ML303585411
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
This species is regular in low numbers amongst SNBU flocks on the Central Kenai in winter. While we were present, the bunting flock really preferred hanging out in the vicinity of the following point: (60.383241, -151.290983). They enjoyed feeding on what appears to be arrowgrass (thank you for the research Carol G.!). This is the same plant they use in Anchorage. Andy skied and I snowshoed out on the flats. It can always be a bit of a challenge to suss out younger MKBUs in a flock of SNBUs. We found three individuals that I feel good about. Individual #1: Possibly a young male? Quite pale-backed with very limited thin streaking restricted to the very upper mantle. Noticeably reduced black in the wing tips and retrices, especially at the base of the blackish retrices. Very reduced russet tones - giving a cuter face look. The collar is very faint and the nape is not brownish whatsoever. Individual #2: Much like #1, except even more strikingly pale, i.e. an older male. I thought I was looking at the same bird in my photos but noticed that the wing pattern is different. There is much more white at the base of the primaries (composite photo shows this nicely, compare it to the flight shot with only two birds in frame). This bird also does not have any hint of a russet collar, unlike individual #1. Individual #3: Perhaps a pale adult female? Still a definitely noticeable pale mantle but more streaking than the young male-types, extending just a bit lower down on the mantle as well. This bird still shows a large white rump. Streaking is thin and the white stripes are thicker than the black streaks. This bird also has reduced russet tones, apparently lacking the collar altogether. I don't think I got any good spread wing shots, which doesn't help. Open to comments on any of these birds. See Jack Withrow's recent paper in Western Birds for MKBU phenotype examples: https://archive.westernfieldornithologists.org/archive/V51/51(3)-p174-p189.pdf
Technical information
- Model
- ILCE-6500
- Lens
- FE 100-400mm F4.5-5.6 GM OSS
- ISO
- 500
- Focal length
- 400 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire
- f-stop
- f/6.3
- Shutter speed
- 1/2000 sec
- Dimensions
- 2048 pixels x 1365 pixels
- Original file size
- 1.61 MB