Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Lazuli Bunting - Juvenile

It had been almost a year since I had seen a Lazuli Bunting. Then, on Saturday at the Sandy River Delta, I saw several. I didn't get real close looks, but I did find a family in the same Blackberry bushes where I found the Willow Flycatchers.
The male, in the top image, tended to fly from patch to patch, but always returned. I believe the birds in the lower image is of a juvenile on the left and an adult female on the right. I base this on a couple of different observations. While it is difficult to make out, as the image is not the greatest, the bird on the left appears to have a yellowish, gummy corner on its beak. The right bird seems to lack this feature. Also, if you compare their tails you will see a fair amount of wear on the right bird, while the bird on the left appears clean. A juvenile shouldn't have any wear at this time of the year.

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