[obol] Can Rock Wren mimic Canyon Wren?

[Alan Contreras]

I have never heard a Rock Wren mimic a Canyon Wren.  Canyon Wren can be surprisingly unobvious even when close by, while Rock Wren is usually more or less hopping around in the open.

In the 1970s there were singing Canyon Wrens on some huge cliff faces along the Umpqua River near a place where several rivers come together.  Near Steamboat as I recall, but it has been a long time.  That is the only place in "northwest" Oregon that I have ever found them.  

Rock Wren is a regular breeder in small numbers at quarries, dams and rocky hilltops on the west slope of the Cascades.  It has bred several times on top of Spencer Butte on the s edge of Eugene.


-----Original Message-----
>From: "Wayne C. Weber" <contopus at telus.net>
>Sent: Jun 1, 2007 9:30 AM
>To: Andy Frank <andy.frank at kp.org>
>Cc: OBOL <obol at lists.oregonstate.edu>
>Subject: Re: [obol] Can Rock Wren mimic Canyon Wren?
>
>Andy and Oregon Birders,
>
>I've heard thousands of Rock Wrens, and I've never heard one mimic a
>Canyon Wren (or any other species, for that matter). So if you
>thought you heard a Canyon Wren singing, it probably was a Canyon
>Wren.
>
>John Fitchen, in his book on Multnomah County birds, lists
>both Rock Wren and Canyon Wren as "code 4" birds (less than one
>record per year). I'm sure that John or someone else has a list
>of county records somewhere. However, for the record, I have
>a sighting of Canyon Wren dating from August 1964: a singing bird
>at the campground near the mouth of Eagle Creek (barely
>inside the county boundary). I could look up the exact date if
>anyone is interested.
>
>I would expect Rock Wrens to turn up much more often than Canyon
>Wrens west of the Cascade crest in Oregon. Rock Wrens are highly
>migratory, and often show up far outside their normal breeding
>range; Canyon Wrens are non-migratory, and very unusual as vagrants.
>
>
>Wayne C. Weber
>Delta, BC
>contopus at telus.net
>
>
>
>
>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: "Andy Frank" <andy.frank at kp.org>
>To: <obol at lists.orst.edu>
>Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2007 3:25 PM
>Subject: [obol] Can Rock Wren mimic Canyon Wren?
>
>
>Today Wink Gross and I hiked around Larch Mountain in Multnomah County.  At
>Sherrard Point, at the top of Larch, we listened for awhile in vain for Rock
>Wren.  I then played a tape of it; no response.  I then played the tape for
>Canyon Wren and immediately a singing ROCK WREN popped up on the rocks east
>of the viewpoint.  We then heard what sounded like a CANYON WREN.  We only
>heard this once.  When we heard this, I had the impression that this was
>coming from a different direction (northeast rather than east) but Wink
>didn't.  I don't know if Canyon Wren has been previously found in Multnomah
>County; if so I know it is quite uncommon.  So if Rock Wrens do mimic Canyon
>Wrens, it was probably just the Rock Wren we saw and my ears played tricks
>on me with the location of where the sound came from.
>
>So do Rock Wrens mimic Canyon Wrens?
>
>Other birds found today included SOOTY GROUSE (heard from Sherrard Point);
>HERMIT, VARIED AND SWAINSON'S THRUSH; MACGILLIVRAYS, HERMIT, WILSONS AND
>YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS; ANNA'S AND RUFOUS HUMMINGBIRDS.
>
>Thanks, Andy Frank
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>----
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>obol mailing list
>obol at lists.oregonstate.edu
>http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/obol
>
>To unsubscribe, send a message to:
>obol-leave at lists.oregonstate.edu.
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>obol mailing list
>obol at lists.oregonstate.edu
>http://lists.oregonstate.edu/mailman/listinfo/obol
>
>To unsubscribe, send a message to:
>obol-leave at lists.oregonstate.edu.


Alan Contreras - Eugene, Oregon