ML646378929

观察细节

Found by Chris and Rosie in the community garden, refound by Diane in front of assisted living facility on Pine St. Notes by Rosie: Howards were in the Community Garden with Kevin Grevenkamp who was fixing an irrigation leak when Chris heard an unusual chip note and alerted Rosie. Chris recorded, then saw the Kentucky Warbler feeding in Denise Waterberry‘s garden plot. We were not birding at the time so we had no binoculars and no cameras! Rosie ran to the car, got her camera, and gave it to Chris because she was too short to see the bird. She was so excited to take a picture that she left the binoculars and the other camera in the car! Then Chris ran to the car to get his camera while Rosie took pictures. After a few photos we alerted other birders. The Kentucky Warbler stayed on or very near the ground during the entire viewing in the garden. It flew short distances a couple of times but never more than about 2 feet off the ground. Most of the time it ran or hopped from plot to plot. It preferred diving into the deepest garden thickets. It appeared to be quite successful in finding food. It then flew to the north side of the abandoned Sterling Heights assisted living facility and continued to forage. This is where Chris obtained a video. A Black Phoebe was defending its feeding territory and followed the Kentucky from the Community Garden when it flew to the Sterling Heights building. We felt like the Black Phoebe chased it off. About that time other birders began showing up and we searched the general area and onto Pine Street for about two hours when Diane Stevens and Nel Hecht saw the bird on Pine Street hopping into the abandoned courtyard of Sterling Heights. This is where everyone else was able to see it. We think this bird is a young male. It was very black in the lores and had black feathers coming in on the sides of the neck which looked like as if they would later complete his black mask. Bright yellow below, charcoal olive green above, and the top of the head was slightly darker than the back. Short tailed, a little plumpish, pink legs, long toes, and very active. The following is a quote from Birds of Inyo County, California, including Death Valley National Park by Heindel and Heindel. “INYO SUMMARY: most of the 14 Kentucky Warbler records, all single birds, are from the Owens Valley (23%), Deep Springs College (23%), and Death Valley National Park (23%) with the balance all single records from Bishop Creek, Wyman and Pleasant Canyons, and China Ranch.” Twelve of these 14 sightings were in the spring and only two in October. The Bishop Community Garden bird is the first December record in Inyo County.