ML36021141

Age and sex

Immature Unknown sex - X

Observation details

Immature. Large, chunky sparrow-like bird. Very drab brown, lacking yellow typical of an adult female and first noticed due to size (slightly larger than nearby SOSP) and sustained perch at top of tall cornstalk. The pale throat framed by dark lateral throat stripes then caught my attention. There was a faint band of streaking on sides and across breast, and the bill was fairly long and heavy and pale in coloration. Visible in the photos (heavily cropped) is a distinct pale supercillium that appears to be yellowish in front of the eye and extends well behind the eye. This facial pattern, along with dark lateral throat stripes outlining the white throat, the shape and color of the bill, and the bird's size point to Dickcissel over Indigo Bunting. In addition, as the bird took off and flew back into the cornfield, I heard the distinctive wet, burry, buzzing flight call note.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS REBEL T3i

Lens

EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM

ISO

500

Focal length

300 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

2539 pixels x 1693 pixels

Original file size

978.43 KB