Mystery Solved!

 

Remember that mystery bird call in Bandera I ascribed to Townsend’s Solitaire a few months ago?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofMtVJwZFHc&feature=youtu.be

 

Really?  You really don’t remember?

 

To me, it sounded like the Townsend’s Solitaires I hear in Colorado.  Here is one for sure (I located him right after I turned off the video):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6j97USytDk  (turn the sound up a little higher for this one)(never-mind the robins in the background)

 

Here is a recording of a Townsend’s Solitaire from Cornell.  Double click it to play…

 

 

That bird in Bandera sounded so much like a Townsend’s Solitaire to me that I put it down in ebird even though Townsend Solitaire is not supposed to be there then.  As expected, I got a challenge from an ebird monitor.  I directed him to the call and after a few days he directed me to a different recording:

 

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GnMUbKBCnt4

 

It’s a recording of a Rock Squirrel!  Oops.  I attributed a squirrel sound to a bird!  Silly me.  Well, the quality control system for ebird works like it’s supposed to, even if I don’t.