[MDOsprey] Dickcissel at Lake Elkhorn In Howard County

Dave Mozurkewich (dm@fornax.usno.navy.mil)
Fri, 17 Dec 1999 14:07:40 -0500 (EST)


Darius,

I, too, was surprised when I saw the black on this bird's throat.  (I
found it about 10:15 last Sunday.)  There were black specks all the way
along the upper edge of the yellow and they coagulated into a distinct
black spot at the center of the throat (left to right, not up/down).  I
finally made the time to check Pyle's book and, IF I understand what he
says, any black on the throat implies that this bird is a male. 

Dave

Seabrook, MD  USA
dm@fornax.usno.navy.mil

P.S.  Even though e-mail travels rapidly, there is no guarantee that it
gets sent, read or processed in such a timely manner.

On Tue, 14 Dec 1999, Darius Ecker wrote:

> For those interested, the Dickcissel was seen Monday morning, September
> 13 at 8:15 AM in a small tree embedded in a multiflora rose at the
> lakes's edge behind the Townhouses next to the dam at Lake Elkhorn.  The
> bird is still with a large group of Weaver Finches. I got to watch it at
> close range (15 feet) for five minutes, before it dropped down below the
> bank into the brambles and dissappeared. This was a tough bird for me to
> see, and I put in well over fours hours of trying before finally seeing
> it. 
> 
> It was worth the wait. But I thought I could see black at the base of
> the feathers in the throat, and a fairly pronounced chestnut patch on
> the wing. The yellow on the breast was also more extensive than I was
> expecting for a female.  Could this bird be a male Dickcissel in winter
> plumage instead of a female ? Can the female show traces of black at the
> throat ? 
> 
> Darius Ecker (eckerd@prodigy.net)
> 
> Columbia, Maryland.
> 
>