ML616912938
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
- Playback
- Not specified
Observation details
We heard this bird behind our house, singing, on 21 June 2013, but unfortunately did not see it. We discounted it as a late migrant MacGillivray's Warbler. Then on 22 June we heard it again and were able to track it down. The bird foraged in willow trees at fairly low levels (10-20 feet) singing every 15 seconds or so. When we finally saw the bird, we were impressed by the lack of any noticeable eye arcs, fairly gray head, and distinct black breast band at the bottom of the grayish hood. The bird was difficult to see, tending to forage in the densest leaf clusters. We did not get prolonged looks of the undertail covert length compared to tail length. After reviewing the distinguishing field marks listed in the NGS iPhone app, we checked for the color of the lores, which we felt were pale, making the dark eye stand out. This is apparently a good mark for Mourning. We are aware that some Macs show no eye arcs, so our ID at this point was somewhat tentative. We started calling local birders about a possible Mourning behind our house, still not totally convinced. The bird sang incessantly, but did move from one tree to another. The bird finally started calling single call notes which are totally different from the sharp tik of a Mac. The call note of this bird was low and rough, not too different from the call note of Bewick's Wren. Only after hearing the call note did we feel confident of the ID. Heard in unmodified audio file at 29, 42, 58, and 112 seconds:
Technical information
- Recorder
- Microphone
- Accessories
- Original file size
- 1.18 MB