ML132903791
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
This was a more brightly colored and boldly patterned bird than a female Prairie Warbler that I had seen in Carpinteria earlier in the week. The immediate forehead appeared to be narrowly green, but it was nearly pinched off at the base of the bill by the bright yellow supercilia, which extended from the base of the bill back through the supraloral region, over the eye, and then back at least partway across the face above the auriculars. The crown, nape, and back were about the same shade of olive-green as the forehead and they appeared to be unmarked for the most part. I further though this same color extended across the sides of the neck and forward through at least the rear part of the auriculars. This bird had a bold face pattern that was dominated by a narrow but well-defined, black line that extended through the lores and a complementary line that extended from the loral stripe as a crescent under the eye, but I am less sure to what degree the eyeline extended back from the eye. The loral stripe demarcated the lower edge of the supercilium before the eye. Complementing the supercilium was a yellow crescent under the eye that was demarcated below by the black frame. The throat, breast, and at least the upper belly were bright yellow, but a shade deeper than the lemon-yellow that characterizes Townsend¿s Warblers. I noted no pattern on the throat or the center of the breast or belly, but there were two or three bold, black stripes at the side of the breast that continued down the flanks, where they seemed a little less sharply defined and not quite so black. I also thought the flanks were washed with greenish or olive. The undertail coverts were clearly paler than the breast and belly, but I was not sure if they were whitish or pale yellow. I similarly noted that there were conspicuous spots of white on the underside of the tail, but I was unsure about the precise pattern and extent of white. Returning to the upperparts, the back and sides of the neck were the same shade of olive-green as the crown and even the back and scapulars were essentially this same color. I did notice some rufous coloration on the back, but I did not think it represented the well-defined stripes that are typical of an adult male of this species. The wings contrasted less with the body than those of many warblers, and I suspect this reflected centers of the feathers that were dark brown or even olive as opposed to blackish. I also noted two relatively diffuse and indistinct wingbars that appeared to represent yellowish tips to the greater and median coverts. The remiges appeared to show some contrast between medium to dark brown centers and olive edges that were not too different in color from the back, and which created a striped pattern, but not much in the way of contrast. I did not think the innermost secondaries were more boldly patterned then the other remiges, but I did think the wingtips were dark brown. The upperside of the tail appeared to be similar in coloration and pattern to the remiges, but I am having a difficult time recalling the pattern beyond thinking that it was striped in some way. The bill was mostly dark, but I noted some fleshy coloration along the cutting edges of the mandibles, at least basally. The eyes were dark, but I was unable to discern their coloration more precisely. As far as I can determine, the legs were blackish, if not truly black.
Technical information
- Model
- Canon EOS 7D
- Lens
- EF400mm f/5.6L USM
- ISO
- 500
- Focal length
- 400 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/6.3
- Shutter speed
- 1/2500 sec
- Dimensions
- 3480 pixels x 2524 pixels
- Original file size
- 7.57 MB