ML525407341

Age and sex

Immature Unknown sex - 1

Observation details

Continuing individual. I got much better views today than yesterday, as the bird was foraging remarkably close to Upper Bay Rd. Adding to my rather basic comments from yesterday (a large, lanky bird, with long legs and a thin, long neck; generally gray overall with some brown on the coverts), today, I was able to view a lot of fine plumage details, especially on the head and neck. This bird has thin, orange eye-rings, and its irises appear to be a dark orangish color. It also has a rusty orange crown, which is a distinctly different color from the pinkish red on the loral area and forehead. I also noticed fairly extensive white mottling along the sides of the head and neck. This bird did not appear to be bothered by my presence at all, occasionally passing within 6-7 feet of me. It did seem to be concerned by the ravens and turkey vultures that would pass overhead, glancing up when they flew by. Of note, I also watched it inflate its throat a few times, giving a croak sound while doing so. Not sure what that means. Super glad I made the 2nd trip to see it again.

Technical information

Model

COOLPIX P1000

ISO

200

Focal length

234 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/500 sec

Dimensions

4135 pixels x 3101 pixels

Original file size

2.33 MB