faerye ,
@faerye@pie.gd avatar

Looking at last Friday’s bird photos, and I’d love an external opinion. I managed to take a few photos of these elusive little ~sparrow-sized jobbers we kept seeing in the underbrush of a scrubwood margin on Sauvie Island. The only good match I’ve found for them is female or immature Lazuli Buntings, which would be a lifer for me. Anyone with more experience have an opinion?

(Sauvie Island, Columbia River, NW , May 24)

The right bird has stuck its head curiously out beyond its intrepidly grasped plant stem, while the left bird is more fully hidden. The head is a dusty taupe, with a slight white stripe through the upper part of the dark eye, and a medium-shade line continuing from the eye toward the back of the head. The beak is grey. Under the beak, two fairly distinct white jowl-stripes. Of such doctor’s-office drab markings are potential lifer identifications made!

Two small birds clinging to the green stalks of weeds or grasses. Their body plan is similar to a sparrow’s, but their beaks have more of a finch’s broadness at the base. Their legs seem to be gray, and all their plumage has a soft, pastel, 90s designer-color feel. The belly is white, which gives way to pale beige nearer the wing. The upper breast is an anemic orange. The left one is showing the underside of its tail: dingy shite coverts and a medium gray tail. The folded wings are also medium gray, with two white wingbars, fairly distinct.
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    • + loren
    loren ,
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    @faerye while im not as familiar with your western birds, lazuli is absolutely my guess with that white wing bar on them. they do look quite like our indigo buntings otherwise but doesn't look like you have them over there

    faerye OP ,
    @faerye@pie.gd avatar

    @loren Thank you! Yes, the jowl stripes do look like Indigo (they’re on the same page in my Sibley, hehe) but it looks like ours have ‘em too, just less distinct.

    I inveigh against the prevalence of adult male birds in photos and reference, but I admit they’re usually…easier to definitively ID than this! ;)

    loren ,
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    @faerye yeah these ones are pretty pale, i just saw my first female indigo bunting the other day and had no clue what it was because she was so pale, and looks just like your two here haha. certainly makes id a bit trickier haha

    faerye OP ,
    @faerye@pie.gd avatar

    @loren Ooh, congrats!

    loren ,
    @loren@flipping.rocks avatar

    @faerye thank you! and to you too on what i am pretty sure is your lifer as well! haha

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