ML644774889

Observation details

What a rollercoaster of a day! Alagoinha had a reward waiting, that more than made up for all the solo birding for over two weeks. Arriving on Alagoinha’s first plateau, I played a mobbing tape and straight away heard a Northern Waterthrush responding. Photographing it was tricky, as it darted around and perched for only a few seconds—usually behind the leaves. About 15 minutes later, Francisco joined me, and eventually, I managed a proof shot and we continued. Just 100 meters beyond the waterthrush, we heard a strange call from high up in a massive conifer. We exchanged glances—“wtf was that?” The bird kept calling, so I started recording, feeling the adrenaline because I knew this had to be something special. At first, I thought it might be an American Nuthatch, as the warbling call sort of matched, but it also had a canary-like quality. But the combination of warbling notes and canary-like calls, though, pointed to something different. We both scanned the canopy until I found a small gap through the leaves and caught a glimpse—a striking white underside, as it fed on the conifer. After about 10 seconds, it made a small hop, revealing a pinkish bill and gray head. Then, with one more hop, the entire gray bird, complete with a bright white belly, and the small pinkish bill came fully into view for just a couple of seconds before disappearing back into the branches. A brief but beautiful sighting of a Dark-eyed Junco — only the third record for the Azores! No photos, but got recordings.