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Post by butterfly on Aug 11, 2008 18:05:05 GMT -8
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Post by Gord on Aug 11, 2008 20:00:26 GMT -8
Wow! Im interested to hear this! Despite being out of range and a little early for a migrant, it sounds promising! Wouldnt have expected to hear a longspur feeding off the top of the corn, but when in Chilliwack, what else is there to eat?? ;D
I will pop out there tomorrow.
Oh, and thanks for bringing this sighting to our attention!
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Post by oldfulica on Aug 13, 2008 6:29:48 GMT -8
Dian and I searched for the Longspur yesterday around 10AM. I would assume the cement retaining wall is actually the cement buffers? overlooking the corn field. We had no luck anyway. One has to try for something like this. Thanks Bruce or Joanne
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Post by murraybrown on Aug 13, 2008 8:19:43 GMT -8
Butterfly, thanks for promptly notifying us about this super rare bird. It is a difficult bird to find even on it's breeding grounds up in the mountains of northwestern B.C.
To find it in Chilliwack would be a gift from on high!!
Murray
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Post by ryjay on Aug 13, 2008 13:31:48 GMT -8
I just read this on the bc birding forum:
"It is with a heavy heart that I update you on the Longspur. Socks, our neighbour's cat, killed it yesterday. I managed to get the poor thing away, but the damage was already done - tail gone, blood around the chin and throat. He survived for about an hour in my old bird cage, drank water droplets off my finger, and then passed. A tragic end to a special little one..... "
wonder if there was atleast a picture to confirm it was a smiths.
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Post by Gord on Aug 13, 2008 21:34:59 GMT -8
Bummer. Darn cats. And not that it got a possible rarity but for all the small birds and rodents that get killed every year by them. The number is staggering for North America.
But not to get off track on the furballs. It would be great if the specimen could be photographed and saved. Im sure it would be accepted at UBC given its rare status. Ryjay, not sure if you're a member, but perhaps it can be suggested? Im not sure if I signed up in the past.
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Post by ryjay on Aug 14, 2008 12:58:53 GMT -8
I love cats, but I agree they destructive to the bird population. Wouldve loved to have added a Smiths to my life list, missed it when I was in the Yukon.
Anyways, looks like the guy who had the injurted smiths took it to the SPCA to have it incinerated. So I guess we'll never know for sure what it was.
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