This is the first time in over 15 years of class field trips to Lake Merritt that we have seen this species. It is quite small and shy. It is more common in the Eastern U.S. where the nominate subspecies occurs. The Western population B. v. anthonyi, which ranges from northern Baja north to British Columbia, is larger and paler than nominate birds in the East. The rufous of the neck is paler and the white streaks are more extensive on West Coast birds as evident in this distant digiscoped shot.
Digiscoped with Panasonic DMC-LZ5 | Nikon FieldScope 3 | 30X WA | hand-held(no adapter)