ML646337251

Observation details

On our last check of the entrance road, Wurster managed to locate the continuing Magnolia Warbler foraging amid a hedge of hibiscus along the north side of the road. I managed to get onto this bird shortly later and we did our best to follow it as it moved rather rapidly to the west along this hedge before it flew into a larger jacaranda tree, then a Meloleuca tree, and eventually off to the north over the bungalows. I saw the warbler only briefly today, yet my views were better than those that I had during my last visit, and today I was able to get at least a few rather mediocre photos of the bird in the upper branches of the Melaleuca before it flew off. My views were nevertheless sufficient to identify this bird and to conclude that it was probably a female, but I was unable to see any of the finer details of its structure or plumage. This was a medium-sized warbler with a slim body and a relatively long tail that was slim, parallel-sided, and seemingly with a square tip. I further noted a short, slim bill, but I was unable to discern in the field the structure of the wings, legs, or feet. My views of the plumage patterns were comparable to those of the structure, or maybe just a bit better. I noted that the head was a medium-gray in color, but with a white eyering that appeared to be narrow, complete, and a bit diffuse in character. I thought the back was more olive than the head, but it was not conspicuously green, and I further thought it was streaked darker. The wings were dusky, but with narrow, yet relatively well-defined, fringes that created a somewhat scaly pattern to the coverts and a striped pattern to the remiges, but I did not see conspicuous wingbars. Contrasting with the darker and generally grayish upperparts, the underparts were a bright, lemon-yellow from the throat down across the breast, sides, and flanks, but the undertail coverts (and seemingly also the belly as shown in my photos) were white. I further noted that there were two rows of streaks running along the flanks, but I did not think they were obviously black or overly conspicuous. I cannot recall noting specifically that the base of the tail was white, but I did see a broad band of black across the distal part of the tail that was sharply demarcated. I thought the white eyering contrasted with a dark eye, but I have no further recollection of noting the soft-part colors.