[Tweeters] Gilded Flickers

[Carl Lundblad]

The possibility of a Gilded Flicker appearing in western Washington (or
anywhere in the state) is extremely remote (if not impossible) and not at
all comparable to the patterns of occurrence/vagrancy in Blue Jays, Painted
Buntings, or even Swallow-tailed Gull.  Blue Jays predictably irrupt each
fall and winter, likely moving west and southwest from places like Alberta
and Montana, and appear in (sometimes large) numbers in Idaho with a few
making it as far as Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Etc.  They aren't even
vagrants but "uncommon to rare winter visitors" (likely annual in Pullman
and Spokane), and their breeding range has also been expanding westward.
Painted Bunting is a long-distance migrant with (like other long-distance
migrants) a well-established pattern of occasional vagrancy to the
northwest U.S., and even Swallow-tailed Gull is a highly pelagic species
that is prone to long-distance dispersal.  Gilded Flicker, on the other
hand, is an exceptionally sedentary species that virtually never wanders
outside of its restricted breeding range.  To demonstrate just how
sedentary they are, New Mexico still lacks a record of Gilded Flicker,
despite being a relatively common species in parts of southeastern Arizona
(within about 50 miles of the NM border), they are rarely detected outside
of their typical breeding habitat within that range, and there are zero
known occurrences of vagrancy outside of their usual range in Arizona,
extreme southern Nevada, adjacent parts of southeastern California, and a
tiny sliver of southwest Utah.  Intergrade "Yellow-shafted X Red-shafted"
Northern Flickers are regular in numbers (especially fall in winter) in our
region - I expect to see at least several a year in Oregon, Idaho, an/or
Washington (and other western states).

My Sibley guides (neither first nor second edition) show them in
Washington, and if yours does, it's clearly a mistake.  I seem to recall
that there might have been some range maps mistakenly swapped in an earlier
version of the book or app, and Gilded Flicker might have been involved,
but I forget the details.

I'm happy to be proven wrong, but a Gilded Flicker in Washington would
probably be the rarest vagrant of the year (more so than Eurasian Skylark,
Etc.).

Respectfully,

Carl Lundblad
Corvallis, OR


From: <andie777 at comcast.net>

> To: "tweeters" <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> Subject: [Tweeters] Gilded Flicker dtd 10/23/2022

> Message-ID: <EE0B9302760645A99DFF18C2E1332817 at andieHP>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252"

>

> Has anyone seen a Gilded Flicker here in NW WA? This morning we saw a

> small flicker that met the specifics of a GIFL. That is Larger black chest

> patch-oval shaped,paler back with narrower black bars and base of tail lite

> yellow. The smaller size and black patch caught our attention. It went to

> the suet feeder like every one else this rainy, foggy AM. Sibley?s map

> shows them around here when other guides do not. Trying to touch base with

> some of the older bird watchers around here. Thanks in advance.

>

> Cleo Andreasen

> Anacortes,WA

> andie777 at comcast.net

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> Message: 2

> Date: Sun, 23 Oct 2022 17:12:13 -0700 (PDT)

> From: HAL MICHAEL <ucd880 at comcast.net>

> To: andie777 at comcast.net, tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Gilded Flicker dtd 10/23/2022

> Message-ID: <1131440196.692107.1666570333766 at connect.xfinity.com>

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> Hybrid between the Red-Shafted and Yellow Shafted subspecies of the

> Northern Flicker.

>

>

> Hal Michael

> Board of Directors, Ecologists Without Borders http://ecowb.org/

> Olympia WA

> 360-459-4005

> 360-791-7702 (C)

> ucd880 at comcast.net

>

>

>

> >     On 10/23/2022 1:51 PM andie777 at comcast.net wrote:

> >

> >

> >     Has anyone seen a Gilded Flicker here in NW WA? This morning we saw

> a small flicker that met the specifics of a GIFL. That is Larger black

> chest patch-oval shaped,paler back with narrower black bars and base of

> tail lite yellow. The smaller size and black patch caught our attention. It

> went to the suet feeder like every one else this rainy, foggy AM. Sibley?s

> map shows them around here when other guides do not. Trying to touch base

> with some of the older bird watchers around here. Thanks in advance.

> >

> >     Cleo Andreasen

> >     Anacortes,WA

> >     andie777 at comcast.net mailto:andie777 at comcast.net

> >     _______________________________________________

> >     Tweeters mailing list

> >     Tweeters at u.washington.edu

> >     http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters

> >

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> Message: 3

> Date: Mon, 24 Oct 2022 01:34:22 +0000

> From: <hikersammy at msn.com>

> To: "andie777 at comcast.net" <andie777 at comcast.net>,

>         "Tweeters at u.washington.edu"     <tweeters at u.washington.edu>

> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Gilded Flicker

> Message-ID:

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> MWHPR1401MB20134ED91757FF10046DB033D32E9 at MWHPR1401MB2013.namprd14.prod.outlook.com

> >

>

> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

>

> How exciting.. I am hopeful that at one point you or someone near you can

> check it out and see if it is an indeed a Gilded.  There are ways to tell

> if it's a Hybrid of the Northern or a Gilded.  And I ask that anyone that

> sees a 'different' looking bird in any species, to explore more.   E-bird

> does not have a Gilded listed anywhere near here.. but I will say that as

> long as people jump to the 'hybrid' conclusion, that none ever will be.  We

> must remember the Blue Jay that appeared here several times now, the

> Painted Bunting and lets not forget the Swallow-tailed Gull.   So, unless

> it's much different from what we are used to seeing, we jump to the Sub or

> hybrid conclusion.  Just a reminder..   Continue to be excited ?  and get a

> photo if you can ?   Birds are moving NorthWest!

>

> Sammy Catiis

> Now in Sequim

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