ML135617801

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Found on the elm tree behind the green Boy Scout shed next to the west side of the waterfall hill. It is still in molt, with patches of brown feathering on the crown, side of the neck, and bib. This alone directs the ID toward Yellow-bellied, though I am not sure how to eliminate a hybrid, though I did not see any field marks that suggest a hybrid. Like a YBSA, the rows of back spots are pale buff rather than white, and there is no red on the nape or on the cheeks.The throat is problematic because molt is incomplete. It is a male, with a red chin, and the extent of the red appears limited like YBSA but since the lower throat is still in immature brown feathering, it is hard to say what the extent of the red will ultimately be. Same for the black margins to the red throat, though the upper part of the bordering stripe is full and black. This is probably /possibly the same bird photographed by Brad Rumble a month ago. It will be interesting to monitor the molt of this bird if it sticks around, to note whether the throat comes in looking like YB or a hybrid, but my best call now is Yellow-bellied.

Technical information

Model

Canon PowerShot SX50 HS

ISO

800

Focal length

215 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/6.5

Shutter speed

0.01 sec

Dimensions

4000 pixels x 2664 pixels

Original file size

3.08 MB