ML449416161
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Media notes
Plumbeous Vireo photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 13 April 2022 at the Riverview Cemetery in Brawley, Imperial County, California.
Observation details
We tracked down a slow, burry song that was clearly given by a Solitary-type Vireo to find a Plumbeous Vireo foraging among the mesquite trees in the eastern part of the cemetery. This bird was relatively cooperative, in that it moved slowly among the lower branches of the trees, often in the open, but it also moved from tree to tree rapidly enough that it could be difficult to follow. I eventually lost track of it when it flew into a particularly large, densely vegetated tree near the eastern edge of the cemetery northeast of the buildings. The song given by this bird was both burry and delivered rather slowly, so even by song it sounded like this species. I have a vague recollection that this bird also gave a few sold calls, but I cannot recall the details of the calls that I heard. This was a relatively small passerine that was nevertheless larger than the warblers that we also saw in the same trees. I noted that this bird had a short and relatively stout bill that ended in a blunt, if not subtly hooked tip, but I could not be sure the bill was large for a Solitary Vireo. The forehead was sloping and the crown was rounded, both on a head that appeared larger relative to the bird’s size than that of a warbler, and I further noted that the neck was short and stout, and that the body was plump and full-chested. I cannot now recall noting the primary projection or the placement of the wings relative to the undertail coverts, but I suspect both will be shown in my photos, some of which should be pretty good. The tail was relatively short, and probably about as long as the body without the head and neck, but it would also be best to check my photos for its precise length and shape. I can likewise note that I saw the legs and feet, but I cannot now recall much about them. Even when seen in the shade, it was clear that this bird was a cold, medium-gray in color, with no apparent contrast between the head and upperparts, but also with a conspicuously sharp line of demarcation between the dark gray sides of the face and a white throat. The face pattern was dominated by white spectacles that combined a supraloral stripe with an eyering that my photos show to be broken before the eye. The supraloral stripe and eyering were comparable in width and sharply demarcated. The wings did not seem to contrast conspicuously with the back, yet my impression was that the centers of the coverts and remiges were darker than the back. There were two relatively bold wingbars that appeared to represent whitish (if not truly white) tips to the greater and median coverts, but I am pretty sure that there were also narrow edges to the greater coverts that produced a row of stripes between the wingbars. The remiges were also edged paler, but I thought these edges were light gray rather than white or yellowish. The result was a finely striped pattern on the rear part of the wing. I did not notice an obvious contrast between patterns of the wings and upperside of the tail, but I also cannot recall seeing the tail all that well. Whereas the upperparts were darker and mostly gray, the underparts were mostly a dull whitish color and lacking obvious yellow tones. I did notice a grayish wash to the sides of the breast that appeared to extend to some degree onto the flanks, which showed only a faint, yellowish wash in places. I did notice a narrow band of whitish running along the inner edge of the outermost pair of rectrices that contrasted with the dull gray that characterized the rest of these feathers. The bill was dark. I think the base of then lower mandible was paler and more grayish, but it would be good to check my photos to confirm this, and even though I am confident that the eyes were dark, I cannot recall noting their precise color. It would also be best to check my photos for the color of the legs and feet because I now have no recollection of these.
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/6.3
- Shutter speed
- 1/400 sec
- Dimensions
- 4462 pixels x 2852 pixels
- Original file size
- 9.66 MB