| Common Name | Ovenbird |
|---|---|
| Scientific Name | Seiurus aurocapilla |
| Type of Report | Out-of-Season |
| Date of Observation | 12/23/2023 |
| Media | |
| Number Observed | 1 |
| Reporting Observer's Name | Charlotte Bill |
| Mailing Address | 3407 Longley Bridge Road Enosburg Falls, VT 05450 United States Map It |
| Email hidden; Javascript is required. | |
| Date Completed | 12/24/2023 |
| Names & Emails of Other Contributing Observers | none |
| Latitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | 44.893856 |
| Longitude of Observation (enter 0 if unable to provide) | -72.69167 |
| Place Name | 3407 Longley Bridge Road |
| Township | Enosburgh |
| County | Franklin |
| Vermont eBird Checklist URL | ebird.org |
| Time of Day | 11:53 AM |
| Length of Time Observed | 14 minutes (standard time) |
| Maximum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 35 |
| Minimum Estimated Distance from Bird (in feet) | 12 |
| Noteworthy Weather Conditions | sunny, just about 32 degrees F, probably a little above that; no apparent wind or breeze |
| Optical Equipment Used for Observation | Canon SX-50 Powershot camera |
| Observer’s Previous Acquaintance With This or Similar Species | A lot! We usually have at least two breeding pairs within clear audio range of the house. I usually first hear "Teacher, teacher!" on or close to May 5. I rarely hear the sweet night song, but it's always such a treat, as is watching a little Ovenbird walk along a slender branch. |
| I certify that any attachments included with this report were captured during this observation event. | |
| Description of Habitat | On the south side of the house, a leaf-covered yard under two 60-foot tall balsam trees and a 100-foot tall eastern white pine; also a Rhododendron calendulaceum and a Rhododendron schlippenbachii; the bird spent its time in this area, I would hypothesize because the area beyond this space all had a light dusting of snow, and this area under the conifers and closer to the house was bare of snow and had a lot of leaf litter |
| Behaviors Observed | walking and running along the ground, pecking briefly in the leaf litter before it quickly moved to a new spot to repeat its foraging behavior |
| Description of Vocalizations | It did not emit any audible vocalizations. |
| Verbal Narrative & Description of Observation | Submitted at Sue Elliott's request after she saw my post on VTbird; no field notes; all written from memory of the observation, which was made less than 24 hours earlier Arriving home from recycling, I rounded the SW corner of the house to startle a small bird, which flew from close to the house to the R. schlippenbachii. It gave two or three slight tail bobs and then flew to the ground under one of the balsams. I entered the house, returned with my camera, and spent 14 minutes watching and photographing as the OVEN engaged in the foraging behavior described above. When last I saw it, it was rounding the SE corner of the house, and I ended my observation. |
| Relative Size & Shape | I first thought Junco-ish in size when it flew and landed on the Schlippenbachii azalea, but there were no white outer edges on the tail feathers, plus it bobbed its tail slightly. It also was more slender than a Junco. |
| Head | orange crown stripe rimmed with narrow black stripes; white eye-ring; see photos |
| Feet & Bill | pink; see photos |
| Upper Back | see photos |
| Lower Back & Rump | see photos |
| Wings | see photos |
| Breast, Belly, Flanks, Under Tail Coverts | streaky dark spots on breast; see photos |
| Tail | see photos; I was surprised to see a slight bobbing motion of the tail when it landed on the Schlippenbachii azalea (made me think of HETH, but it wasn't large enough) |
| IMPORTANT: What similar species were eliminated when making the identification and how was this bird different? | nothing similar: stripy breast, not as spotted as HETH, plus definitely smaller than HETH; also, the orange crown stripe is distinctive |
| Other Notes & Comments | no other notes |
| This report was written from notes taken: | Written from Memory |
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