ML373705341

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

****mega, 1st state record and 3rd ever for New England. Continuing at a private home here since 9/18, left 9/26. Access by invitation only, extended to the Middlebury College Birder Club as an educational field trip. Per request of the homeowner--regrettably unequipped to handle an influx of visitors--this record was only publicized after the bird's departure. The violetear was instantly recognizable as not the usual suspects--notably larger than an Archilochus/Selasphorus, with a somewhat longer body. Overall, the bird was almost entirely a brilliant emerald, appearing dark velvety green when in shadow, bar a white spot behind the eye. The throat was a light, sparkling blue-green, spangled with darker spots that gave it a scaly appearance. This was bordered by a magnificent royal blue on the malar and cheeks--the 'ears'--and on the breast, the combination of which eliminates all possible North American species. Mexican Violetear is the only member of its genus known to vagrant to the United States, but the great extent and intensity of blue on the breast eliminates its sister species Lesser Violetear, while the green throat and chin eliminate Sparkling Violetear. Extensive photos support this identification. Behavior-wise, the individual favored a hemlock tree on the west side of the house, where it would sit, preen, and move around somewhat for periods of ~15 minutes between visits to the feeder. It further utilized two low lilac bushes in the garden as a staging ground, giving Ethan and I spectacular views as it perched in the open. In motion, the bird constantly gave various staccato, twittering chips and rattles, and at one point appeared to sing a few times from within the hemlock. This was a truly magical experience with a species Ethan and I had never dreamed of seeing in Vermont. A huge thanks to Vicki S. for letting the club visit! Many photos forthcoming.

Technical information

Model

NIKON D90

ISO

2000

Focal length

500 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

3012 pixels x 1855 pixels

Original file size

2.95 MB