Le Conte's Sparrow - two new pics added.

[JW Mills]

Found at Arsensal Lands, Marie Curtis Park.
 

 

 

[thouc]

Wow, that was a great photo you got of a skulky bird!

[Dinusaur]

Absolute beauty John. Both you and Zeny got your National Geographic shots. It will be hard to get anything better given how skittish this bird is.

[JW Mills]

Thanks Thomas, I was standing in the right spot when it popped out!
 
You caught me on that one Dinu, lol! Thanks!

[thouc]

I looked at the pictures on eBird from yesterday (Oct 18) and it might be a different bird from Oct 17, when we saw the bird. The one from Oct 18 has more orange on face and less streaking on chest, maybe adult, while the one from Oct 17 might be a juvenile.

/Thomas

[lovemypt]

Great shot John..... I was able to see it yesterday but no pictures, had good look only 5 ft away from me and but it flew seconds later.    I went back today for another try but couldn't find it...may still be there but too big an area to look.... did however see 1 garter snake, 1 monarch, and 2 naked men chasing each other around the water tower!!

[Dinusaur]

I looked at the pictures on eBird from yesterday (Oct 18) and it might be a different bird from Oct 17, when we saw the bird. The one from Oct 18 has more orange on face and less streaking on chest, maybe adult, while the one from Oct 17 might be a juvenile.

/Thomas

Interesting observation - now I see the difference. I went there both days, second day was to better the picture I took from the first day. First photo below was on the 17th and the second one on the 18th. Of course the 18th photo was taken in late afternoon light shining on him - so the color might get a more golden hue.

17th Oct Bird, the same one as in John's photo above.


18th Oct photo.

[thouc]

Great comparison. Definitely looks like different individuals with the mustache stripe and breast streaking on the top bird. I also thought the orange might be due to different lighting at first, but all pictures taken Oct 18 showed the orange colour and none on the 17th, which would be unlikely with just lighting differences.

/Thomas

[JW Mills]

I looked at the pictures on eBird from yesterday (Oct 18) and it might be a different bird from Oct 17, when we saw the bird. The one from Oct 18 has more orange on face and less streaking on chest, maybe adult, while the one from Oct 17 might be a juvenile.

/Thomas

Interesting observation Thomas. It could be that there are/were two birds.
However, just to offer a counter argument, here's an other observation. On Oct 17 all the photos on eBird and Facebook are of one and the same looking bird. On Oct 18 all photos on eBird and Facebook are of one and the same looking bird. On neither day could I find any pictures of two different looking birds. You would think that if there were two birds, then at least on one of the two days there would have been at least one photo that did show a different looking bird.

[JW Mills]

Update.
Apparently several eBird reviewers have been looking over the pictures taken over the two days and the consensus is that there is a realistic possibility that there were two birds, one adult and one juvenile.
Good call Thomas!