Bell's Vireo (most likely) in Point Loma, Aug. 10
A gray vireo, most likely Bell's, was in our backyard around 9AM for
a few minutes. I'm not 100% certain because it appeared to have a white
eye ring, and Sibley shows more like a white line through the eye.
Here's what I saw:
Vireo, all gray, underside light to whitish gray, one light wing bar,
big black eye, white around the eye; it did not have "spectacles."
Fluttered tail and back end of wings a lot (didn't lift the whole wing);
moved quite quickly in the birdbath and nearby bushes where it seemed to
be picking off bugs. Clearly smaller than house finch in the birdbath at
the same time (but it didn't seem as tiny as I'd expect).
The only other bird that looks very much like what I saw is Gray
Vireo. I note Phil Unitt says in the Atlas that the few reports of Gray
Vireo during migration may be misidentified Bell's. We had a Bell's in
our yard Aug. 15, 2010. Alex Abela photographed a Gray Vireo at Point
Loma Nazarene University in May 2016.
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Sara Baase Mayers
Point Loma (San Diego)
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Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports