I'm a bit confused by the current discussion, so here is what I am wondering. Were there two birds present, a putative Bell's and a mischievous immature White-eyed? Or was there only one bird, a difficult to ID, immature White-eyed? Dick said he got some poor photos of the original bird. Have those been posted?
Hugh On Thu, Sep 13, 2012 at 5:39 AM, Shaibal Mitra <shaibal.mi...@csi.cuny.edu>wrote: > 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/ > > -- > > -- Hugh McGuinness Washington, D.C. -- 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/ --
