchat or some such bird would fly across the pond. On a Texas trip in 1987 with Mike Robbins and Neal Clark, (I) was able to see about 50 Dickcissels but that was 30 years back in time. The National Geographic guide has one of the better portrayals of Dickcissels. Ray Ekstrom (I did a write up on this Dickcissel after finally identifying. It was a breeding plumaged female)
Details
Dickcissel at Shasta Wildlife Area;
It was approaching the vesper hours on April 26th of the year 2017. I was driving a 4WD Ford 150, and sitting quite high above the road as I pulled up on Trout Lake's west side dam and headed north. I had seen neither White nor Golden-crowned Sparrow on this count period and stopped for movement that I glimpsed in a roadside bush. It was my Sparrows, and two of each species that flew out onto the road about 15 feet away. I watched as they pecked at the road, but they were soon joined by a fifth bird that landed closer to me joined in at the pecking at the ground. Then it faced me, and WHOA!
I was looking at a bright yellow well defined breast patch. It let me puzzle over it for about 10 seconds, then flew back in the bush, returned a short time later but a much briefer visit. I wanted to make it into a chat.
I even foolishly wrote it down (as Chat), fortunately with pencil and I soon erased it. That was not a Chat! It was similar in size to the sparrows, perhaps a bit smaller. I was looking down at about a 45 degree angle. (I) could see markings on the head and throat, the the bright yellow breast patch and been the center of my attention so that I had to leave the bird as an unsolved puzzle.
Fast forward exactly two months to June 26. While leafing through OREGON BIRDS, Volume 43, No. 1, on page 36, was a Dickcissel photo portraying a frontal view of a bird. That's my bird! It all fits.
Lone birds that get off course can join sparrow flocks, forages on the ground, and is the only bird with size, stature, mannerisms, and a bright yellow breast path that one might hope to find in this area. It's highly unlikely that a Whinchat or some such bird would fly across the pond.
On a Texas trip in 1987 with Mike Robbins and Neal Clark, (I) was able to see about 50 Dickcissels but that was 30 years back in time. The National Geographic guide has one of the better portrayals of Dickcissels. Ray Ekstrom (I did a write up on this Dickcissel after finally identifying. It was a breeding plumaged female)