ML597338601
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
***FIRST SITE RECORD*** Also a first July record for Baltimore. Part of a mixed flock along the main road at 286+85. I didn't immediately process what I was seeing and tried to turn it into a juv Scarlet Tanager, but it was an obvious Passerina, even twitching its tail from side to side. It did not vocalize. It showed little interest in PABU playback, which I used to determine if a male was also present. The specific location where I found it is adjacent to the largest tract of intact forest onsite, a location which is inaccessible and only surveyed from the fire road next to it. (If they were breeding in there they could easily have gone undetected.) I distributed photos to several top birders and expert bird banders. Feedback included the following: "In July hatch year birds of both sexes would be green and super fresh. This bird's feathers look worn to me so I feel good that it's NOT a hatch year, so it's definitely female. Zooming in in this on my phone it’s clearly a second year bird. Molt limits in the wing." (Maren Gimpel, see zoomed-in photo with molt limits between red lines) "Looks like an SY female - Retained (brown and worn) pp covs and there is a molt limit in the primaries, with the outer ones being replaced in the preformative molt last fall." (Dan Small) Matt Hafner agreed that the bird looked like an adult, and therefore could be coded as "H - In Appropriate Habitat" since it was observed within safe dates for breeding. The bird was not relocated on the 7/10 birding tour, 7/12 Youth Birding Week field trip, 7/18 HMI COC meeting (I spent ~10 minutes trying to relocate at exact location), or 7/19 bird census (I spent ~15 minutes trying to relocate at exact location and several adjacent locations that seemed like suitable habitat).
Technical information
- Camera
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 28.65 MB