ML580492591

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Media notes

Brown Thrasher photographed by Curtis A. Marantz on 27 May 2023 along the edge of the Lake Tamarisk Golf Course, Desert Center, Riverside County, California.

Observation details

Heard giving "tsick" calls that were a bit softer than I usually associate with this species. This was a medium-sized passerine that was probably a little larger than a mockingbird, but probably not so different jn structure apart from being a bit more robust overall. The bill was almost as long as the head was wide and relatively slim throughout its length as it tapered from a base of medium depth to a blunt tip along a culmen that was weakly decurved (and with the lower mandible comparably decurved). The forehead was rather weakly sloping and the crown was gently rounded on a head that seemed proportionately larger than that of a mockingbird. I thought this bird's neck was longer and maybe also slimmer than that of a mockingbird, and also that the body was larger, more elongate, and with a full-chested appearance. The wings were relatively short with rounded tips that appeared to fall just short of the tips of the undertail coverts, and a primary projection that was probably between one-third and knd quarter the length of thhe exposed secondaries, though the precise value is now a bit fuzzy in my memory. The tail was quite long, in that my impression in the field was that it was roughly comparable to the length of the head, neck, and body combined. I also thought the rectrices were each relatively broad, parallel-sided, and with square to broadly rounded tips, and I once noted that one if the outer feathers was only about two-thirds the length of the tail as a whole. The legs appeared to be relatively long and at least moderately stout but I failed to notice the structure of the feet. This was a colorful and well-marked bird. Although I am not sure if the rufous color of the upperparts reached the base of the upper mandible, the forehead and crown were bright rufous, and this same color continued backward across the back (and maybe also the sides) of the neck along with the mantle, scapulars, and what I could see of the rump and uppertail coverts. Contrasting with the rufous on the forehead and crown was a pale buff supercilium that extended from the base of the bill back through the supraloral region and over the eye, but I did not think it continued back much behind the eye in the superciliary region. I further thought there was a darker loral-stripe, but the lower part of the face and the auriculars were about the same shade of buff as the supercilium, though the auriculars also had some dark brown streaking. The underparts, from the throat down across the breast, belly, sides, and flanks through the undertail coverts were cream-colored to pale buff, albeit with the lower belly more whitish and the flanks a somewhat deeper buff color. Also apparent was narrow, but well-defined, streaking that extended across the breast, sides, and flanks. My impression was that these streaks were shorter on the breast and sides, but more elongate on the flanks. I thought the lower belly and undertail coverts were unmarked. I think the underside of the tail was rufous, but my recollection of this is particularly weak. Returning to the upperparts, I thought the shade of rufous was the same on the crown, neck, mantle, and scapulars, and I noted no internal markings on any of these regions. The wings were similarly colored, but also with an intricate pattern that combined relatively narrow, yet well-defined, tips of white to greater and median coverts that also had relatively narrow, but more poorly defined, and relatively inconspicuous, subtermnnal-bands that were dusky to blackish, and finally, rufous bases to at least the greater coverts that may have been a subtle shade darker than the back. I could not discern the primary coverts in the field. The remiges appeared to contrast broad, rufous fringes with what I thought were dark brown centers that were all but obscured by the fringes. I cannot now recall if the exposed primary tips were more rufous of more brown. The upperside of the tail appeared to be uniformly rufous, and at least relatively similar in shade to the back. The bill was mostly quite dark, but I was unsure if it was slate-gray or dull blackish. I also noted that the basal third to half of the lower mandible was mostly, if not entirely, light gray. The irides were yellowish, possibly with a trace of orange, but generally appearing deep yellow and contrasting with the black pupil. I thought the legs were medium-gray, though they may have shown some flesh tones, especially when seen from behind. I have no recollection whatsoever of the color of the feet, but I did not think they contrasted conspicuously with the legs.

Technical information

Model

ILCE-7RM5

Lens

FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS

ISO

800

Focal length

600 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/6.3

Shutter speed

1/3200 sec

Dimensions

2753 pixels x 1771 pixels

Original file size

7.64 MB