[EBB Sightings] A Bright Yellow Bird at Lake Merritt

birders,

   i'd be quite sure this bird is a saffron finch; nothing is inconsistent.  altho widely endemic to the lowlands of so. amer., they are commonly seen on oahu and the big island of hawaii.  my wife and i saw many of them feeding in the grass on the dry side of the big island.  just as the populations in hawaii originated from the release of caged pet birds, this one may have arisen in the same manner.

  recently i got the iphone killer app "ibird pro" [birds of no. amer] which happens to have this bird on it- i'm not sure why because it's not a no. amer. bird.  by the way, the app has links to flickr and birdipedia and beyond, so it's a fabulous "handy" field reference.  also has many of the bird's songs, etc.   of late i've stopped carrying my sibley anymore!  the app costs $30 at itunes.  ibird also sells more limited, sectional versions that are much cheaper, but of course, less comprehensive.

bob dailey
 
> To: lazar.bauer at earthlink.net; sightings at diabloaudubon.com
> Subject: Re: [EBB Sightings] A Bright Yellow Bird at Lake Merritt
> From: saltdodge at yahoo.com
> Date: Sun, 3 Jan 2010 19:08:29 +0000
> CC: 
> 
> I totally saw these birds in September, hanging out in a light fixture behind Fairyland. I passed them off as Tanagers, but found a few things odd: the aforementioned bill, why were they in a pair in non-breeding season, and wasn't sure they should still have summer coloring.
> 
> I guess the lesson is: if something seems off, it probably is, and it's worth further thought/research before jumping to conclusions.
> 
> Jay Dodge
> Berkeley
> ------Original Message------
> From: Lisa and Robb
> Sender: sightings-bounces at diabloaudubon.com
> To: East Bay Birds Sightings
> ReplyTo: Lisa and Robb
> Subject: [EBB Sightings] A Bright Yellow Bird at Lake Merritt
> Sent: Jan 2, 2010 9:24 PM
> 
> Here's another picture of the bird. It's a horrible Bigfoot-esque photograph, but it does show the wings.
> 
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisascenic/4239851008/
> 
> I had totally forgotten about the Saffron Finch, and it certainly wasn't in the field guide we were puzzling through. (I wonder, does anyone remember what months it was at Lake Merritt in the past?)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who gave this a look.
> 
> Lisa Lazar
> Oakland
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