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All,
This morning Frank Vanslager and I took the Grizzly Gulch Trail of Henry
Coe Park up a couple miles from the bridge at the end of Gilroy Hot
Springs Road where we first heard and finally saw the CANYON WREN calling near
the top of a large rocky area about 3/4 of a mile past the Rock Tower Trail
(about 1/4 mile before the Dexter Trail). Later as we headed back down the
trail, just below the junction with the Rock Tower Trail we heard a bird
giving a unusual 5 or 6 note song from the tops of
the trees. After several minutes searching I spotted the bird flying
to bare branches at the top of a tree near me.
Unfortunately a branch blocked the middle of the bird from my view.
What I saw was a chunky, dark tailed, dark (black) headed bird with a
heavy, light straw colored bill (pale yellowish-pink). I said "It looks
like a Junco?" knowing that it couldn't possibly be a Junco from it's
song. After Frank found the bird and got his scope on it I considered
going after my scope which I had left it on the trail 50 feet away as
searched for the bird. At that point, with me looking elsewhere, the
bird turned 180 degrees and quickly flew to the southwest. Frank then
said the bird was an overall dark blue (somewhat lighter below) with
darker looking wings and a light grayish(?) bill, Differences in
the apparent color of the bird would be due to the fact that there was about
135-150 degrees of angle between Frank and I in relation to the bird (Frank was
down trail [south southwest] and I was up trail [east northeast] of the bird
which was facing almost due north). The bird was in full sun (from the
south) with no clouds and wind was light and steady at probably 5-6
mph. As soon as we reached Franks's car he played the song of the Indigo
Bunting from his Peterson's CD which was a good match for the song heard
and he then played the song of a Blue Grosbeak (the only other likely
candidate) which did not match the song heard. It therefore
seems that the bird seen was a male INDIGO BUNTING.
Take care,
Bob Reiling
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