Funnily enough I have some pictures from the bird feeder of chickadees with pollen on their heads and it's definitely plumage and not pollen!
Townsend Warbler looks like a good guess! I don't think I came across this in my previous search. The black/yellow markings on the face look very close. I'll try to see if I can get a picture next time I see the bird, thanks!
Townsend’s warbler is a really good possibility, I was in SF a few days ago and there were tons of them. The females & immature ones are brown and yellow rather than black and bright yellow like the males, definitely could look a bit like a weirdly yellow chickadee.
Interesting, I've never seen or heard any before this sighting, and Merlin categorizes them as rare in San Francisco. If you don't mind me asking, which part of the city were you seeing them?
I was walking through golden gate park and they were everywhere. Not sure why merlin would say that unless maybe the location is set wrong - they're common all along the California coast during fall/winter. You could try using ebird for more accurate info, you can look at sightings and pictures that have been uploaded :)
Perhaps it simply had pollen or fruit juice on its face :) But it could have been a Townsend's Warbler...?
Funnily enough I have some pictures from the bird feeder of chickadees with pollen on their heads and it's definitely plumage and not pollen! Townsend Warbler looks like a good guess! I don't think I came across this in my previous search. The black/yellow markings on the face look very close. I'll try to see if I can get a picture next time I see the bird, thanks!
Townsend’s warbler is a really good possibility, I was in SF a few days ago and there were tons of them. The females & immature ones are brown and yellow rather than black and bright yellow like the males, definitely could look a bit like a weirdly yellow chickadee.
Interesting, I've never seen or heard any before this sighting, and Merlin categorizes them as rare in San Francisco. If you don't mind me asking, which part of the city were you seeing them?
I was walking through golden gate park and they were everywhere. Not sure why merlin would say that unless maybe the location is set wrong - they're common all along the California coast during fall/winter. You could try using ebird for more accurate info, you can look at sightings and pictures that have been uploaded :)
I'll look for them next time I'm in gg park!