The new WINGS e-newsletter is making its way through the ether as I write; if you don’t subscribe yet, you can find it on the WINGS website, too, by clicking “Newsletters” at the top of this page.

One of the most enjoyable challenges I set myself is the trivia question. Sometimes I think ‘em up, sometimes Will Russell sends one, sometimes a WINGS client or Wingbeat reader submits a real poser. It’s a good one this time around!

Senior Leader Paul Lehman writes from Gambell:

All of the good Asian passerines left us Friday night, under calm winds and partly cloudy skies. But the only new landbird to appear on Saturday, September 6, was a real doozie, the first Alder/Willow Flycatcher ever recorded from the Bering Sea. And of even greater interest is the fact that the bird appeared to be not an Alder but a WILLOW FLYCATCHER, casual anywhere in Alaska and nesting no closer than south-central British Columbia. The bird was silent, but showed a particularly long bill; absolutely no suggestion of any eyering, eye arcs, orbital ring, or anything around the eye except for a light loral spot/bar; wingbars and tertials that appeared tan-white and not particularly bold or thick; wing coverts that were dark but not blackish; and a definite brownish tone to the dull olivey-green upperparts.

From Sunday to Monday the north winds kicked in again, big time, and highlights have been an Asian Horned Lark flava and a “Slate-colored” Junco; both taxa average about one record per fall. A few more Sharp-tailed Sandpipers (season total currently at 41), a couple more Ancient Murrelets, more Emperor Geese, and Sabine’s Gulls.

Red-throated Pipit, Greece; Bruce MacTavish

Pipit numbers are running well this year: certainly above average, though not exceptional. Totals for the season so far are 33 Red-throated and 15 japonicus American PIpits. In the past there has been a fairly strong correlation between the fall showing of these two here at Gambell with numbers found farther south, particularly in California, later in the autumn (especially in October). The two biggest years here during the past 15 or so years were 1992 and 2003, both of which turned out to be big years in California as well. So, if the correlation holds in 2008, it should be a better-than-average year for Red-throated and “Siberian” American Pipits along the West Coast.

A Variegated Flycatcher was photographed today in Franklin County, Washington. Though obviously very rare, this species has become one of the more expected South American vagrants north, with records as far afield as Maine.

Useful remarks on the distribution and identification of this and other, related and similar species can be found in an article by George Armistead and Jon Feenstra here.

Paul Lehman writes on another good day at Gambell:

Today has been calm and partly cloudy. We first found a Pechora Pipit in the circular boneyard; everyone finally got views of it ranging from adequate to very good, and some fuzzy photos will be posted soon.

And then we found Dusky Warbler #4 of the past few days, this one in the near boneyard. Our attention was called elsewhere, though, by the discovery of a SIBERIAN STONECHAT, only the second fall record here.  Everyone got to see it, and many digiscoped photos were taken, with some to be posted in the near future.

The Brown Shrike appears to be gone. One of the other previous Dusky Warblers continues.

There’s still some birding time left today….

Paul Lehman reports on the uncanny multiplicative abilities of Dusky Warblers:

Wednesday afternoon’s Dusky Warbler at Gambell turned into TWO birds that evening, with the second found 2.5 miles away, in the “revetments” south of the lake; and then a THIRD bird was found today another 2.5 miles to the south, out in open grass near Ooynik Point. All three were seen by many observers.

One of yesterday’s Duskies continues today, as does the Brown Shrike. And we had a good count of seven Snowy Owls, including goggle-eyed juveniles.

Way back in 2000, The Independent offered a £5,000 reward to anyone providing a convincing explanation for the worrisome decline in British House Sparrow numbers.

Photo: Rick Wright

No winner yet, eight years later. Any ideas out there? The prize will go to the author of a published, peer-reviewed paper, so get out your pencils.

Senior Leader Paul Lehman writes–with characteristic understatement:

September 3 was a very good day at Gambell, with a WILLOW WARBLER all day, moving all over the near boneyard, finally seen by everyone; this was the second here this fall and only the seventh overall for Gambell and for North America. Alan Schmierer has posted a photo of this individual.

Another Old World warbler, a DUSKY WARBLER was found in the far boneyard this afternoon, where it was seen by all but usually only in flight. The BROWN SHRIKE continued for a second day, and was slightly more cooperative and photogenic than yesterday; photos will be posted soon.

A LITTLE BUNTING was seen briefly by several birders along the lower mountain slope, and a COMMON SNIPE seen well in flight from both the circular and near boneyards was only the third fall record here, about equal to the number of autumn records of Wilson’s Snipe and of snipe sp.

We also made a good count of 19 Red-throated Pipits and several Bluethroats and Gray-cheeked Thrushes on this partly cloudy day with light to borderline-moderate north winds.

Paul Lehman writes from Gambell:

Tuesday we had NE/NNE winds of 25-30 mph, and I didn’t have too much hope for any Asian landbirds. But then in the late morning I found a BROWN SHRIKE near the far bonyard. I turned to yell to the 15 birders near me, looked back, and the bird was gone.

It took a good two hours to finally re-find it, in the same area, and the 30 or so birders now on the island have all seen it.

The other “big” news, literally, was yesterday’s flight of 980 Emperor Geese, the largest one-day count I’ve ever had here (previous high was 650). Other recent dribs and drabs of interest the past three days include a Kittlitz’s Murrelet (I see one or two per autumn), two more Spectacled Eiders (one of which was dabbling with Pintails), 3 more Ancient Murrelets, a one-day count of 550,000 Crested Auklets, an apparent adult smithsonianus Herring Gull (I’ve seen about five or so out here), a total of 30 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers, several more Bluethroats, and several wanderers from the Alaska mainland: Wilson’s Warbler, Red Fox Sparrow, two more Sooty Fox Sparrows, and White-crowned Sparrow.

Senior Leader Paul Lehman writes from Alaska:

The last couple of days here at Gambell have had rain, drizzle, and fog and mostly ENE winds.

The best bird here over the past several days was certainly the Rhinoceros Auklet flying by the point  on August 28–the first record for the northern Bering Sea. This species nests north only to the Aleutians, and is a very rare but annual visitor to the Pribilofs in the southern Bering Sea, with a single record for St. Matthew Island in the central Bering Sea.

Photo: Gavin Bieber (Washington State).

Also well out of range was a Warbling Vireo on August 29, surprisingly enough the fifth autumn record at Gambell for a species that nests no closer than southeast Alaska. Also casual in the offshore Bering Sea region was a juvenile Red Knot on August 30, only the third I’ve ever seen here in fall.

Other miscellanea the past several days included a total of 4 Snowy Owls (rare this early), 19 Sharp-tailed Sandpipers knocked down by yesterday’s rain, 2 Ancient Murrelets (a rare but annual visitor from the south) right along the beach, 18 more Steller’s Eiders, 5 Slaty-backed and 2 Sabine’s Gulls, and 5 more Red-throated Pipits.

Recent news from other islands includes a Ruff and a Buff-breasted Sandpiper at St Paul and 2 Ruffs at Shemya.