ML103027671
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Playback
- Not specified
Media notes
Recorded by Ellen Stepniewski
Observation details
Approaching the west side of the Garry Oak Trail, I heard the loud and choppy song of an Ovenbird. Looking through my North American eBird records for Ovenbird, I have 67 entries from 16 US states, 5 Canadian provinces, and 2 Mexican states. The only time I can recall being confused by the song of Ovenbirds is in northeastern BC where I pondered over a distant Ovenbird, wondering if it was a Connecticut Warbler. Connecticut's breed regularly along the Alberta border east of the Rockies in NE BC. Anyways, our target was under Garry Oaks and nearby cottonwoods, in an Ovenbird-friendly understory of snowberry. Waiting patiently for the bird to appear, Ellen recorded its song when it was close. Though we think we saw the Ovenbird briefly in the snowberry thickets, it never posed enough to get a clear view. We sent this audio to Ryan Merrill, who responded with a thumbs up. Additional details for the WRBC: So, the only evidence we have is the audio file. My comments above on the collective experience I have with Ovenbirds is not meaning to come across as bragging, but to reflect my familiarity with the species and the fact I am aware, to my ear anyways, Connecticut Warbler’s song ought to be considered. I had no trouble eliminating Connecticut (would have been very nice, huh?) due to the fact this Snow Mountain bird was very close. Despite our best attempts to trying to get a visual, the bird did not pop into view. I find this to be not too unusual with migrants, particularly a ground-hugging species like Ovenbird. So, this completes my rare bird report for this sighting. I apologize I can not offer more complete evidence and details. Thanks are in order to Ryan Merrill who knew to convert the mp3 file on Ellen’s phone to a wav file and then having us upload it to our eBird checklist. Accepted by WRBC 2018.
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 4.34 MB