[birding] Weird finch flock, B-t Gray Warbler

[Joel Geier]

Hi all,

This morning I heard (but couldn't spot) a BLACK-THROATED GRAY WARBLER
singing from a budding Oregon white oak on the neighbors' property to
the south.

Shortly afterwards while I was checking the garden, a flock of 8 large
finches flew over, making a beeline south and giving weird dry rattling
calls, sort of like a gargling "grrrp! grrrp! grrrp!" 

I actually thought about White-winged Crossbills which have shown up
very rarely in the Coast Range -- they did look about the right size.
But looking through Sibley for other ideas, I see that Evening Grosbeaks
are supposed to sometimes make a rattling call. I'm not familiar with
that call -- usually I just hear their loud "pyeer!" Have any of you
heard Evening Grosbeaks make that call, and do they make it in flight? 

Based on size, these birds did seem to be either grosbeaks or
crossbills. Unfortunately by the time I got on them with the binoculars,
they were mostly just fast-receding silhouettes.

Any other ideas?

Happy birding,
Joel

--
Joel Geier
Camp Adair area north of Corvallis