ML152463811
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Media notes
Hammond's Flycatcher photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 13 April 2019 at the Wheeler Gorge Campground. Los Padres National Forest, Ventura County, California.
Observation details
Jim spotted this bird perched in the upper levels of live oaks in a grove on the west side of the creek in the upper part of the campground, where it flew about landing on exposed and obscured perches without ever calling. My views of this bird were relatively good, but not exceptional, and I was able to get only mediocre photos given the distance, the dense vegetation, and less than ideal lighter under the canopy. This bird was relatively sedate when perched, in that it did not appear to dip or flick the tail conspicuously, but it did flick its wings at times. This was a small passerine that was typical of an Empidonax in its general size, structure, and plumage patterns; however, it appeared both slightly smaller and especially smaller-billed than a “Western” Flycatcher that was seen nearby. I thought this bird’s bill was notably small for a flycatcher, in that it would have extended backward on the face only to the rear edge of the eye. The bill was also slim throughout its length both in width and depth, and it tapered to a pointed tip. The forehead was steep, but the crown sloped weakly upward to a peak that I believe was located where it met the nape on a head that appeared large relative to the bird’s size even for an Empidonax. The neck was short and stout, and the body was plump and seemingly full-chested, with a posture that was more upright than diagonal with they tail held downward in the plane of the body. The wings were relatively long, with a primary projection that appeared to be at least two-thirds the length of the exposed secondaries, but I did not note in the field the placement of the tapered wingtips relative to the undertail coverts or the tail. Also apparent was that this bird held the wings at the sides of the body thus exposing the rump. I further thought the tail was short for an Empidonax, but I failed to compare its length relative to the body, and I did not note the relative length of the undertail coverts. I thought the legs were short, but I did not study them at all carefully. This bird was generally olive in color without obvious yellow or green tones. I noted an eyering that was bold, well-defined, and whitish I color. I did not think the eyering expanded conspicuously behind the eye, but it did seem to narrow just above the eye. I thought the face was quite plain, apart from the eyering, and I cannot recall seeing a pale supraloral-spot, but I also did not specifically the absence of one. My impression was that the head, neck, back, and rump were all about the same shade of olive, and seemingly without an obvious contrast between the head and back. The wings were quite dark, but seemingly sooty as opposed to truly black. Further apparent were two bold wingbars that represented pale grayish to whitish tips to the greater and median coverts, but I was less sure about the degree to which the greater coverts in particular were edged paler. I noted a narrow band of blackish across the remiges just below the lower wingbar, and also that the secondaries were edged with pale yellowish-olive to produce a finely striped pattern that appeared not to extend as obviously onto the primaries, which contrasted as a dark band along the leading edge of the closed wing. I thought the exposed primary tips may have had narrow edges that facilitated my differentiation of the feathers in the wingtip. I noted only that the upperside of the tail was quite dark. The underparts contrasted as only slightly paler than the upperparts, but the overall color was quite similar. I did not think the throat contrasted as much paler than the breast, but I did note a dull yellowish stripe of the center of the belly that ended by the lower breast to create a vested appearance. I thought the bill was entirely dark, the eyes were certainly dark even though I was unable to discern their color, but I have a weak recollection that the legs appeared to be blackish, if not truly black.
Technical information
- Model
- Canon EOS 7D Mark II
- Lens
- EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM
- ISO
- 800
- Focal length
- 400 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/6.3
- Shutter speed
- 1/400 sec
- Dimensions
- 1207 pixels x 841 pixels
- Original file size
- 1.47 MB