ML83874731
Contributor
Date
Location
- Age
- Not specified
- Sex
- Not specified
Observation details
This bird threw me for a minute. The almost complete black cap was unlike the other 53 Forster's it was standing with. But this bird showed no carpal bar, only a faint darkness at the shoulder (feather wear and molt). In Kaufman's Advanced Birding he writes "All Commons in winter (not just immatures) should show a dark carpal bar, which is lacking or faint on Forster's." I noticed, too, the bill color is orange-ish red, unlike Commons and is thicker-based than what you would expect in Common. The leg color is orange, unlike the breeding-plumaged red of Common; and the Sibley Guide shows dark legs on Common in winter adults, first-year birds, and immatures.. Finally, The bird was the same height as the other 53 Forster's it was standing with. Commons have shorter legs and are noticeably lower to the ground when you see them with Forster's.
Technical information
- Model
- DMC-FZ200
- ISO
- 100
- Focal length
- 108 mm
- Flash
- Flash did not fire, auto
- f-stop
- f/4.0
- Shutter speed
- 1/640 sec
- Dimensions
- 2560 pixels x 1920 pixels
- Original file size
- 952.4 KB