Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
It took us a few minutes to locate the wintering flycatcher at Crespi Pond, but I eventually managed to find this bird perched atop stalks in the northeast corner of the marshy area located on the south side of the pond. Unfortunately, after less than a minute, the flycatcher flew to the southern tip of the patch of native vegetation, where it proved challenging to see well. We never heard this bird vocalize, but I did manage to get a couple of mediocre photos before it flew off the first time. My views of this bird at close range were relatively brief, yet I was able to note the general structure and patterns even though many of the finer details evaded me. This was a relatively small, plump flycatcher with a slightly peaked appearance to the head, a bill that was short and slim, a roughly diagonal posture to a conspicuously plump body, and a medium-length tail that was held downward approximately in the plane of the body. I further noted that the head was proportionately large and that the crown had a weak peak, but I did not note the length of the bill relative to field-marks on the face or the precise shape of the head. I also thought the neck was short and inconspicuous, and that the plump body was full-chested. I never did notice either the primary projection or the placement of the wingtips relative to the tail, yet I thought the tail was of medium-length, relatively slim, and that it was dipped slightly. This was a remarkably dull individual that had almost no color below. The head and upperparts were a cold, medium-brown in color. I thought there was at least some suggestion of streaking above, but I cannot now recall if there was much of a face pattern. I did notice at least one pale wingbar that appeared to represent pale grayish fringes to the greater coverts that were most conspicuous as tips, but which I thought extended a short way up along the edges of these feathers. I cannot now recall noting the pattern on the median coverts, or even if they were visible. The remiges were blackish overall, but the inner secondaries had narrow fringes of white, and I think at least some of the other feathers had less conspicuous fringes that were either even narrower or, more likely, less white. As far as I could determine, the upperside of the tail was black and inconspicuously marked. Contrasting conspicuously with the darker and more brownish upperparts, the underparts were basically whitish across the throat, breast, upper belly, sides, and flanks. I did notice a faint suggestion of a peach-colored wash to the lower belly, but it was really quite inconspicuous. I also noticed no more than a faint suggestion of darker streaking at the sides of the breast, so at first glance, this bird appeared both quite pale and essentially unmarked below. I cannot now recall noting the soft-part colors when I studied this bird in the field.
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/6.3
- Shutter speed
- 1/400 sec
- Dimensions
- 2140 pixels x 1663 pixels
- Original file size
- 3.05 MB