ML610155222

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

**Regional MEGA rarity** Nashville Warbler. I ran outside to photograph and get better looks of the Palm Warbler. I went behind the apartments and started taking photos of a warbler with yellow undertail coverts. After I went and got binoculars, I started noticing the eye ring. I went to get a better vantage point on the other side of the line of trees. This bird was different, but I hadn't taken the time to process. I just continued to take photos as the bird hopped toward the end of an aspen branch. I followed the bird to some birch trees along Chandalar Drive where it eventually began associating with the Palm Warbler. Now I could see a Palm Warbler and a warbler that was clearly different. I made the ID later through photos and started realizing the significance of the sighting. Complete white eye ring, sharp beak, grey on the head, yellow on the throat, breast, flanks and undertail coverts, white vent, short and stubby tail, no wing bars, photos. Also photographed by JJ and Ryan later in the day. It was a cold and windy day on October 19th. According to the National Weather Service data, max wind speed was 26 mph at the Fairbanks International Airport, 22 mph from the WSW at the time of the first warbler observation. The temperature was 25-26 degrees Fahrenheit in Fairbanks at the time of this observation. The wind direction that day began in the early AM hours with a S and SSW direction, moving to mostly a WSW and SW direction by the time of the warbler observations and through the afternoon. Light snow, blowing snow, and mostly cloudy. The wind direction had not changed directions the next day, but the wind speed had dropped by about half. Possibly the 20th record and 17th documented record for Alaska (eBird shows 15 other photograph records, 1 specimen, and 3 sight records). It's also possible that there are other records outside of eBird. Other Alaskan Nashville records include 11 from SE AK, 5 from South Coastal AK, 2 in Western AK, and 1 in Northern AK. This appears to be the first Interior Alaska record for Nashville Warbler.

Technical information

Dimensions

913 pixels x 607 pixels

Original file size

113.55 KB