ML93986601

Age

Not specified

Sex

Not specified

Observation details

Flycatching from barbed wire fence and other perches in lower portion of field: 34.653194, -82.837083 (Google Map link: https://goo.gl/maps/PccGQad6k8o). Bird observed through binocular and scope at distances of 15-40 yards in bright light for about 20 minutes. Larger than Eastern Phoebe and a lighter gray above (particularly lighter on head than typical Eastern); light gray throat/breast grading into orange wash on lower belly and under tail. Broad, dark gray tail pumped only occasionally. The bird interacted briefly with a Vesper Sparrow, ultimately chasing off the sparrow. Bird also perched under a maintenance shed for about one minute before returning to the fence. Last seen as it perched atop a small pile of rock about 10 yards from the fence; a Northern Mockingbird was seen on the fence shortly thereafter and may have interacted with the Phoebe. Photos obtained using point-and-shoot camera and iPhone through spotting scope at 15X magnification (raw photos included here). Better photos taken by Linda Montgomery later in the day: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S44480004. Rare Bird Report submitted to the SC Bird Records Committee on 12 April 2018. Detailed account: At about 11:45 AM, I had just started walking beside the barbed wire fence from north (Hopewell House gate side) to south in hopes of flushing a Vesper Sparrow, which usually show up in April and like the short grass near the fence. The same transect did not produce any sparrows the previous day. This time, a sparrow hopped in the grass about 30 yards down the fence and I got the scope on a Vesper Sparrow. As I was attempting to get some scope photos of the Vesper, another bird perched farther down on the fence caught my eye. My first impression with the naked eye was that its profile and posture suggested something other than the default Bluebird--perhaps a Mockingbird or Eastern Kingbird. At first binocular view, the bird was facing fully away from me and I realized I had a grayish flycatcher with a darker, almost black tail (though I do not recall any tail-pumping at that time and admittedly a Phoebe did not enter my mind initially). Lighter gray upperparts (rather than dark/black) and lack of bright white tail tip ruled out E Kingbird, and my thoughts shifted to the rare Kingbirds such as Western. Just as I was beginning to rule out Western Kingbird based on the lack of obvious white edges on its tail, the bird changed position and I saw the notably rusty orange wash on its belly. As it sallied out for insects and perched, I continued to see the consistent rusty orange belly/undertail, and I looked up Say's Phoebe on my phone (iBird Pro) to confirm the ID as I continued to obtain photos.

Technical information

Model

iPhone 6s

Lens

iPhone 6s back camera 4.15mm f/2.2

ISO

25

Focal length

4.2 mm

Flash

Flash did not fire, auto

f-stop

f/2.2

Shutter speed

1/120 sec

Dimensions

4032 pixels x 3024 pixels

Original file size

1.34 MB