Tennessee Warbler, Great-tailed Grackles

["Kristin Purdy" <kristinpurdy at comcast dot net>]

I'm pretty darn sure I saw a first fall male TENNESSEE WARBLER at 
Willard Bay State Park in Box Elder County today.  The bird was hopping 
through a low Russian Olive over the channel east of Willow Creek 
Campsites 31-32.  Some of you will know this spot as the Northern 
Waterthrush channel.  Alas, no waterthrushes today.  The water level in 
the channel is high and doesn't expose many muddy areas suitable for 
waterthrush foraging.

I'd estimate my time with the Tennessee Warbler was off and on for 2-3 
minutes.  An immature Wilson's Warbler hopped through the same tree as 
the Tennessee's and once I even had both warblers in the same binoc 
view.  The Tennessee appeared distinctly Vermivora--very sharply pointed 
beak, especially in comparison with the Wilson's short blunt beak.  The 
Tennessee had a very distinct olive eyeline through the lores that 
extended through and aft of the eye.  The eyeline matched the olive 
crown.  The supercilium was yellow and slightly thinner than the 
Wilson's, making the olive crown appear deeper--much like a Warbling 
Vireo's.  The upperparts were olive and generally unmarked.  I could not 
discern wingbars at all.  The chin, throat, breast, and belly were 
relatively yellow (for a Tennessee), but not nearly as bright and clean 
as the Wilson's.  The undertail coverts were distinctly whitish.  I 
didn't get a look at the undertail pattern other than the coverts.  Best 
representation of the bird I saw can be found in National Geo due to the 
plumage color and beak shape (sharp and pointed; faintly down-curved).  
The yellow first fall male depicted in the Peterson Field Guide 
'Warblers' isn't bad either, but the beak isn't quite right in Peterson. 
   

The really surprise bird of the day was the GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE--huh?  
In Box Elder County?  Yep.  I first saw the group of about 12 adults and 
juveniles in Willow Creek Campground around the picnic tables at 
campsites 23 and 24.  Later, I followed them as they crossed the channel 
mentioned above, and then east into Cottonwood Campground.  I was using 
a scope and studied them for about 20 minutes.  I reached an 
incontrovertible conclusion.  The Great-tailed Grackle is a 
dorky-looking bird.  Males, females, juveniles--doesn't matter.  The 
funniest-looking one was a juvenile male, mostly brown with a beige 
chin/neck. However, he was molting into his adult male plumage and 
looked like he wore a lumpy black vest, a la Olive-sided Flycatcher, 
over his brown feathers.  His scapulars were black, too. 

The presence of juveniles indicates to me this species is breeding this 
far north.  I remember reading another sighting of Great-tails from a 
year or two ago at Bear River MBR, so perhaps the northern expansion of 
this bird's range continues.

In addition to the two warbler species mentioned above, I also saw 
Orange-crowned, Yellow, Yellow-rumped, MacGillivray's, and a 
Yellow-breasted Chat.  A non-warbler species, the Gray Catbird, is still 
present in good numbers.  They're relatively vocal and easy to find.  

Finally, I suffered an act of highway robbery as I had to renew my 
annual state park pass.  Yikes!  That thing's getting expensive.

The main entrance to Willard Bay State Park area can be accessed from 
I-15, exit 357.

Kris

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