ML505849541
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Behaviors
- Flying
Media notes
Perched and then slow motion to better show wing and tail pattern
Observation details
Always a joy to see, reminding me of the mountain west, this slim gray bird has been here since 18 November when found by Simon Priestnall. It was seen perched quietly at first about 10 meters north of southernmost bench (first bench if walking in from south end) on the boardwalk of Laird-Norton trail. It sat next to a cluster of winterberries, which it ate as it was perched. The bird then flew south and foraged down to the leaf litter several times (going for invertebrates or fallen fruit?) and was joined by a small group of Eastern Bluebirds. The bird would perch rather low at times on branches or tops of sticks or poles, sitting rather upright. This was in the area of the first curve turning north along the boardwalk from south end where it meets the Barrier Beach trail. A slim, long-tailed bird about size of bluebird but longer tailed and slimmer bodied. Overall medium gray with a white eyering (narrowing at front of eye), thin whitish edging to tips of greater coverts forming a thin wingbar, and tawny-buff at base of primaries and across middle of primaries forming a jagged line mid-wing panel of folded primaries. I could see that the tips and outer web of outer rectrices were white. The under tail coverts were paler, whitish-gray with contrasting white edging, the centers of the feathers thus forming dark spade-shaped markings. The throat was a bit paler too, and there seemed to be pale feathers at base of bill near nostrils. The tail shape is unique, having a slim appearance that tapered to tip, with outer rectrices shorter then those inward except central rectrices which seemed to be subtly the shortest, this forming a subtle, double-rounded tail tip shape. The bill was black, short and pointed, similar in shape to that of a bluebird. The legs and toes were black and quite slender in appearance. The eye was dark.
Technical information
- Camera
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 81.97 MB