ML361819181

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Mixed in with a big flock of House Finches. Sparrow like bird vaguely patterned like a Vesper Sparrow. Similar in size and shape to House Finch. Female type. Very odd time of year for one, well outside the typical September-October window for migrant sparrows. White throat, breast, belly and undertail. Breast, flanks and undertail were marked with crisp short brown streaks. Center of the breast had a slightly higher density of streaks giving the appearance of a narrow breast spot. Back was sandy brown with darker brown centers. Primaries, secondaries, tertials, median and lesser coverts had broad dark brown centers with thin buffy edges. Greater coverts were gleaming white although some of the inner ones appeared to have small dark brown centers. Tail feathers similarly dark brown in the center with thin buff edges. Bill was silvery gray, conical, and finch like in size and structure. Irides were black. Face was a sandy brown color. A thin warm brown ocular line ran rearwards from the eye to the nape. Crown was similarly warm brown with fine blackish streaks. The face was bordered below by an indistinct brown facial stripe. The stripe was in turn subtended by a broad white malar stripe that wrapped behind the cheek. The malar stripe was bordered below by a thin brown throat stripe. Legs and feet were a dusky pink hue. The tibia and tarsus appeared slightly longer than those on the House Finches such that the bird when standing upright appeared taller than the finches.

Technical information

Model

COOLPIX P1000

ISO

250

Focal length

467 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/7.1

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

4608 pixels x 3456 pixels

Original file size

6.41 MB