ML264394491

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Media notes

Presumed Arctic Warbler found earlier in the day by Noah Gaines and here photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 20 September 2020 at Mile Square Regional Park, Fountain Valley, Orange County, California. Although this bird was never heard, the lack of obvious yellow tones has been suggested to be more supportive of Arctic Warbler over the very similar Kamchatka Leaf-Warbler.

Observation details

This bird was well-marked, yet not overly colorful. I was never sure about the pattern on the immediate forehead, but I thought the forecrown and crown were olive and unmarked back to the nape, and then with this same color extending down the back of the neck. Sharply demarcating the cap was a well-defined supercilium that extended through the supraloral region, over the eye, and back along the upper edge of the auriculars to their rear terminus, where it seemed to curve downward slightly before ending to demarcating the auriculars. I generally thought the supercilium was rather whitish, but I was never quite certain that it lacked subtle yellowish or buff tones. I am pretty sure the lores were narrowly dark, but I was far more confident that there was a relatively broad postocular stripe that was at least as broad as the eye was deep as it extended back along the upper edge of the auriculars to their rear terminus before expanding to curve around their rear edge demarcated by the supercilium at the top. Below the postocular stripe, the auriculars were paler and I further thought the demarcation along the lower edge of the postocular and the central part of the auriculars was weaker than that between the upper edge and the supercilium. My impression was that the lower portion of the auriculars was grayish in color, but any pattern eluded me. The lower part of the face was a dingy whitish to cream color, but without obvious yellow or buff tones, and lacking any obvious moustachial, submoustachial, or malar stripes. The throat was a dull whitish, pale cream, or light grayish in color and without any pattern. I did see a dusky or maybe olive wash at the sides of the breast, but the center of the breast, and the belly, flanks, and undertail coverts all appeared to be a dull whitish, maybe with a cream cast, and maybe not, and lacking a pattern. I thought the underside of the tail was dark, but I did not see it at all well. Returning to the upperparts, I thought the back and scapulars were about the same shade of olive, or maybe greenish-olive under some conditions, and without any obvious pattern, but I never clearly saw the rump or uppertail coverts. I did not detect much in the way of contrast between the upperparts and the wings, but I suspect the latter lacked the olive tones that clearly characterized the upperparts. I noted clearly a moderately obvious, yet somewhat diffuse wingbar that appeared to represent whitish to light gray tips to the greater coverts, but the median coverts were duller and with at most a very subtle suggestion of a wingbar that if actually present was both narrower and shorter than the lower wingbar, which was quite obvious. I generally thought the remiges were dark and at most poorly marked, but I think my photos show a relatively bold pattern on the innermost secondaries that I am never sure I saw clearly in the field. I likewise have no clear recollection from the field of the pattern on the exposed primary tips and upperside of the tail, but I think both are shown well in some of my photos. I thought the bill was mostly rather dark, but I was confident that the base of the lower mandible was paler, and likely either yellowish or flesh colored. The eyes were dark, but I failed to see any more detail of the color. Finally, I thought the legs were a medium to dark gray, but I never clearly saw the feet to see if they contrasted with the legs.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

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

ISO

320

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/2000 sec

Dimensions

3482 pixels x 2242 pixels

Original file size

9.86 MB