ML55372461
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
Shortly after getting out of my car I heard a continuous burry "solitary vireo-type" song coming from the oaks adjacent to the parking lot. I assumed it would be Cassin's given the date and habitat, but after a while I was concerned that I was not hearing any sweet, clear notes (as expected for Cassin's); at that point I made an effort to get a look at the bird even though it was staying well hidden in the oaks -- I figured it might be a Plumbeous because of the burriness of the song. I soon got a look at the bird and was a bit surprised to see a bright yellow throat and chest -- which nicely ruled out Plumbeous and Cassin's and in fact made it an obvious Yellow-throated Vireo. Seeing the bird, the song quickly fell into place -- only burry notes, with no more than three different phrase types, and one of them a distinctive "three-eight" phrase. The birds also gave a quick descending scolding chatter (much like a "Solitary") and some quick fussy notes. I got some recordings on my cell phone. Photographing the bird proved very difficult, as my camera would not auto-focus in the dense branchwork. The bird was in the same general area (but this time in the oaks at the beginning of the trail just beyond the parking lot) when I returned from a hike to the pond, and here I was able to at least get a couple of poor but recognizable photos. A very distinctive vireo, with bright yellow throat and chest, yellow spectacles on a bright olive head, olive upperparts, grayish wings with two clean white wingbars. Heavy vireo bill and typical sluggish vireo movements through the branches.
Technical information
- Model
- COOLPIX P900
- ISO
- 400
- Focal length
- 268 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/6.3
- Shutter speed
- 1/400 sec
- Dimensions
- 4608 pixels x 3456 pixels
- Original file size
- 3.16 MB