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Observation details
First Santa Clara County record of an Eastern Bell’s Vireo. I got a call from Bill Bousman about an interesting vireo and went to check it out, immediately hearing a Bell’s Vireo when I got out of the car at the small gravel lot along the entrance road. Sang incessantly, every 3-5 seconds, during most of the visit. The only time the bird stopped singing, and then only for about 45 seconds, was when other birds, especially Barn Swallows, began giving alarm calls because a Northern Harrier flew over. Occasionally perched in very conspicuous places, out in the open rather than in foliage. The bird was very bright, with a greenish yellow wash all over the sides and flanks, becoming paler toward the midline of the underparts but extending all across the underparts. Chin and throat white, head gray with pale lores and supraloral area, back and edging on upperwing feathers fairly bright green. Lower wing bar white and broad, upper wing bar thin and less conspicuous at times but at other times appeared broad and conspicuous. The green on the back went up the hindneck to blend in with the gray on the back of the head. Crown and sides of head medium pale gray, gradually diffusing into the whitish of the sides of the throat, without a clear demarcation and no helmeted appearance. Chin and throat did not look pure bright snow white, seemed to also have some kind of creamy or yellow wish suffusion. Yellow extended up sides of throat a bit. Tail surface medium dark dusky-gray, not green or colorful, contrasting with greenish upper tail coverts and rump that were the same color as the back. Proportionately large, deep bill for the head size, extensively dull pink but with gray toward tip. Subsequently seen by many observers.
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