ML488755251

Observation details

I had been looking closely at Black-throated Green warblers ever since Ken C had a photo of a Townsend's last fall and mistook it for the more typical warbler migrating through this area . I have been looking carefully at every Black throated Green warbler since, studying the differences. I Had the bird in binoculars for a few seconds , high and deep in a locust tree. I saw the unmistakable dark auriculars and grabbed my camera as quickly as i could . I also use my camera as a spotting scope and had a great, clear look of the face .The bird was with a huge feeding flock of mixed warbers and songbirds and it disappeared after one quick attempt at a photo, with shaking hands . I tried for well over an hour to relocate the bird and never did - i played the different calls and no response that i noticed .. many of the birds it was with also quickly disappeared. i then realized that when i took a quick photo off the back of my camera to use Merlin ID , which did ID it as a Townsend's even tho i didn't have that particular bird pack installed, that i somehow deleted the original photo which probably wouldn't have been much better . There were black throated greens within the flock which helped this bird to stand out as a Townsend's warbler . I knew what i had seen and looked at multiple field guides once home, posted on What's this bird and someone was able to lighten up the photo which to me and several others showed a bit of yellow on the neck , tho lighting can be deceiving. i shared this photo with multiple birders, several who said they had no doubt it was a Townsend's - one even offering to eat his own spleen if it wasn't!! Alec Human sent this photo to multiple people ,including Jim Pawlicki…who responded with .. Wow. Definitely a female-type Townsend’s Warbler or a Townsend’s x Black-throated Green/Hermit hybrid based on the darkness of the auricular patch when compared to the crown and throat. Statistically it is most likely a Townsend’s, but without being able to age it and/or a view of the back or underparts, it is impossible to rule out a Townsend’s warbler hybrid. Multiple people tired to relocate yesterday to hopefully see the back or underparts of the bird without luck . Tho my photo is not clear i feel 100% confident that i saw a Townsend's warbler. I will leave it up to the ebird reviewers to discuss ,but from that yellow spot under the eye to the black cap and auriculars i feel that this is a clean sighting ,and cannot help but wonder if one or 2 actually do pass through this area each fall and are dismissed as Black-throated Green warblers. i also got additional input from other birders who encouraged me to report it as a Townsend's warbler ..no DNA test could be performed !!! i looked at multiple photos of different hybrids and still feel 100 % confident on this ID of a fabulous warbler .. there is also some debate as to whether is is an immature male or female but i feel fortunate to have gotten a glimpse of a bird rarely seen in this area