Fox Sparrow and hybrid Titmouse? - 31 Dec 2022
I spent the morning playing with my flash setup with the hopes of getting a New Years Day owl on the Detroit River Christmas Bird Count on Belle Isle. With the rain falling the skies were dark so the opportunity was there to test the fill flash capabilities. I took to the back yard to test things out on the feeder birds.
A surprise White-throated Sparrow appeared. I got a few pics with the 200-600mm lens.
The flash fired just fine and the fill light was subtle but good enough to prevent backlit birds, like this House Finch, Blue Jay and Northern Cardinal.
As I waited for birds to appear I was pleasantly surprised to see a late-season Fox Sparrow appear at the edge of the cover. After taking a few pics with the flash on the Sony a9 I decided to run into the house and grab the Sony a1 and 600/4 lens. The little extra reach with the 1.4TC helped grab some nice portrait shots at ground level.
Just prior to seeing the Fox Sparrow I took a couple of images of my 'resident' Tufted Titmice. After reviewing my images I realized that one of the birds had a black stripe that extended the length of the head to be tip of the crest. Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) normally have a black forehead and grey head/crest.
Normally, this would be indicative of a Black-crested Titmouse (Baeolophus atricristatus) that native to eastern-northern Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma. However, those birds have a gray forehead and black head/crest. Since this bird has a black forehead and a thinner stripe along the head/crest it is suggestive of a Tufted x Black-crested Titmouse hybrid.
I'm curious what others have to say...
I'll be looking for the bird again tomorrow with the hopes of getting more pics.
Happy New Year!
Brownton Abbey, 26340 Higgins Way, Wayne, Michigan, US
Dec 31, 2022 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments: Cloudy, rainy, mild but cooling from 50F to 40F; more pics at https://birdingthroughglass.bl
8 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 12
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 2 This birds shows a black forehead that is typical of normal B. bicolor tufted titmouse, but also has a black stripe that extends to the back of the head/crest that is found in B. atricristatus. Note that the black forehead precludes the black-crested titmouse since they have a gray forehead. The stripe is thin and consistent with hybrid titmice. I only got these two pics since my attention was drawn to a late-season Fox Sparrow nearby. I will try to get more pics tomorrow. Addendum 1/1/2023: After seeing the titmouse pair this afternoon I saw that both birds showed typical B. bicolor appearance that now has me believing that the photos show a bird with a wet head and matted-down feathers; the bird was seen after morning showers and I suspect that it soaked its head while sticking it in the feeder port. I'll continue to look for a possible hybrid titmouse but don't believe it to be present.
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 6
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 1
Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 6
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 6
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
Dec 31, 2022 10:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Checklist Comments: Cloudy, rainy, mild but cooling from 50F to 40F; more pics at https://birdingthroughglass.bl
8 species
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) 12
Tufted Titmouse (Baeolophus bicolor) 2 This birds shows a black forehead that is typical of normal B. bicolor tufted titmouse, but also has a black stripe that extends to the back of the head/crest that is found in B. atricristatus. Note that the black forehead precludes the black-crested titmouse since they have a gray forehead. The stripe is thin and consistent with hybrid titmice. I only got these two pics since my attention was drawn to a late-season Fox Sparrow nearby. I will try to get more pics tomorrow. Addendum 1/1/2023: After seeing the titmouse pair this afternoon I saw that both birds showed typical B. bicolor appearance that now has me believing that the photos show a bird with a wet head and matted-down feathers; the bird was seen after morning showers and I suspect that it soaked its head while sticking it in the feeder port. I'll continue to look for a possible hybrid titmouse but don't believe it to be present.
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 6
American Goldfinch (Spinus tristis) 1
Fox Sparrow (Passerella iliaca) 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis) 6
White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) 1
Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) 6
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S1
This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)
