Kudos to William for nailing this mystery bird. Not only that, but he correctly aged and sexed the bird. The white eye arcs, the plain and drab green upperparts, and the whisper of a pale area at the base of the primaries (where male Black-throated Blues have an obvious white square patch) are clues to this bird's identity. The fine and pointed bill along with the dark and slender legs and feet eliminate any vireo.
To age the bird, the brownish primary coverts contrasting with the greenish greater wing coverts are the key feature we can see. Immature female Black-throated Blue Warblers like this also have only an indistinct white mark at the base of the primaries, or lack it altogether. The term "second-year" (SY) is a banding term for a bird <1-yr-old because but encountered after January 1st on. It has nothing to do with plumages or actual age and can be confusing, i.e. the bird is actually still finishing out its first year of life and not really 2-yrs-old as "second-year" might imply. Regardless, William used the term correctly and gets huge credit for getting this right. A very confusing plumage. Way to go William!
Louis Bevier
Fairfield
On May 14, 2013, at 7:26 PM, William Nichols <wnbirder@gmail.com> wrote:
Stockton SpringsSecond-year female Black-throated Blue Warbler, I believe.Best,
William NicholsOn Tue, May 14, 2013 at 4:27 PM, Bill Bunn <moosetrunks51@gmail.com> wrote:
I was asked this morning to post a photo of a unidentified bird, unfortunately I was only able to get one lousy shot before the bird disappeared completely, this bird made absolutely no sounds whatsoever, I 'll leave it to the experts
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