I now think the bird I saw around mid-day yesterday was the same as the bird seen and photographed earlier by Corey and Anthony and others, and I think this bird is a White-eyed Vireo. Deb Allen obtained photos from the mid-day observation, and these show a loral pattern more in line with WEVI than Bell's--despite my and others' contrary impressions in the field.
In retrospect, all but one of my pro-Bell's impressions (copied below) involved subtle and quantitative distinctions assessed very briefly on a small, active bird--factors conducive to error. The exception involves the appearance of a dark trans-ocular, extending beyond the eye, which is evident in the various photos, and which I still think is quite odd on a WEVI. But even on this point, I should have known better. Way back in April 1994, on the Dry Tortugas, I encountered a group of birders who had identified a small vireo with a broken eye-ring as a Thick-billed Vireo. I thought it looked like a White-eyed Vireo apart from its dark eye and broken eye-ring, and my photos were important in correcting the identification (in a process that played out over months, via US mail!). Anyway, my current thought is that there is a WEVI at Mt Loretto capable of misleading even relatively experienced and wary observers. Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________________ From: bounce-64477220-3714...@list.cornell.edu [bounce-64477220-3714...@list.cornell.edu] on behalf of Shaibal Mitra [shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu] Sent: Wednesday, September 12, 2012 2:24 PM To: NYSBIRDS-L Subject: RE: [nysbirds-l] Bells Vireo - yes 12:45 Hi Will and all, I saw the bird reported at 12:45 today and feel confident that it was a Bell's Vireo. The face pattern was quite plain, recalling Warbling Vireo or Orange-crowned Warbler; the supercilium was thin and vague; a dark transocular continued beyond the eye; and thin pale crescents were present above and below the eye. Contrary to the condition in White-eyed Vireo, the front part of the supercilium was narrow and the area directly behind the eye was dark. Furthermore, the bird appeared long-tailed and very small (even smaller bodied than White-eyed), and it lacked bright, discrete patches of yellow on the flanks (it showed a pale and ill-defined yellowish wash there). I don't know if photos of this individual were obtained. Dick Veit noted an immature White-eyed Vireo at this site yesterday, but we did not see that bird today (to our knowledge). Most disconcertingly, there was a House Wren present today that seemed able, to both my ear and Sean Sime's, to reproduce a shockingly faithful version of Bell's Vireo song (it sometimes sang more typical House Wren songs also). Perhaps this bird has received some audio-training in Bell's Vireo vocalizations over the past two days? I just looked at Anthony's photos and am very puzzled. The face pattern, particularly the broad pale area between the bill and the eye, appears very different from that of the bird I just saw. On the other hand, there are aspects of these photos that seem at odds for White-eyed Vireo, too. Without closer study (I have to go to class now), I'm just not sure of how to interpret these photos. Shai Mitra Bay Shore ________________________________ Out of respect for others and the environment, the College of Staten Island is a 100% Tobacco-Free Campus. -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
