This adult bird with a strikingly gray head has been of interest to local birders recently. I saw it yesterday at Greensprings Interpretive Trail in James City County, after being alerted by Jim Easton a few days earlier. It appears from eBird that Terry Moore also photographed it last month. It resembles the "Florida" type extimus.
Besides the head color, the dark feather shafts on the breast are quite thin, unlike the usually heavier, even sometimes blotchy look of our more usual sub-species lineatus. There are other, quite subtle, features to compare and we are evaluating. But...searching for photos and other information in eBird has been tough, as many Red-shouldereds are entered, of both types, with no photos or details.
There are few reports of "Florida" birds north of that state.
These photos are by Jim Easton.
The post below shows what I think is also a "Florida" type that was photographed this spring at nearby York River State Park.
Brian Taber
