ML249850891

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

****very rare, only 7 records from Washington, but this is the first that wasn't an adult male. Bright yellow-orange oriole with color going all the way thru the breast, belly, and into the UTCs, which were the same color as the breast, unlike BUOR. Color brightest in center of breast. Dark wing panel and darker mantle than expected of BUOR in this plumage, some hints of dark on face eg in throat area not out of range of BUOR. Chatter noticeably, if subtly, a bit faster than BUOR, but I wasn’t able to get a recording of this. Saw on fence while driving and had one of those “am I losing it? or should I turn around?” moments- glad I turned around. Was with double digit group of BUOR and other birds foraging in berries upslope of road. Easily relocated multiple times by call and obviously different coloration. Point of checklist more or less exact. Could be a hybrid but the only thing about this bird that really suggests that to me is the upper wing bar; eyeline, dark throat etc not out of range of BAOR, somewhat serrated wing bar is potentially problematic- unsure if this is outside of BAOR range, especially because feathers are a little beat up there. This bird was accepted 7-0 by the Washington bird records committee.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

160

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

1798 pixels x 1356 pixels

Original file size

1.9 MB