This Townsend's Solitaire was observed in State Game Lands 30 on 12 February 2005. This is the Townsend's Solitaire that was first discovered by Len Groshek back on 15 January 2005. The bird has a buffy wing patch and pronounced eye ring which are characteristic of the species. This is a digiscope photo taken at about 160X.

Another shot of the Townsend's Solitaire perched on top of a dead(?) crag showing it's short, dark beak. This is a digiscope shot taken at about 160X.

This is a shot of the Townsend's Solitaire down in one of the hawthorn bushes. I had to include it since it shows a pinkish wash across its breast. I had submitted a report of a Townsend's Solitaire from Westmoreland County that was not accepted since I noted a pinkish wash across its breast. The PORC committee indicated that it could not be certain that the bird I saw was not an immature Blue Bird. I don't blame them for rejecting that report, since I didn't have a photograph of that bird. I can understand the problem written descriptions and drawings can impose on them when they did not see the bird. So I wanted to show this shot which illustrates the same type of wash I saw across the breast of the Westmoreland County bird. After seeing this specimen, I'm 100% certain that the bird i saw in Westmoreland County was a Townsend's Solitaire. This is a digiscope shot taken at approximately 160X.

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