ML618129495

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

***rare; first eBird county record and one of only several for Cape and Islands, ph'd. According to Whiting (2007), there are three previous spring records (5/8/79, 4/20/80, and 4/15/85 all from VL)... possibly a handful of records during early autumn. (LOWA is an infamously local breeder and is extremely rarely encountered as a migrant away from core breeding range and in proper habitat) Absolute dream island bird that I have fantasized about finding for years on the islands (I always joke that the only reason you can find me away from the beaches in July is when I look for LOWA...) Never would I have thought I would actually get one on Chappy in marginal habitat in spring (with a TOWA in the same spot at the same time...) NOWA was eliminated on the basis of the following traits, which all support LOWA: -- Clean white supercillium, extending past auriculars and becoming thicker (opposed to tapering) -- Bright pink legs, exceptionally bright against dark mud background -- Clean white throat, no streaking -- Clean white belly framed by buffy wash evident in flanks -- Large, slightly bicolored bill Dorsal/upperparts coloration not entirely discernable due to lighting, and call note (heard intermittently) was not necessarily diagnostic, but based on above criteria this bird seems to fall really quite nicely into the box for LOWA. Awesome bird! Even more heart palpitations than the TOWA just a few days earlier....

Technical information

Dimensions

1909 pixels x 1273 pixels

Original file size

535.17 KB