ML129342651

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

[Updated 9/21/2020. Cleaning up old records. The infamous Alder Creek shrike. My initial notes on the sighting are below. Peter Pyle subsequently made a convincing case in NAB for Red-backed x Turkestan shrike. But this is beyond my paygrade, so I'm changing simply to shrike sp.] A confusing bird, with some characters intermediate between Red-backed and Brown Shrike. Provisionally reported here as Red-backed, as it shows several characters more consistent with that species, and there is no Red-backed/Brown Shrike option. I have no previous experience with either species, so will defer to more experienced observers on final identification. Overall impression: shrike with a gray hood and black mask, rufous back, and white underparts, suffused with pink/buff. Actively moving between perches, hunting insects, and occasionally spending time on the ground. Hood pale gray, with limited brown tones, mostly on hindcrown. Supercillia very narrow and only somewhat paler (i.e., not truly white and not contrasting significantly with hood), connecting in a slightly paler area above the bill. Narrow black mask, continuing through the lores. Bill dark, paler at the base. Difficult to assess bill structure in the field, but reviewing photos. Back warm, rusty brown. Wings blackish, with rusty edges to tertials and secondaries. Difficult to assess primary projection in the field, but reviewing photos. Rump brownish. Tail molting: older retrices rufous; new retrices dark with white outer edges, supporting Red-backed. White throat and underparts with pale buff/pink suffusion, strongest down flanks and across upper breast. Grayish legs.

Technical information

Model

iPhone 6

Lens

iPhone 6 back camera 4.15mm f/2.2

ISO

32

Focal length

4.2 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/2.2

Shutter speed

1/194 sec

Dimensions

451 pixels x 569 pixels

Original file size

321.51 KB