Hello Dear Obol Community,
I've backed myself into a corner here staring at online pictures and
several books and then back at my photos. I was with a friend down at
Basket Slough a week ago, when a pair of sparrow sized birds caught my eye
in a nearby tree. The sun was hitting what seemed to be an unusual amount
of orange-red around the head. We tailed the pair up the road a bit and
these four photos are the best of mine. My friend has a better camera and
lens, so his are not doubt clearer, and I will request them if necessary.
There are four pictures in a row of this bird on my flickr page, starting
with this one:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/132973942@N05/25901462072/in/datetaken-public/
As you can see, the brighter orange is on the lores, the malar and the
throat, with a richer chestnut on the scapulars. The crown and cheek are a
medium brown, with a thick white eyebrow. There is no eye ring, and the
eyes are dark. The beak is uniformly dark and very sharp, like a siskin.
the legs look dark, but the sunlight makes that indeterminate. The breast,
side and flanks are all uniform buff and brown streaks. There are two thin
white wing bars that I can see, and the rump, coverts, and wing feathers
all appear dark with lighter edges. It seemed about 5-6 inches in size. I
don't remember if we heard it call, so that wasn't helpful.
So the beak color and shape seems to rule out all the sparrows that have
similar markings. Or is it a red/sooty fox sparrow morph? I keep coming
back to an American/Red-Throated Pipit hybrid. I know they hang out
together. Is a hybrid a possibility? Or if I'm way off track here, I would
appreciate any thoughts..
Happy Spring to you all, and thanks!
Nikki Chapman
Portland
