ML27238241

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Watched for ~ 1 and 1/2 hour. First and last seen accompanying a red-eyed vireo, but spent most of its time foraging alone at low and mid elevation of shrubs and small trees in the open woods at the end of 1st street. Spent most of its time close to 29.556227° -94.395305°. Very tame, observed foraging down to 1.5 meters. Looked significantly bigger than the red-eyed vireo when they were seen side by side, with a proportionately longer (hooked) bill which was often very impressive, colored light grey overall, with some flesh tinge below. Looked much browner overall than red-eyed vireo and less contrasting, especially the grey cap was less on the blue side and without the sharp black cap border (a little bit of black present though on a less extensive area). The supercilium and ear-coverts were a characteristic warm buff, almost orangey at times, especially in front of the eye. Dark-brown/blackish eye stripe (lores and behind eye, ending squarely). The diagnostic black whiskers present on each side of the throat were best visible when the bird was facing us.Their appearance varied quite considerably depending on angle, light and probably, plumage factors (ruffled feathers): sometimes looking quite thick, but at other times, narrower or almost invisible. Dark blood red eye visible only at extremely close range in good light. Upperparts brownish with a little bit of olive, and yellow-fringed wing feathers (greater coverts, primaries and secondaries). The underparts were pale sullied light buff with a hint of light yellow on the upper flanks and undertail coverts, greyer on the middle flanks. Legs grey or even bright purple in certain lights. From below, tail feathers pale brown becoming paler towards the edge. ---------- Perfect conditions to find a rarity: 1) geographic: migrant trap, Hooks woods are ~ 900 m from the beach and surrounded by open marshes, literally the very first favorable habitat after crossing the ocean; 2) Two consecutive nights of very strong easterlies, enough to blow off our tent the first night! ---------- Record # 2016-26 accepted by Texas Bird Records Committee, n = 38th TX record. (Review List A -- Rarities: These species, in general, include birds that have occurred four or fewer times per year anywhere in Texas over a ten-year average) From a correspondence with Eric Carpenter at the time of record submission: "There are currently 37 accepted records. All but 2 of the records are on the immediate coast with the 2 outliers being perhaps ~20-30 miles or so inland. Two records are of fall birds, one record is a bird that summered and the rest are spring migrants like yours, in the date range 4 April to 28 May."

Technical information

Model

NIKON D5300

ISO

2500

Focal length

250 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/1250 sec

Dimensions

6000 pixels x 4000 pixels

Original file size

8.95 MB