ML587883341

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

*** Second ABA Record; Second Alaskan Record; First Mainland ABA Record*** Originally found on June 24th by the USFWS Eider Crew during their area surveys. SS and AY were able to relocate the bird at 22:05 in the same general area as found previously. The bird was 2.43 miles (3.91 km) from Gas Well Road When we first arrived, we fanned out to cover more ground as the prospects of relocating the bird seem slim. After not much more than 5 minutes of searching AY noticed a small, atypical passerine perched on a small tundra rise. SS was able to get on the bird almost immediately, and we quickly realized we had managed to relocate it. After our celebratory moment of elation, we realized we had lost the bird, but quickly found it again 15m away. The bird was quite active, hopping and walking through the tundra tussocks and clumps of grass, readily picking insects off of the leeward side of the vegetation. Occasionally, it would pick up and fly to a new hummock 10-20m away and resume active foraging. Its high level of activity meant it was easy to follow as it moved about, and we rarely lost sight of it for more than a few minutes. After spending half an hour with the bird, we decided to move on, with the bird still remaining in the same general area as we originally found it. Description: The bird was a smallish passerine, whose shape was somewhat reminiscent of a North American wood warbler. The sharp contrast between clean white underparts and the gray and brown upperparts immediately ruled out all regularly occurring North Slope passerines and most North American vagrants. This bird had a small dark bill that was fairly robust and blunt, proportionally similar to a Yellow-rumped Warbler, not fine-tipped like a Cape May Warbler. The bird sported a slate-gray cap that starkly contrasted the pure white throat just below the eye. There was a small, slightly darker gray-black patch just behind and below the eyes. The white throat wrapped below and around the auriculars towards the nape, before fading out, forming a white spur shape. The dusky cap faded into the grayish-brown back and lesser and median coverts. The primaries were a darker shade of brown, compared to the gray-brown back. The wings and coverts were unmarked and lacked wingbars or any contrasting colors. The white throat faded into the pale-grayish underparts in the upper breast area. The underparts were entirely clean and unstreaked. The tail was relatively long and gray-brown, a similar shade to the upper back with white-edged outer rects. The legs were black.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

2500

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/1000 sec

Dimensions

2696 pixels x 1797 pixels

Original file size

763.64 KB