Yellow Wagtail sp, NEW YORK (1 Viewer)

birderbf · Sep 7, 2008

Hi everyone,

A friend of mine discovered a Yellow Wagtail just this afternoon in Brooklyn. Does anyone have any thoughts on what subspecies (and species!) it is? Eastern Yellow Wagtail are the only ones yet recorded in this hemisphere, but so far they've only been recorded from the Pacifc Coast.

http://picasaweb.google.com/fresha2411/YellowWagtail#5243343531366990098

There is a magnification tool to the right of the top of each photo, then drag.

Cheers.

Cristian Mihai · Sep 7, 2008

IMHO the bird looks good for a Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis).

Cristian

birderbf · Sep 7, 2008

Cristian Mihai said:
IMHO the bird looks good for a Eastern Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla tschutschensis).

Cristian

Internet info is very confusing. What should I be looking at to tell the difference?

PS the bird's wherabouts are currently unknown.

BobTag · Sep 7, 2008

Really don't think you can see enough detail for this very difficult ID to make this call Christian, especially on a female-type bird... What experience are you calling this one on?

rockfowl · Sep 7, 2008

Too difficult from the images posted, they're complicated enough at the best of times! It is however a Yellow Wag :t:

jcwings · Sep 8, 2008

We just had an Eastern Yellow Wagtail in Santa Barbara County, CA (a link to a few photos are in my signature, "Birds where I live") and this was following a recent report of a heard only bird from either Washington State or Oregon just a week prior. There may be some sort of movement of Eastern Yellow Wags going on. Everyone should keep their eyes open.

Microtus · Sep 9, 2008

Does anybody else have opinions or insight into this bird?

KnockerNorton · Sep 9, 2008

Only that it isn't a British one!

But I agree with others in that it's impossible to determine race from those images. The identification of female/juv-types isn't fully understood even on this side of the Pond. So there's no real solution.

streatham · Sep 9, 2008

KnockerNorton said:
Only that it isn't a British one!

But I agree with others in that it's impossible to determine race from those images. The identification of female/juv-types isn't fully understood even on this side of the Pond. So there's no real solution.

A couple of people on the ID Frontiers have suggested this is flavissima - which seems to be easily ruled out - pretty tough to rule anything much in though? The description of the flight call is interesting though!

Flight Call : This morning I started birding Plum Beach at ~6:45 AM. At about 7:20-7:25 I
> observed a bird that at first I thought might be a Pipit, flying slowly and
> low over the marsh. It looked superficially like a Pipit in that very quick
> in-flight view, the only problem was the vocalization. The call it made was
> a loud metallic chink-chink (as much as I hate trying to fit a bird-call
> into words) repeated 2 or 3 times, rather than the repetitive sweet short
> notes I'm used to Pipits making.

Full Post here: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html#1220815963

Luke

BobTag · Sep 9, 2008

streatham said:
A couple of people on the ID Frontiers have suggested this is flavissima - which seems to be easily ruled out - pretty tough to rule anything much in though? The description of the flight call is interesting though!

Well, our old friend Normal suggested flavissima, and as the most notorious stringer on the web you can discount that :t:

It's not flavissima, as KN said...

birderbf · Sep 9, 2008

I think the people on ID frontiers may be assuming it's M. flava ssp, not catching the point of M. tschutschensis ssps being the only known Yellow-type vagrant in the hemisphere.

I like the way the people familiar are sratching their heads at the description of the call as "chink chink." Hopefully that's pointing to the more unfamiliar Eastern Yellow.

BobTag said:
Well, our old friend Normal suggested flavissima, and as the most notorious stringer on the web you can discount that :t:

It's not flavissima, as KN said...

Come on, his Eskimo Curlews are legit! 3

JANJ · Sep 9, 2008

And here am I, who can´t even get to see the images properly, Can´t get access to the link!

JanJ

KnockerNorton · Sep 9, 2008

streatham said:
A couple of people on the ID Frontiers have suggested this is flavissima - which seems to be easily ruled out - pretty tough to rule anything much in though? The description of the flight call is interesting though!

