ML71598221

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Found by J. Stahl. I first heard a sharp "tik" or "thick" or perhaps "smik" call from ~100 yard away. In most years, I suppose I would've just written it off as a Lincoln's Sparrow, but given the recent influx in California, I figured it was worth checking. I pished a few times and a small bird popped up, one that was brown above and unmarked below. Clearly not a Lincon's Sparrow. It had a pale supercilium and dark eye line. Oh shit. DUSKY WARBLER! I called to Nicole and with patience, the bird moved towards us, mostly staying low in a mix of nightshade, willows, and coyote brush, calling very frequently. We had very good looks, but not very many opportunities for great photos given that we were mostly looking into the sun. The white crescent above and below the eye (especially pronounced below the eye), short primary projection, buffy undertail coverts, white throat, thin bill, and pink legs all seemed to boil down to what the call suggested: DUSKY WARBLER! (Additional description to add and submit to CBRC.) This is the first record for SCI, the second for Los Angeles Co., and I believe the third for this fall alone in California. This follows on the heels of California's first Eurasian Wryneck ~2 weeks ago.

Technical information

Model

Canon EOS REBEL T5i

Lens

EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM

ISO

1600

Focal length

400 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/5.6

Shutter speed

1/640 sec

Dimensions

1393 pixels x 928 pixels

Original file size

636.02 KB