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Brown-‐Capped Rosy Finch

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Brown-‐Capped Rosy Finch Wyoming Special Mission 2013: Brown-capped Rosy Finch Information Packet >> uwyo.edu/biodiversity/birding Mission Coordinated by: Wyoming Natural Diversity Database (uwyo.edu/wyndd) Laramie Audubon Society (laramieaudubon.blogspot.com) UW Vertebrate Collection (uwyo.edu/biodiversity/vertebrate-museum) UW Biodiversity Institute (uwyo.edu/biodiversity) Wyoming Game and Fish (wgfd.wyo.gov) Page 1 Table of Contents Wanted Poster . pg. 3 Introduction to the Mission . pg. 4 Photo Guides . pg. 6 Vicinity/Trail Maps . pg. 11 Observation Form . pg. 13 Species Abstracts Brown-capped Rosy-Finch . pg. 15 Black Rosy-Finch . pg. 19 American Pika . pg. 23 Remember to bird ethically! Follow the link to read the American Birding Association’s Code of Ethics: http://www.aba.org/about/ethics.html Page 2 WANTED: Sightings of the Brown- Capped Rosy-Finch Near Medicine Bow Peak in the Snowy Mountains, WY. ACCOMPLICES: Also near Medicine Bow Peak: Black Rosy-Finch White-tailed Ptarmigan American Pika High Elevation Amphibians submit your data! Submit observations at ebird.org More information: uwyo.edu/biodiversity/birding Brown-capped rosy-finch photo courtesy of Bill Chitty Black-capped rosy-finch photo courtesy of Glen Tempke (http://www.pbase.com/gtepke/profile) White-tailed Ptarmigan photo courtesy of Flickr: USFWS Mountain Prairie Pika photo courtesy of John Whiteman Laramie Audubon UW Vertebrate Collection Toad photo courtesy of Amanda Bowe Society Wyoming Birding Special Mission 2013: Brown-capped Rosy-Finches The Issue: Various alpine-adapted species are found in very limited areas in Wyoming. The Medicine Bow Peak region in southern Wyoming is one of these areas. For one species, the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte australis), the Medicine Bow peak region is the only location in Wyoming the species is known to regularly occur. Scientists, resource managers and birders want to know more about the population density and distribution of this finch species in the Medicine Bow Peak area – you can help! We encourage visitors to the Snowy Range to document observations of Brown-capped Rosy-Finch and submit their observations. Below is information for four other species/organism groups that visitors are encouraged, but not obligated, to keep an eye out for; choose one or more or none of the “Additional Alpine Specialists” to submit observation data for! The more information you can provide, the more useful the information will be! The Area: The maps found on pages 11-12 are useful for documentation purposes. Informing us of which trails and routes you took, and made observations on, will help us more fully understand where the species are found. Please note that some of the numbered routes on these maps are off-trail for the adventuresome! The Species: Brown-capped Rosy-Finch is a small, stocky songbird, about the size of a large sparrow. Adult males are uniformly brown during the breeding season, with a reddish tinge on the belly, rump, and the bend of the wing. Females are similar to males, but are drabber in coloration overall. Visit http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-capped_Rosy-Finch/id for more details on appearance, sound, and identification. Similar Species: Black Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte atrata) is a very similar species that is sometimes found in the Medicine Bow Peak region, though it is far less likely to be in the Medicine Bow Peak area during the middle of summer. This bird is nearly identical in size and shape to the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. Unlike the uniformly brown coloration of the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, the male Black Rosy-Finch is uniformly dark brownish black on the back, breast, neck, and face below the eye, with the reddish tinge present on the belly, rump, and bend of the wing. Female Black Rosy-Finches are lighter grayish-brown overall, with the reddish tint nearly absent. Visit http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Rosy-Finch/id for more details on appearance, sound, and identification. Additional Alpine Specialists: American Pika (Ochotona princeps) is often observed above the tree line. American Pika is a small mammal that resembles a tiny, short-eared rabbit. Adults are 17 to 20 cm in length, and generally tan in color. They are highly vocal, making a nasal “eep eep” vocalization. Visit http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Ochotona_princeps/ for more details on appearance, sound, and identification. White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucura) is a small grouse like bird, similar in body shape to a medium chicken. During the summer months, the species is barred grayish-brown to blend in with the landscape, and in the winter is completely white to hide among the snow. The species has not been confirmed in the Page 4 Snowy Range since the 1970s, and any observations of this species should be well documented with photographs. Visit