Flight Call : This morning I started birding Plum Beach at ~6:45 AM. At about 7:20-7:25 I
> observed a bird that at first I thought might be a Pipit, flying slowly and
> low over the marsh. It looked superficially like a Pipit in that very quick
> in-flight view, the only problem was the vocalization. The call it made was
> a loud metallic chink-chink (as much as I hate trying to fit a bird-call
> into words) repeated 2 or 3 times, rather than the repetitive sweet short
> notes I'm used to Pipits making.

Full Post here: http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html#1220815963

Luke

That call sounds like Grey Wagtail!

AsterixnObelix · Sep 10, 2008

birderbf said:
Hi everyone,

A friend of mine discovered a Yellow Wagtail just this afternoon in Brooklyn. Does anyone have any thoughts on what subspecies (and species!) it is? Eastern Yellow Wagtail are the only ones yet recorded in this hemisphere, but so far they've only been recorded from the Pacifc Coast.

http://picasaweb.google.com/fresha2411/YellowWagtail#5243343531366990098

There is a magnification tool to the right of the top of each photo, then drag.

Cheers.

Birderbf...was this at the Jamaica Bay wildlife refuge? I was on the phone yesterday with well known birder/photographer and he mentioned that someone had entered into the log at the refuge spotting a Yellow Wagtail.

LuvBlueJay · Sep 10, 2008

Hey where in Brooklyn? BECAUSE THIS IS A COINCIDENCE! I didnt have my glasses on but i thought i saw a sparrow-size bird with a YELLOW BREAST on my fire escape. (of course when i ran for my glasses it was gone).

SOO im going to sit by the window all morning to see if he/she comes back. It was alone so i dont know if it travels in groups like sparrows?

birderbf · Sep 10, 2008

AsterixnObelix said:
Birderbf...was this at the Jamaica Bay wildlife refuge? I was on the phone yesterday with well known birder/photographer and he mentioned that someone had entered into the log at the refuge spotting a Yellow Wagtail.

Not at Jamica Bay WR (which is 90% in Queens) but Plumb Beach about halfway between there and Coney Island. Probably just spreading the word via the log, but if not somebody is in trouble!

LuvBlueJay said:
Hey where in Brooklyn? BECAUSE THIS IS A COINCIDENCE! I didnt have my glasses on but i thought i saw a sparrow-size bird with a YELLOW BREAST on my fire escape. (of course when i ran for my glasses it was gone).

SOO im going to sit by the window all morning to see if he/she comes back. It was alone so i dont know if it travels in groups like sparrows?

Not likely, but hey...
oh and location above.

rockfowl · Sep 10, 2008

birderbf said:
I think the people on ID frontiers may be assuming it's M. flava ssp, not catching the point of M. tschutschensis ssps being the only known Yellow-type vagrant in the hemisphere.

I like the way the people familiar are sratching their heads at the description of the call as "chink chink." Hopefully that's pointing to the more unfamiliar Eastern Yellow.

I'm familiar with 'Eastern' Wagtails migrating along the north east coast of China, never heard them sound like that I'm afraid

BobTag · Sep 10, 2008

rockfowl said:
I'm familiar with 'Eastern' Wagtails migrating along the north east coast of China, never heard them sound like that I'm afraid

Totally agree Mark; I too have seen and heard autumn Eastern Yellow Wagtails on migration in Hong Kong and Taiwan (and the Isles of Scilly

), and they certainly don't sound like "chink-chink".

Whilst the photos do show a flava-type wagtail, there is something wrong here.... birderbf, has anyone other than the original reporter seen the bird?

streatham · Sep 10, 2008

BobTag said:
Totally agree Mark; I too have seen and heard autumn Eastern Yellow Wagtails on migration in Hong Kong and Taiwan (and the Isles of Scilly ), and they certainly don't sound like "chink-chink".

Whilst the photos do show a flava-type wagtail, there is something wrong here.... birderbf, has anyone other than the original reporter seen the bird?

No it was just the original reporter that saw the bird. My guess is a) his description of the call is poor or b) maybe the bird giving the call wasn't the wagtail.

KnockerNorton · Sep 10, 2008

streatham said:
No it was just the original reporter that saw the bird. My guess is a) his description of the call is poor or b) maybe the bird giving the call wasn't the wagtail.

seems reasonable.

Yellow Wagtail sp, NEW YORK (1 Viewer)

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