The juvenile Purple Gallinule has generated quite a bit of excitment around the city. Is this what it takes to get people to leave Manhattan for a visit to Brooklyn? ;-) He was still present this morning and my friend Steve sent me the photo below. You can see the metallic coloration coming in on its wings, back and neck.
Another view of Big Foot
(Photo credit - Steve Nanz)
It is interesting to see photographs with and without flash and to see how it affects pigment and irridescence in the feathers. The images without flash looks like what I saw when I viewed the bird in poor light. The image with flash appears more like the field guide. Just one more reason to be super careful and to use as many field marks as possible when ID-ing a bird. Lighting can be deceptive and that makes a huge difference.
ReplyDeleteVery good point. I also found that there were considerable differences in the plates between some of the North American field guides, i.e., Sibley's doesn't show the forehead shield or by-colored bill; National Geographic 3rd ed. shows much darker bill and legs, as well as, pale edging on the coverts. I think Guy Tudor's plate in the Birds of Colombia is the best I've seen so far.
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