ML273246391

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

****Very rare--found by homeowner Ellen Blanchard two days ago under her feeders. Ian Carlsen and Ellen were sitting in the backyard when I arrived, and after a few minutes the bird showed up. Obvious zonotrichia, appeared slightly larger/bulkier than WTSP and noticeably duskier/grayer underneath. Showed wide, black lateral crown stripes flecked with gray, and a wide median crown stripe with a sometimes-obvious bright yellow patch on the forehead, fading to gray on the posterior of the crown. The median crown patch/stripe did not meet the base of the upper mandible, as it was cut off by the black lateral crown stripes joining together on the forehead. Auriculars gray with black edging, throat pale gray bordered by faint dark lateral throat stripes. Breast light gray, flanks and sides a dirty brown, and the undertail coverts appeared to have dark spots. The upper mandible was dark gray/blackish, and the lower was dull pinkish. The eye was bordered by a thin, broken white eyering, most prominent under the eye. The back and wings were very similar to a WTSP, with the mantle brown and streaked with black, transitioning rather abruptly to a solid brown lower back, rump, and uppertail coverts. The primaries and secondaries appeared dark, edged with buff, and the tertials were black with rufous edges fading to whitish near the tips (the black center came to a small point to reach the end of the shaft, creating a break in the edge color). The greater coverts were black-centered, edged with rufous and fading to white at the tips, and the white tips became especially bright in the outer greater coverts, forming a white wingbar. The rectrices appeared dark brown or gray, The legs were pink, with gray around the joints and toe pads. This bird was twice observed chasing off a WTSP, including on-ground combat and a midair tussle. The GCSP always won. It usually stayed around the weedy edges and around the bases of trees, but hopped up onto a corner of a dock in the neighbor's yard once (apparently a favorite perch). It made three appearances during my stay, each only lasting a couple minutes at most, and seemed to return about every 1/2 hour.

Technical information

Model

COOLPIX P900

ISO

450

Focal length

357 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.5

Shutter speed

1/125 sec

Dimensions

4201 pixels x 2656 pixels

Original file size

1.67 MB