ML329961811

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Media notes

A late Sage Thrasher photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 19 April 2021 in desert along the Whitewater River, north end Salton Sea, Riverside County, California.

Observation details

When we spotted this bird perched in a dead snag along the levee road on the east side of the Whitewater River, I had assumed it was going to be a Western Kingbird, yet when I checked it out through my scope it was clear that it was instead a Sage Thrasher. Unfortunately, the thrasher flew almost as soon as I tried to approach to get a photo and it continued to fly north whenever I approached it to even moderate distances. As such, my best views of this bird were through my scope and my photos are at best mediocre. Typical of migrant Sage Thrashers, this bird flew short distances between exposed perches in shrubs and snags, and it never called. This was a medium-sized passerine that I estimated to be slightly smaller than a mockingbird even though the shape was relatively similar given a relatively short bill, a sloping forehead and a gently rounded crown, a relatively slim body, and a long tail that was slim throughout its length. I further thought the bill was slim and maybe slightly decurved, but I never compared its length relative to field-marks on the head. I failed to note the length of the tail precisely even though I suspect it was about as long as the head, neck, and body combined, and I was unable to discern the structure of the closed wings, or that of the legs or feet. This bird was pale below with fine, dark streaking almost throughout, but given that it was backlit, I was uncertain if the underparts were whitish or instead cream-colored. I further thought the unmarked throat was bordered on either side by a dark malar-stripe that was narrow but well-defined. The head, neck, upperparts, and wings appeared to be a medium-brown in color, but I was unsure about the degree to which the brown included pale gray. I thought there was some suggestion of paler wingbars and I thought I noted some white in the corners of the tail when I saw the bird in flight, but I was unable to see any real detail in these patterns. The bill appeared to be dark, and the eyes were distinctly pale and possibly yellowish in color, but I was unsure about the color of the legs and feet.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

Lens

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

ISO

500

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/8.0

Shutter speed

1/800 sec

Dimensions

1121 pixels x 759 pixels

Original file size

771.52 KB