ML37797651

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Tags

Habitat

Media notes

The habitat where I saw the BBBQ

Observation details

I went to the truck lay-by 18 Kms south of MM and took a dirt track that led off to the SE. After about 0.5 KM the track stopped where there is a derelict car and a motorcycle. From there, I walked up the slope about 200m towards the south-east. I got there at 0700, before the sun rose over the mountain. The habitat was a gentle slope, with very sparse dry grass and open, stony/rocky substrate. I just stood there quietly for an hour scanning the slope for movement. (The grass was sparse enough that I thought I would be able to see the birds walking around.) After an hour of silent watching, I made my way back down to the car to continue my trip to Artemis, when a small ground bird flushed in front of me and flew off the the left and then down the slope and into the forest south of where I had parked my car! The bird continued flying until I lost it in the trees. I saw it for a second or two and noted the distinctly darker flight feathers contrasting with the pale “body” of the bird. I could not distinguish the wing coverts from the back feathers, it was just clearly paler in the middle of the bird and darker at the business end of the wings. The size was large for a button quail. I assume it was a female. I am convinced that it was a Buff-breasted Button Quail, as the contrast was too great to be a Brown Quail or a Painted BQ, and the contrast between the flight feathers and back/coverts would also argue for the BBBQ. Also the flight did not appear to me to be as strong as a Brown Quail, but rather more whirring.

Technical information

Model

DMC-FZ300

ISO

100

Focal length

4.5 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/2.8

Shutter speed

0.01 sec

Dimensions

4000 pixels x 3000 pixels

Original file size

6.03 MB