ML282718301

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Nicole and I were searching for a Scarlet Tanager that had been reported, but we failed to refind it. Scanning a flock of WCSP, I saw what I first thought was a Lapland Longspur with a buffy head and reddish framed auriculars until it turned its head and became a Harris’s Sparrow, the 7th for SCI and an island bird for Nicole and I. Foraging in a flock of White-crowned Sparrows, this large sparrow appeared slightly larger than its congeners with a streaked back, white wing bars, buffy head, black scalloped crown, chin, and chest. Reddish-brown lines frame the auriculars, the beak was thick and reddish. Actively foraging in a gravel patch near the car wash by scratching with both feet at the same time then looking down. It flew off on its own and gave a handful of sharp “chink” calls (nothing I’d heard before) more towhee-like than WCSP.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

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

ISO

1000

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

2986 pixels x 2133 pixels

Original file size

1.68 MB