Observers: Debby Parker
Email: jimndebbyatqnetdotcom
Verification: MONO
Remote Name: 209.221.223.56
Date: 03/14/2007
Time: 03:10 PM -0500
Jim and I have seen Le Conte's Thrashers in this area since 1994 when we saw our first one here. Today there was a pair with one of the birds looking distinctly larger and with an obvious larger bill. They both looked like adults but since these birds nest early, not for sure. No yellow gape was seen in the smaller one and it wasn't acting as a juvenile bird. We've found in our bird ramblings that this species is much more common in the middle and southern part of Inyo Co. and much harder to come across in and around the Bishop area, where they were spied today late morning under overcast skies. In "The Birds of North America, No. 230, 1996", Jay Sheppard wrote that the females have a slightly larger bill but are smaller overall. Hope to photograph through the scope.