ML132879681

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

I spotted this bird amid a small flock of Brewer's Sparrows while trying to get better views of the Ovenbird that had disappeared into the mesquite bushes along the eastern edge of the property opposite the rectangular pond. I think most of us present at the time saw this bird before it disappeared, but my views were not spectacular, and my only photo may not be sufficient for a definitive identification. My best views of this bird were from the front, so I was able to see the face and underparts better than I did the upperparts and wings. I did manage to get one photo of the bird from behind, but during this period I saw it only through the viewfinder of my camera, so I was unable to discern much detail. Although we heard a few clear, "seep" calls in this area, I have no idea if these were given by this bird or instead one of the Brewer's Sparrows with which it was associated. Given that I concentrated on the plumage patterns during the brief time that I had this bird in view, I failed to notice the finer details of its structure. I was nevertheless able to note that this was a small sparrow with a relatively long tail, a small bill, and an overall structure that was similar to that of the Brewer's Sparrows. What first attracted me to this bird was the bold pattern on its head and face. The crown was dark brown with fine, dark streaks and a relatively bold median-stripe that was creamy-whitish to buff, though I cannot now recall which. The lower edge of the crown was demarcated by a bold, buffy supercilium that was complemented by an equally bold and similarly colored submoustachial-stripe. The medium-brown auriculars were surrounded by a darker frame that combined a postocular stripe, a moustachial stripe, and a dark margin along the rear edge, but the lores seemed to be pale and essentially unmarked. Also conspicuous was a dusky wedge in the malar region that separated the buffy submoustachial-stripe from the whitish throat. The entire head was demarcated by a conspicuous collar of medium-gray that extended across the back and sides of the neck. When seen from the front, this bird had a distinct wash of buff across the breast, and some dinginess but seemingly not much in the way of streaking at the sides of the breast. I thought the rich buff shade of the breast faded to whitish on the belly, but I am now unsure about this, and I cannot recall anything about the underside of the tail. As noted above, my recollection of the upperparts is weak, in large part because I saw them only briefly. I do remember at least some suggestion of wingbars, some paler fringes on the remiges that in my photographs appear almost cinnamon in coloration, and a warm-brown back that was boldly streaked darker. I also saw the rump well enough to say that it was brownish as opposed to gray, but I cannot now recall anything more about the wings, upperparts, rump, or tail. I have a vague recollection of a pale coloration in the bill and dark eyes, but additional details of the soft-part colors now evade me.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 30D

ISO

640

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/1000 sec

Dimensions

1350 pixels x 1119 pixels

Original file size

1.66 MB