ML514093871

Age and sex

Immature Male - 1

Media notes

An apparent immature male Hermit Warbler photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 17 December 2022 in downtown San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California.

Observation details

I saw this bird flying up against the county administration building on the north side of Monterey Street just west of its intersection with Santa Rosa Street. It seemed to be foraging on the concrete face of the building between trips to the nearby trees or the legs of the building. I never did hear this bird vocalize and it disappeared relatively quickly, but I was able to get identifiable views and a couple of mediocre photos before the bird disappeared. What I could see was that this was a medium-sized warbler with a bill that was short, slim, and straight. I also noted that the crown was rounded In a head of unremarkable size for a warbler, the neck was short and inconspicuous, and the body was plump. The tail seemed to of medium length for a warbler, but I was unable to see the details of its shape, and I noted in the field nothing about the fracture of the wings, legs, or feet. What first attracted my attention to this bird was the plain yellow face combined with a smudge, blackish triangle on the throat. I eventually noted an indistinct auricular-patch that was poorly defined and only subtly darker than the yellow that surrounded it, and that the crown contrasted as darker. The back was also dark, but I could not really discern the precise color, and I cannot even recall if I saw the pattern on the wings. I did however think the underparts below the dark throat were a dingy whitish to light gray in color. I also noted what looked like a beady, black eye standing out amid what generally appeared to be a plain, yellow face.

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

1/2000 sec

Dimensions

1428 pixels x 932 pixels

Original file size

2.32 MB