ML645441354

Observation details

Continuing individual found by Peg Robertsen late yesterday afternoon and again early this morning with Jill & Andy Beim. Sunny with scattered cirrus and stratocumulus clouds. Temperature 36° F with light winds. Looking NW. Observers and bird were in a shaded area on the south side of a busy road. Foraging in weedy grass on the boulevard. Distance ranged from 3 m to 10 m. Observed through Zeiss 10x42 binoculars and Swarovski spotting scope with zoom eyepiece at 25X. Description dictated into eBird mobile app within 15 minutes of observation: "Obvious finch seen briefly several times in flight but mostly observed foraging on the ground. Periodically flushed by traffic, but usually returned to the same area. Bill was typical size and shape for a finch, and all yellow on both mandible and maxilla. Irides were dark with a very thin, pale eye ring. Legs were not visible. Entire head was gray, except for blackish on the forecrown, lores, throat and chin. Back was a rich chestnut brown, streaked with blackish. Median and greater upper wing-coverts were cream colored. Folded primaries and tertials blackish, thinly edged in gray. Rump was not seen. Tail was blackish with similar grayish edging on the rectrices. Breast and anterior flanks were that same rich, chestnut brown color. On the rear flanks, the lower belly and through the under tail-coverts, the color of the under parts transitioned to dark rosy-pink. No vocalizations were heard.”