http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Ptarmigan/id for more details on appearance, sound, and identification. A bird that is superficially similar in appearance and common in the Medicine Bow Peak area is Dusky Grouse (Dendrogapus obscurus), so care should be taken with identification. Visit http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dusky_Grouse/id to learn how the species differs in appearance, sound, and identification. Amphibians: Four amphibian species are likely found in this area. They include the Boreal Toad (Anaxyrus boreas boreas), which possesses warty skin with a white stripe down the back; the Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus), which has dark brown skin, relatively smooth skin, and a white stripe down the back; the Boreal Chorus Frog (Pseudacris maculata), the smallest of the Wyoming amphibians (adults typically get to 1.5” long) with relative smooth skin and no white stripe down the back; the Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium), which can range from yellow to olive green in color with black stripes or splotches. All of these amphibian species should be noted when observed, with a location. Observation Instructions We are encouraging birders to travel to this area and search for the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch, and other species if desired. If observed, birders are asked to collect information on the form on page 13 and submit it online to ebird.org. If preferred, forms may be mailed to: UW Biodiversity Institute 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 4304 Laramie, WY 82071 Trails and Routes in the Area The maps provided on pages 11-12 are for the region, and can help you in telling us where you were making observations. If you observe the Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (or other Additional Alpine Species) on these trails, please note where; if you observe any of them off trail, please be sure to note your GPS coordinates and datum (i.e., NAD83, NAD27, etc.). Page 5 Photo Guide: Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Adult Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Adult Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Photos courtesy of Glen Tempke (http://www.pbase.com/gtepke/profile Ideal Brown-capped Rosy-Finch breeding habitat (cliff faces for nesting and meadow/alpine scrub) Photo courtesy of Michael Wickens Visit http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-capped_Rosy-Finch/id for more details on appearance, sound, and identification. Page 6 Photo Guide: Additional Alpine Specialists Black Rosy-Finch Photo courtesy of Glen Tempke (http://www.pbase.com/gtepke/profile) American Pika Photo courtesy of John Whiteman Page 7 White-tailed Ptarmigan Photo courtesy of Flickr: USFWS Mountain Prairie Boreal Toad Photo courtesy of Flickr: USFWS Mountain Prairie Page 8 Wood Frog Photo courtesy of Wendy Estes-Zumpf Boreal Chorus Frog Photo courtesy of HerpNet.net Page 9 Tiger Salamander Photo courtesy of Flickr: USFWS Mountain Prairie Page 10 Vicinity/Trail Maps Routes 1 and 2 are the Medicine Bow Peak trail. See the SW trail/routes map. Route 3 is off trail, though observations can be made from the lakes trail just east of this route. See the SW trail/routes map. Route 4 is also off trail. See the NW trail/routes map. Route 5 is the Medicine Bow Peak trail. See the NW trail/routes map. Route 6 is the trail on the north side of Sugarloaf Mountain. See the NW trail/routes map. Route 7 is the trail on the top side of Brown Peak. See the NE trail/routes map. Route 8 is the trail on the east side of South Gap Lake. See the NW trail/routes map. Route 9 is the trail on the north side of Brown Peak. See the NE trail/routes map. Page 11 Route 10 is off trail, on the west side of North Gap Lake at the base of the cliffs. See the NW trail/routes map. Route 11 is off trail, on the top of the cliff above North Gap Lake. See the NW trail/routes map. Route 12 is off trail, along the southern base of Brown Peak. See the NE trail/routes map. Route 13 is off trail, again along the southern base of Brown Peak, along the eastern edge. See the NE trail/routes map. Route 14 is off trail, extending the survey region east of Brown Peak. See the NE trail/routes map. Page 12 Observation Form MEDICINE BOW PEAK REGION – SPECIES OBSERVATIONS Recorder name: ________________________ Date: ________________ Recorder e-mail: _______________________ Start time: ____________ Recorder phone: _______________________ End Time: ____________ Number of Observers: __________ What trails, survey routes, or areas did you spend time in? What was the primary purpose of this trip? Did you actively search for (please circle): Brown-capped Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte australis) YES NO American Pika (Ochotona princeps): YES NO Black Rosy-Finch (Leucosticte atrata) YES NO For any species that you marked YES above, please fill out information below: SPECIES GPS location Observation notes (if taken) Did you observe any of the following during your trip? If yes, please include location information, as specific as possible.
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