ML273815371

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Seen well and photographed. After hearing tapping on an oak tree, I found a brown, densely barred sapsucker. The bird was densely barred in the back, with a plain brown head and white rump. The belly of the bird was yellowish, with a darker spot in the center of the breast above the belly. I identified it as a female-type Williamson’s, and given that this was out of range for this species I went about documenting it. I believe this may be an adult female due to the strong central breast spot, present in adult females but not in juveniles. However, the coloration of the head seems darker brown than that of an adult female, which may suggest that it is a young bird? Do young males show a darker breast spot than young females, or are sexes identical in juvenile plumage? Right at milepost 18 in the oaks on the west side of the road. Flew off to the southeast. Appears to be the 4th county record on eBird. I will upload the actual photos when I return home in a couple weeks, but in the meantime I have attached back-of-camera shots to confirm the identification.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

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

ISO

2500

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

42106/21052999 sec

Dimensions

3099 pixels x 2563 pixels

Original file size

2.46 MB