Re: Out on a limb 2

["John Morgan" <jmorgan480 at comcast dot net>]

Possibly a juvenile Lewis's Woodpecker? That's the only species (with no 
visible white when viewed from behind) with a wingspan similar to a Flicker. 
My bird looked darker overall than the drawing of the juvenile (timing 
Jul-Nov?). Should I expect such dark coloring at this late stage of juvenile 
age? Troubling too that I saw no lighter coloring on the breast in my side 
view.

My life list is much smaller than many of yours, but if this is something 
other than an oddball morphed Flicker, it's a lifer for me.
John
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Morgan" <jmorgan480@comcast.net>
To: "birdtalk" <birdtalk@utahbirds.org>
Sent: Sunday, January 01, 2006 9:12 PM
Subject: Out on a limb


Today while walking the JR Parkway N of 78th S in W Jordan (right by the
water treatment plant) 4 p.m., I saw a bird that by all appearances
(size, shape, characteristics, head shape) seemed to be a Northern
Flicker. Only problem was the coloring....this bird was black, or
slightly variegated black...somewhat like a Starling. I saw it flying
away, then roosting with backside towards me, then further away on the
ground from the side. From the side view, I noticed how black the head
was....slightly blacker than body/wings.

It was so Flicker-like that I figured it to be a rare Red-Tailed Hawk
morph of the Norther Flicker (private joke). From the perching rear
view, the tailfeathers were Flickerlike...pointy and curved at the tip
like a woodpecker's tail. I saw no visible white striping or patches
anywhere on this bird.

Consulting Sibley later, I can find no match to what I saw.

My only explanation for the dark coloring, given the proximity to the
sewer treatment plant, is chemical mutation ;-)

Could this be a Flicker? Three-toed? I saw NO yellow. It was big like a
Flicker. Same shape head and everything.
Mystified.
John

ps: Beaver activity escalating. Another tree felled, this time with some
branches removed. A trail takes off from the tree to the south along the
steep edge of the riverbank. Just north of the wooden deck overlook
that's just S of the treatment plant.
_______________________________________________

"Utah Birds" web site: http://www.utahbirds.org
    BirdTalk:
To subscribe, e-mail:  birdtalk-subscribe@utahbirds.org
To unsubscribe, e-mail:  birdtalk-unsubscribe@utahbirds.org
To send a message, e-mail:  birdtalk@utahbirds.org
_________________________________________________ 

_______________________________________________

"Utah Birds" web site: http://www.utahbirds.org
    BirdTalk:
To subscribe, e-mail:  birdtalk-subscribe@utahbirds.org
To unsubscribe, e-mail:  birdtalk-unsubscribe@utahbirds.org
To send a message, e-mail:  birdtalk@utahbirds.org
_________________________________________________