13 replies to this topic

[dancingbear860]

I cant find anything to match the tail on this little bird...another one spotted in CT this one was last weekend!

[Liam]

1st fall American Redstart - the plumage is a tad bit atypical, but the tail says it all.

[dancingbear860]

hummmmmm....thanks! Its a new bird, going to research it now!! thanks!!!!

[psweet]

The tail says American Redstart, but I've never seen one with that much yellow underneath.

[The Sego Sago Kid]

The tail says American Redstart, but I've never seen one with that much yellow underneath.

I bet all that yellow is just from the photo. Bright sunny day, up in the tree.. anything white is getting a yellow tint.

[Liam]

I think the yellow is in the plumage. I've seen a number of young American Redstarts with this amount of yellow identified here on the forum.

ETA: I don't think this is too uncommon. I found this on the first page when I searched "American Redstart" on flickr: http://www.flickr.co...ing/6182865697/

[psweet]

I can't find any mention of this in Sibley's, Dunn and Garrett, or Pyle. Don't know what's going on, really.

[TheBillyPilgrim]

I'm pretty sure this photo and Liam's are both a bit over-saturated and making them look more yellow than they really are. The colors in that flickr photo just don't look right and I've never seen one in person with yellow extending onto the belly like that.

EDIT: Looked through the rest of that flickr gallery and all his shots seem to have the saturation levels increased in post-processing.

[Liam]

I'm pretty sure this photo and Liam's are both a bit over-saturated and making them look more yellow than they really are. The colors in that flickr photo just don't look right and I've never seen one in person with yellow extending onto the belly like that.

EDIT: Looked through the rest of that flickr gallery and all his shots seem to have the saturation levels increased in post-processing.

That's Dave for ya!
He must be colorblind like me.

[cestma]

I should know better than to weigh in when all the experts here are in agreement, and my eyes are about as bad as they come...but is there any chance that the tail marking could be a branch shadow? (I mention this because of photos I've taken lately of birds that appeared to have striped tails when I KNEW they did not. Sure enough, another shot of a different position shows the "stripes" to have vanished...)

[TheBillyPilgrim]

I should know better than to weigh in when all the experts here are in agreement, and my eyes are about as bad as they come...but is there any chance that the tail marking could be a branch shadow? (I mention this because of photos I've taken lately of birds that appeared to have striped tails when I KNEW they did not. Sure enough, another shot of a different position shows the "stripes" to have vanished...)

I don't think so, since there is nothing there to cast a shadow (doesn't look like a flash was used, and even if it were there's nothing below the tail to obscure the light).

[dancingbear860]

I cropped and brightened but didnt saturate that could be why, I was hoping to make it back today to look again for these birds didnt make it, got sucked in to some shore birds

[cestma]

I don't think so, since there is nothing there to cast a shadow (doesn't look like a flash was used, and even if it were there's nothing below the tail to obscure the light).

I'm sure you're right. I can be terrible at figuring out what direction light is coming from.

[TheBillyPilgrim]

I cropped and brightened but didnt saturate that could be why, I was hoping to make it back today to look again for these birds didnt make it, got sucked in to some shore birds

The color problem could be completely the camera's fault! They do wacky things sometimes, especially when shooting on auto and/or in low light.