ML38187221

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

***Mega. I think this is the 10th state record, and 3rd for Barnstable County. A small colorful passerine affording great views in its thickety domain. Walking up to the thicket, I noticed the movement of the bird immediately. The thickness of the bill tipped me off that it was a vireo. The bill was mostly gray, but showed a pinkish color at the base, especially when the sun shone through it. The head was mostly grayish with white lores extending above the eye, and there was a thin white line directly below the eyes as well. The throat and breast were white, and the flanks and undertail coverts were a rich yellow. Honestly, in my opinion this was a particularly bright Bell's Vireo, even among "Eastern" Bell's Vireos. The back was greenish, contrasting with the head, and there were two thin white wingbars, i.e. the greater and median coverts were thinly tipped white. The upper wingbar sometimes obscured by wing coverts. The tail appeared longish compared to our common eastern vireos. The bird spent its time on the edges of the thicket. It was not associating with other birds. Nearly the entire time I followed the bird, I could see its movement on the edge of the thicket, and several times the bird came point blank out in the open. Very active. It's worth mentioning that this location (Fort Hill) hosted another Bell's Vireo in 2015, which was discovered on 30 Oct, nearly exactly a year prior. That bird stayed over a month and was found a few hundred feet away in another thicket- http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S25625954 Details will be submitted to the Massachusetts Avian Records Committee (MARC).

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D

Lens

EF400mm f/5.6L USM

ISO

400

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/1250 sec

Dimensions

1708 pixels x 1125 pixels

Original file size

1.32 MB