Date: 5/18/25 9:14 am From: Liam Murphy via groups.io <liammsf...> Subject: Re: [SFBirds] Bernal Hill - Another Vagrant Report
Slightly updated pin for the HOWA: 37.743351,-122.416911
VERY skulky bird, it's been singing regularly the whole time but took about
80 mins to get a photo. Will be uploaded to eBird tonight.
On Sun, May 18, 2025, 6:53 AM Liam Murphy via groups.io <liammsf=
<gmail.com...> wrote:
> Today, Sunday morning, Eddie Monson reports the Hooded Warbler is
> regularly singing on the west side of the hill, near the location of the
> December sightings. Approximate pin:
> 37.742729,-122.417155
>
> Maybe another data point in favor of this bird having secretly been here
> for months.
>
> Liam
>
> On Fri, May 16, 2025, 4:45 PM Liam Murphy via groups.io <liammsf=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
>> Thank you Peter. Seems that either a very rare singing female was on
>> Bernal, or I was correct in my initial assessment of the bird I saw that it
>> was an atypical Wilson's, and that Lyra's recording is of a different bird.
>>
>> Another possibility is that the male Hooded Warbler found by Eddie Monson
>> on Bernal in December and last reported 12/6/24 either somehow evaded
>> detection for 5 months or left and is now stopping back over in a familiar
>> spot on its way north.
>>
>> In any case, Bernal Hill continues to be a good place to be on spring
>> mornings!
>>
>> Cheers,
>> Liam
>>
>> On Fri, May 16, 2025, 4:38 PM Peter Pyle <ppyle...> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi Liam-
>>>
>>> FWIW 1st fall/winter males are fully hooded like adult males and
>>> actually quite difficult to age. A rather rare plumage pattern in
>>> wood-warblers, shared only by Black-t Blue in North America.
>>>
>>> Cheers, Peter
>>>
>>> On May 16, 2025, at 15:48, Liam Murphy via groups.io <liammsf=
>>> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi again SFBirders,
>>>
>>> This message is to report that fellow Bernal birder Lyra D'Souza
>>> recorded a singing HOODED WARBLER this morning on the Hill, near the "three
>>> pines" area on the north slope.
>>> 37.743753,-122.413418
>>>
>>> With Lyra's permission I am linking to her checklist which contains
>>> excellent audio.
>>> https://ebird.org/checklist/S238877543 >>>
>>> Earlier in the morning, prior to encountering the GRASSHOPPER SPARROW
>>> reported to the list in a separate message, I had seen a yellow-colored
>>> warbler in that area with a strange head pattern, dark olive crown and
>>> nape, and the appearance of an eyeline which I think included dark lores. I
>>> considered at the time that this could be an immature Hooded Warbler
>>> instead of the common Wilson's, and I watched for a while to try and see
>>> the white outer tail feathers that would be diagnostic. I never saw the
>>> undertail and the bird did not fan its tail, although it was quite active.
>>> After a minute or so of not seeing any white, I wrote it off as a weird
>>> Wilson's and moved on.
>>>
>>> After reading more about Hooded Warblers on Birds Of The World, it seems
>>> that the formative plumages are sexually dimorphic and that males typically
>>> show a bolder pattern than what I saw (my description is a better fit for
>>> the female formative plumage). The text also says that the formative
>>> plumage is held from summer/fall of the hatch year until summer/fall of the
>>> following year. Furthermore, while females have been documented singing,
>>> this behavior is thought to be very rare.
>>>
>>> Maybe someone on this list has additional insights into molt timing,
>>> plumage variability (how washed out can males be?), behavior including
>>> singing on migration, etc.
>>>
>>> There's enough uncertainty in my observation for me to feel most
>>> comfortable leaving this at "new world warbler sp." on my checklist. From
>>> not carrying my camera, to not attempting cell phone pics, to not asking
>>> Lyra to listen to her recording when we spoke in the field, I pretty much
>>> botched most of the best practices of identification on this bird. Lyra's
>>> recording, however, is a slam dunk, congrats to her on a great find. After
>>> receiving the recording at lunchtime, I went back up to the spot and spent
>>> about 45 minutes there, without success.
>>>
>>> Moral of the story, when in doubt, be a Lyra and not a Liam! Get that
>>> documentation by any means necessary (and don't leave your camera sitting
>>> on the bed at home).
>>>
>>> It's not clear whether either of these vagrants from this morning have
>>> remained on the Hill, but hopefully someone can catch up to one or both of
>>> them at first light tomorrow (from 7:30-8am the hill belongs to the dog
>>> walkers).
>>>
>>> Good birding,
>>> Liam Murphy
>>>
>>>
>
