Date: 5/6/25 11:11 pm From: john tsortos via groups.io <jtsortos99...> Subject: Re: [southbaybirds] Possible Mountain Bluebird at Smith Creek 5/4/25
Hi Melissa,
I was studying Western Bluebird and Mountain Bluebird specimens this
evening, and I'm feeling confident about this being a Mountain Bluebird.
What I noticed with the specimens is that the primaries in Western
Bluebirds end much closer to the tail than in Mountain Bluebirds. We expect
to see more tail extending beyond the primaries in Mountain Bluebirds than
in Western Bluebirds for both males and females.
Your photo perfectly captures the primary length in relation to the tail
length making this a clear identification. When looking for comparison
photos, I noticed there are some misleading photos where the bird's wings
are crossed over each other significantly, making the primaries appear much
shorter than the tail <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/622938047> or the
bird's tail is pressed down, making comparison between the primaries and
the tail challenging <https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/216190731>. I made
sure to choose comparison photos where the wings and tails are touching and
aligned. Next time I'll be sure to take photos of the specimens because the
difference is unmistakable when both birds are forced into the same
position. Anyway, thanks for sharing the sighting!
Sincerely,
John
On Tue, May 6, 2025 at 4:37 PM Melissa Johnson via groups.io <mitzimelissa=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Took a trip up to Smith Creek on Sunday (with Eve Meier and Melanie
> Barnett) and saw a possible Mountain Bluebird there. She caught my eye for
> being exceptionally pale gray with no rust on the chest and a white vent.
> After checking with some local folks and on-line, most felt it looked good
> for a female MOBL, citing the shape, long-primaries, lack of yellow on the
> bill in addition to the overall gray & pale blue color. I've posted it to
> eBird on the checklist with notes, but if someone out in SBB-land is really
> familiar with them, please chime in!
> Happy Birding,
> Melissa Johnson
> [image: WE or MOBL DSC08149.JPG][image: BLUE DSC08148.JPG]
>
>
>
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