ML608562151

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Highly unexpected sighting. I saw it soaring overhead along the Harpeth river, heading towards the reservoir, while on a walk. The flight pattern was very different from any crow or hawk and It was completely new to me. Wing and tail fan shape were almost identical to that of pictures on the Merlin app. When checking my pictures with Merlin ( though they were from below and using a phone) the app came to the conclusion of a Mississippi kite every time. Head was much paler that the gray underbelly of the bird. After comparing to the flight patterns online using the iPhone’s live picture function, I was able to determine that the flight patterns of the bird were identical in motion and “erraticness.” In addition, the bird was nowhere comparative in size to an osprey or similar in color or shape to a crow. Compared to recent nearby sightings of the Mississippi kite, it was most likely a juvenile which could account for the absence of adult colors.

Technical information

Model

iPhone 12

Lens

iPhone 12 back dual wide camera 4.2mm f/1.6

ISO

32

Focal length

4.2 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/1.6

Shutter speed

1/5556 sec

Dimensions

828 pixels x 696 pixels

Original file size

27.5 KB