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San jose spring bayarea california (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter airs91
- Start date
The Falcon
Registered Birder
My first impression was Rock Wren.
Tiraya
San Diego CA
I'm quite inclined to go for rock wren actually. But the wings still bug me, shouldn't rock wren have more uniform wings not darkened on primaries or patagium?
EDIT: I don't have the experience of pale mountain bluebirds to offer here, but I think the bird's pose and proportions seem wrong for a bluebird now I look at it.
EDIT: I don't have the experience of pale mountain bluebirds to offer here, but I think the bird's pose and proportions seem wrong for a bluebird now I look at it.
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phil baber
Clipped Wing
Young female-type Mountain Bluebird for me.
Lack of blue in wings & tail down to capture deets. IMO. Overall grey & Wheatear "jizz" is what swayed me.
It's a bird found in that region. The indistinct captures reveal the "jizz" if not the colouration.
Can't see any Wren qualities here... IMHO.
Lack of blue in wings & tail down to capture deets. IMO. Overall grey & Wheatear "jizz" is what swayed me.
It's a bird found in that region. The indistinct captures reveal the "jizz" if not the colouration.
Can't see any Wren qualities here... IMHO.
peterginsburg
Well-known member
It does look a bit strange, but unless there's a major parallax problem the wings look too short for Mountain Bluebird.
Peter
Peter
Tiraya
San Diego CA
The bill in the flight shot (what little can be seen) is probably better for bluebird. My first comment was going to be a young mountain bluebird, but I couldn't find any examples of young bluebirds without some trace of blue in the wings. Definitely reminded me of a wheatear as well but the angle of the bird is not helpful...
Well I'm on team rock wren for now I guess. The face area still bothers me for rock wren as do the wings which are better for bluebird. Perhaps I'm being an idiot and overlooking the obvious bluebird-ness of this bird.
EDIT: No more pictures at all? None?
Well I'm on team rock wren for now I guess. The face area still bothers me for rock wren as do the wings which are better for bluebird. Perhaps I'm being an idiot and overlooking the obvious bluebird-ness of this bird.
EDIT: No more pictures at all? None?
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For MB with very little blue:
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=509471
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=500516
If those feathers had been around a little longer and faded in strong sun, I think we could see something like these photos. I am not positive though, there is something about these that bugs me.
Niels
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=509471
http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=500516
If those feathers had been around a little longer and faded in strong sun, I think we could see something like these photos. I am not positive though, there is something about these that bugs me.
Niels
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Rock Wren
Larry Lade
Moderator
It is perched on a rock, ergo it must be a Rock Wren! Tough call. 
I have to go for Rock Wren. If it were a bluebird - especially a Mountain Bluebird - the wings should go half way down the tail in the second photo; they are much too short for a bluebird but good for a Rock Wren. And I agree it looks like there is some barring on the undertail coverts. Isaac, can you be more precise about the location and date? Mountain Bluebird is extremely rare in the San Jose area and a winter-only bird anywhere within hundreds of miles.
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chris butterworth
aka The Person Named Above
I definitely get a feeling of a Sialis sp. but the combination of barring on the undertail, the 'short' wings and the large looking feet all point to Rock Wren.
Tiraya
San Diego CA
Yeah I still don't think either of those two could work. There is always some trace of blue going on, and if it is too young then you get the heavy streaking and darkness.
Something bugs me about both options.
I've seen bluebirds on rocks lots of times (and they weren't rock wrens
).
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
But this one is a Rock Wren.....
Thanks for the clarification. To perhaps belabor the issue then: if this is a Mountain Bluebird it is in an unusual location (no ebird records for the site, few in the region), at an unusual time (almost no regional ebird records for April), with an unusual coloration (no blue tones at all), and an unusual shape (short wings). On the other hand, if it is a Rock Wren these are just a couple of overexposed photos, which a camera might easily produce on a bright day.
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