ML40773661

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

The bird came in to about ten metres away as I was 'pishing' in another passerine which turned out to be a Song Sparrow. I guessed what it was at the first glimpse: it flew between some rushes and on landing showed a full, quite rounded tail and yellow undertail coverts, immediately suggesting Common Yellowthroat to me. Although I'm a British birder, I've been seeing them regularly since 1984 when I did a season as observatory assistant at Long Point, Ontario; in subsequent years I've seen them in California, Texas, New England, the Caribbean and most recently Toronto this September. Perhaps fortunately though, the bird then perched up, giving me a full profile view in which its dull olive upperparts were clear together with its dull olive-brown washed flanks. The yellow undertail coverts were again clearly visible together with its yellow throat. At this point I called my friend's attention to the bird and he was able to fire off a record shot. I watched the bird in total for about two minutes.

Technical information

Original file size

3.78 MB