ML101422691

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

****MEGA, first record north of southern Virginia (and 6th north of Florida and the gulf coast); first seen near the end of Pennsylvania Rd at 7:37am. Foraging in a solitary manner near several warblers. Visually this bird did not seem as similar to a Red-eyed Vireo as I would have expected. In the field I noted it seemed slightly larger with a more prominent bill, giving it a different feel proportion-wise. The plumage was not as colorful or contrasty as a Red-eyed, with a browner back and more subdued head pattern. The most obvious feature of course were the dark “whiskers” or malar stripes. From certain angles the undertail coverts appeared quite yellow. The bird foraged in the lower half of the trees along the end of the road, often at or below fifteen feet. In response to playback of Black-whiskered song, the bird bombed over my head and landed in a shrub about ten feet away. However, it didn’t call then, and didn’t make a sound for the fifteen or so minutes I observed it.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D

Lens

EF400mm f/5.6L USM

ISO

800

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/1250 sec

Dimensions

2645 pixels x 1763 pixels

Original file size

717.22 KB