Warber again

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: I thought I'd attempt some more expanded logical deduction with this bird (I'll try not to hurt myself!) : My guess is that the unusual look to the facial pattern noted in the photo on the right, that is with the transocular stripe and back edge to the auriculars forming a narrow-angled point, and the auriculars looking too solid for BTGreen, may just be the result of the bird's head being turned and the lower cheek being scrunched. Note the different (more typical for BTGreen) shape and internally diffuse look to the auriculars in the upper left photo with the bird in more typical posture. To me the relatively solid border to the auriculars formed by the solid back edge and solid transocular and maler stripes, combined with the internally diffuse area (yellow internal mottling I previously mentioned) looks very un-Townsend's-like, and, as far as I can tell, is a look almost always present (to a variable extent) in BTGreen. As Steve mentioned, the extended connection between the yellow supercilium and yellow behind the auriculars doesn't seem to be typical, but it is apparent in a couple photos of BTGreen I was able to find, and seems to be somewhat variable. : In the photo on the right the feathers appear to be fluffed or ruffled by the wind, and a close look appears to show a diffuse dark area on the side of the breast that very much has the look of "veiled" black on a fall BTGreen, that is with black that may be somewhat obscured by white tipping to the dark feathers in fresh fall plumage. Some of the dark flank feathers also appear like they might be tipped with white (and note also, for whatever it's worth, the apparent extensive white tipping in the scaps). My understanding is that Townsend's most typically has yellow tipping to the dark feathers, at least on the throat and breast, in fresh fall plumage. : Combining what is visible (and not totally washed out) in all three photos, it is apparent that this bird has relatively heavy, dark streaking running from the flanks up the sides and converging (as also noted by Steve) in the lower maler region (apparently in a point, which seems to be typical of BTGreen). Taking this heavy streaking into account, I would think that if this were a Townsend's x Hermit this bird would show something else, some other hint somewhere of Townsend's parentage - such as visible yellow on the sides of the breast in the photo on the right (which isn't overexposed), yellow tipping to any of the dark breast feathers, at least a hint of a dark triangular area on the throat, detectable back streaking, a more uniformly solid (or more uniformly diffuse for that matter) facial pattern - anything. Again, I'm not speaking from enough personal experience to say I'm totally confident, but to me it just seems too improbable that a Townsend's x Hermit would match the look of a BTGreen so completely. : Cheers, : Phil Pickering : Lincoln City, Oregon

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