ML431679981

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Photos TBA. Second county record, with the first from just last November. Same bird, perhaps still in the region? Entirely unexpected! Notably rarer in the Gulf than on the East coast, where it is still an exceptional species to observe from shore. Lifer!! First saw what I believed to be a BOGU coming into view to assess the feeding frenzy of BRPE. I noted that BOGU is late at this point (at least per eBird) and started to snap photos. During my time shooting, I was subconsciously taking in the features of the bird. As I started realizing what I was looking at, the adrenaline began pumping! Thicker bill than BOGU, with the adult yellow tone starting to come into its own. The "ear muff" look was subtle, but present, and the thick "M" of the open wings and lack of a black secondary edging were observed, despite how worn down the plumage was. Did not expect this today! Weather was a very slight East wind with tranquil waters! Not quite sea watching weather, but boy am I glad I came out!

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D Mark II

ISO

800

Focal length

600 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/800 sec

Dimensions

2034 pixels x 1355 pixels

Original file size

362.24 KB