Date: 10/21/24 2:34 pm From: Florence Sanchez via groups.io <sanchezucsb11...> Subject: [sbcobirding] Dickcissel at Coal Oil Point Oct. 19
Sorry for this late posting, but it has taken some time and discussion with an expert to clarify what I saw.
I spotted this bird on the way to the beach at midafternoon. It was on the ground with a couple of other sparrows around 3:30 p.m., in sagebrush scrub along the part of the path that parallels the coast. It flew up into the brush, then perched on a branch just behind the horizontal railing with its back to me. I had both a back view and a profile head/face view, but never saw it directly from the side or front on. It did sit out for quite a few minutes before dropping down into the brush, not to be seen again.
The back view was notable for two substantial yellow vertical stripes against a black background or next to wide black stripes. In profile, the bill was large and flowed into the head, giving a slightly flat-headed appearance. There was a faint yellow spot above the eye, but no sharp pattern of facial stripes. When it turned its head slightly, I could see that the throat was white, but it did not appear to be clearly outlined as in a White-throated Sparrow.
What was most notable was the bill color. The upper mandible was kind of a purple-y gray, changing to a pinkish color on the lower mandible. Convinced I'd seen a Sparrow, I got side-tracked by checking my memory against photos of Harris Sparrow, ssp. Oriantha and Leucophrys of White-crowned Sparrows, and White-throated Sparrow. None fit, so I turned to more expert opinion. In their opinion, it was a Dickcissel. Photos of Diccissel agree with what I saw, especially the shape of the head and bill in profile, though the bill color is still aberrant.
So though this reporting is late, the bird might still be around. Look for it while walking along the path to Coal Oil Point. I was at approximately this location when I saw it:
34.409165, -119.877971
