ML126626891

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

***Mega. Second state record, though not completely unprecedented given recent reports this fall from Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin (2), Michigan (3), and Oregon (2). Apparent female found earlier in the day by Guillermo Rodriguez. The bird was obligingly feeding out in the open in the edges of the field where it was feeding on grass seeds. It fed among juncos and other sparrows, but seemed indifferent the few times that all the sparrows flushed. The tail was short and squared, and the head was very small relative to its body. The black spotting on the wing coverts superficially resembled that of a Morning Dove. The bases of the inner vanes of the primaries were reddish/rufous, and the tips of the primaries and outer vanes were dark brownish. The bases of the primary coverts were also rufous and tipped dark brownish, producing a dark bar on an open wing. The underwing coverts and and axillaries were rich salmon in color. The bill was pinkish at the base. There was fine scaling on the breast, neck, and top of the head, which rules out other Columbina doves. The bird actively scratched and preened several times, allowing great views of an open wing. At one point, the bird flew about 100 feet down the tree line, passing by Jason Forbes's and my head at 5-6 ft away at eye level. When first lifting off, I heard a few rapid wing claps, and then when flying by, I could hear the air moving around the rapid wingbeats, producing a soft whirring sound. During preening, the bird plucked a back feather and left it behind. I saw where the feather fell, obtained it later, and transferred it to Jeremiah Trimble who will secure a place for it in the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology. Photos with iPhone and spotting scope. Wing stretches: Scratching. Notice the bright pink/red feet: Back feather:

Technical information

Model

iPhone 5

ISO

50

Focal length

4.1 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

Shutter speed

1/616 sec

Dimensions

1141 pixels x 715 pixels

Original file size

231.25 KB