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Grace's or Townsend's Warbler? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter LzyPhotographer
- Start date
I'm not experienced with either species but it seems to have too much yellow on the head for Grace's and Townsend's seems pretty close.
Charles Harper
Régisseur
Yes, Townsend's, Lzy. The green back and black earpatch eliminates Grace's. Townsend's is most often confused with Black-throated Green and Hermit (because they're most often seen high overhead, hence a view of the underside only), but the strong black earpatch on your bird indicates a male Townsend's (BT Green has much duller patch and Hermit's is downright yellow). Townsend's and Grace's don't overlap much in breeding season; where and when did you take these shots, Lzy?
Edward woodwood
Member
seen a few Grace's and it don't look like one to me
not familiar with Townsend's in the field but would concur with above
not familiar with Townsend's in the field but would concur with above
Michael Frankis
conehead
Definitely an Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis)
Michael
Michael
Katy Penland
Well-known member
I'd vote for Townsend's. As Charles said, the dark, enclosed ear patch is diagnostic. Grace's, in any plumage, also doesn't have any black on the throat, and the second picture shows a black patch, or at least the start of one. (The head angled down in the first hides most of the throat area; the flank streaks aren't visible in the first photo, either.)
LzyPhotographer
Well-known member
Wow, once again you guys are amazing. Thank you!
Charles - this was taken this past weekend in a Sorrento Valley office park. Just a short distance SE from Torrey Pines and Batiquitos Lagoon.
Charles - this was taken this past weekend in a Sorrento Valley office park. Just a short distance SE from Torrey Pines and Batiquitos Lagoon.
Carson
Well-known member
Well, it's a done deal, so you don't need me, but I do live in the heart of Townsend's warbler country, and even in January I saw four beautiful ones together in a cedar--with full winter sunshine streaming almost sideways upon them! Gorgeous! (Quite rarely seen in winter this far north, but considered to regularly over-winter nonetheless.)
Yours is theoretically an adult female, of course. The photo on the left is trickier, and it would stop people familiar with the species from jumping in too quickly--perhaps a fairly good "mystery bird" photo. The picture on the right is pretty well what you'd expect; it's not an easy photo to take, and that's quite a decent shot. Through binoculars, the bird would appear neater and trimmer.
Very nice! If you're not familiar with Townsend's Warblers, BTW, you might think, "Hemlock Warbler." They like cedars (actually Thujas) very much too, but these beautiful birds and Western Hemlock trees were made for each other! I mean big hemlocks and cedars, one or two hundred feet high. Close views of Townsend's Warblers are common enough, but so are very difficult distant views in poor light. You need to know the song, which is confusingly similar to the Black-throated Gray Warbler's song. (We have to re-learn them every year, because the songs are variable.)
Cheers!
Yours is theoretically an adult female, of course. The photo on the left is trickier, and it would stop people familiar with the species from jumping in too quickly--perhaps a fairly good "mystery bird" photo. The picture on the right is pretty well what you'd expect; it's not an easy photo to take, and that's quite a decent shot. Through binoculars, the bird would appear neater and trimmer.
Very nice! If you're not familiar with Townsend's Warblers, BTW, you might think, "Hemlock Warbler." They like cedars (actually Thujas) very much too, but these beautiful birds and Western Hemlock trees were made for each other! I mean big hemlocks and cedars, one or two hundred feet high. Close views of Townsend's Warblers are common enough, but so are very difficult distant views in poor light. You need to know the song, which is confusingly similar to the Black-throated Gray Warbler's song. (We have to re-learn them every year, because the songs are variable.)
Cheers!
Michael Frankis
conehead
Hi Carson,
Managed to get both of those (Townsend's & B-t Gray) on a trip to the western US a couple of years ago, but they weren't singing (September). And yes, they were in Redcedar and Hemlock (and Doug-fir)
Michael
Managed to get both of those (Townsend's & B-t Gray) on a trip to the western US a couple of years ago, but they weren't singing (September). And yes, they were in Redcedar and Hemlock (and Doug-fir)
Michael
LzyPhotographer
Well-known member
I've gone back to where the first pics where taken about a dozen times and I haven't been able to see the bird again. But the other day, this one was in the tree next to my 3rd floor balcony. The pics aren't too good - the little thing was very camera shy.
The first pics were identified as Townsend's and these new ones look like Townsend's also, I think. My question is that in the 2nd pics, there clearly is yellow under the eye, but there's doesn't appear to be any in the 1st pics; does this mean one set of pics was identifed wrong? Or is it that there is sometimes variations in the colouring? Like maybe the eye is surrounded by black, maybe not? ;-)
Thoughts please... I'm trying to learn.
The first pics were identified as Townsend's and these new ones look like Townsend's also, I think. My question is that in the 2nd pics, there clearly is yellow under the eye, but there's doesn't appear to be any in the 1st pics; does this mean one set of pics was identifed wrong? Or is it that there is sometimes variations in the colouring? Like maybe the eye is surrounded by black, maybe not? ;-)
Thoughts please... I'm trying to learn.
Attachments
Charles Harper
Régisseur
I don`t really know how much variation in that yellow eyebag to expect, lzy-- I`ve seldom seen the species that closely. The previous bird being a winter (Dec?) female, and this one being a spring male, the difference in contrast between black and yellow could have something to do with it.
alan_rymer
Well-known member
Nice shot!.
Is there any chance of you adding your photo to the Gallery so it can be added to the Bird Database?. The forum has not seen any other photo of one of these birds!.
Is there any chance of you adding your photo to the Gallery so it can be added to the Bird Database?. The forum has not seen any other photo of one of these birds!.
Katy Penland
Well-known member
Townsend's again. First fall females can be quite gray, similar to Grace's, but this looks like a textbook adult male Townsend's.
The yellow on the throat and the yellow eyeline on Grace's warbler don't meet to encircle the cheek patch like you see here on the Townsend's, in any plumage, so even if the bird can look more gray than black in bad light or in shrubbery, that solid yellow around the cheek patch can help distinguish the two spp.
The yellow on the throat and the yellow eyeline on Grace's warbler don't meet to encircle the cheek patch like you see here on the Townsend's, in any plumage, so even if the bird can look more gray than black in bad light or in shrubbery, that solid yellow around the cheek patch can help distinguish the two spp.
LzyPhotographer
Well-known member
Thanks everyone...!
Alan - yes, I'll upload the pics for the database.
Alan - yes, I'll upload the pics for the database.
