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Post by Randy on Nov 11, 2018 14:08:07 GMT -8
I have to admit that even by the end of our discussion last year about separating these two subspecies I was still somewhat confused. Would someone be so kind as to provide some distinguishing features of Cassiar to separate from slate-coloured?
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Post by KevinC on Nov 12, 2018 14:02:40 GMT -8
From my limited exposure to the Cassiar type, I'd say that it has a hood (where the Slate-coloured is pretty much uniform in colour) and the back may have a bit of brown. Stan has some great comments on a feed from earlier in the year: Cassiar vs. Slate-coloured thread. There was at least one Cassiar hanging around the feeders at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve this past weekend. Hope that link works  |
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Post by birderbert on Nov 12, 2018 16:16:39 GMT -8
Here's a shot of a prime candidate for a Slate-coloured Junco male. It has the seamless transition from head to back, grey flanks etc but the "experts" told me that since it had visible brown in the back, it was a Cassiar! It turns out that Slate-coloured Juncos DO have brown in their backs making it even more difficult to tell. I'm sticking with Slate-coloured but who knows? Seriously...Who Knows?  Slate-coloured Junco poss4Nsmall by BirderBert, on Flickr |
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Post by Randy on Nov 13, 2018 12:37:26 GMT -8
From my limited exposure to the Cassiar type, I'd say that it has a hood (where the Slate-coloured is pretty much uniform in colour) and the back may have a bit of brown. Stan has some great comments on a feed from earlier in the year: Cassiar vs. Slate-coloured thread. There was at least one Cassiar hanging around the feeders at the Great Blue Heron Nature Reserve this past weekend. Hope that link works Thanks for reposting that thread - I remember reading it previously and feeling more confused about the difference than I had when I started reading and after re-reading it today I may feel even more confused . I thought I would post a screenshot from the Sibley App comparing slate-coloured and Cassiar which may be as good a visual reference as any, showing the hood on a Cassiar (or Rocky Mountain subtype).  It seems that the brown back is less reliable than the combination of gray flanks and dark hood if I have synthesized all the information correctly and will probably use this as my criteria for calling a Cassiar in the future... |
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Post by paulos on Nov 13, 2018 14:58:39 GMT -8
From our past discussions that is exactly the criteria I use as well.
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Post by KevinC on Nov 13, 2018 21:11:20 GMT -8
"It seems that the brown back is less reliable than the combination of gray flanks and dark hood if I have synthesized all the information correctly and will probably use this as my criteria for calling a Cassiar in the future..."
I totally agree with your conclusion, Randy, thank you for putting it so concisely!
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Post by birderbert on Nov 14, 2018 17:08:27 GMT -8
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Post by paulos on Nov 14, 2018 18:04:55 GMT -8
I'm thinking the last one is a slate-coloured. According to Sibley Cassiar females are not reliably told from Oregon females. This one has more uniform head and sides.
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Post by Randy on Dec 31, 2018 10:52:41 GMT -8
I believe I found a Cassiar amongst my Oregon juncos yesterday. First time I've been able to definitively ID nonetheless photograph one. Hopefully I'm not mistaken!  |
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Post by birderbert on Jan 3, 2019 14:06:52 GMT -8
You are correct on the ID Randy! We seem to get more of them out here every year!
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Post by paulos on Jan 3, 2019 14:50:15 GMT -8
Or it could be that more of us are better equipped to identify them every year thanks to discussions like this.
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Post by Randy on Jan 3, 2019 18:10:51 GMT -8
Or it could be that more of us are better equipped to identify them every year thanks to discussions like this. Yes I agree. Until this discussion last year I didn't even know Cassiar existed and to be honest didn't pay much attention to junco flocks at all. Now I make a point of trying to find and ID these other subspecies. |
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