ML620888189

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

In the field, we felt it was a Cave Swallow based on the uniform tawny throat that reached around onto the auriculars contrasting strongly with the isolated dark eye patch and a dark cap. The forehead patch looked dark but we were never able to get a good feel of the actual color (in the photos it looks rufous and depending on the photo either the same color as the throat or darker). The back had bluish tones and thought we saw white braces on the back. After finally having a chance to study the very bad photos I took we had some issues with it and wanted opinions. The photos are poor, seemed like this bird tried to stay as far away from us as possible. ML620888188 is the photo that was the closest photo to the color of the throat we observed in the field. In the field, after studying dozens of Cave Swallows this past spring in Houston I was instantly struck that it was a Cave based off that throat color and the isolated dark eye patch/cap. Though I regularly look at locally breeding Cliff Swallows wherever I am, this past spring is the most experience I have had with Cave in the past 15 years and I have not studied Mexican Cliff Swallows in the field. Other photos seem to show some dark shadowing to the auriculars which we did not see in the field. A couple photos also seem to show a pale spot at the base of the bill and more rufous tones to the throat and face than we saw in the field. This made us start thinking about "Mexican" Cliff Swallows or a hybrid. We had ruled that group out in the field based off the paler more tawny throat in direct comparison to a northern Cliff Swallow also present (does seem paler than photos of the Cliff as well). In the field I never thought the throat was as dark rufous as a Cliff. The photos also seem to show some pale to the tertials but not the back braces which seems odd. In the field the rump just looked washed out and in the photos it ranges from white to a rufous patch depending on the photo. Feedback was spuh or possibly Cliff.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS 7D

ISO

100

Focal length

300 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire

f-stop

f/9.0

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

1125 pixels x 1048 pixels

Original file size

38.11 KB