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I had fun slowly sneaking up on a heron yesterday and got within about 6-8 feet. He was falling asleep so every time he closed his eyes I'd sneak up a bit more. Never noticed before but their eyes have reddish/orange outer irises.

Western Bluebird. ? Lewis's Woodpecker. ?

Altamira Oriole by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr Altamira Oriole by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Seagulls like eating clams and mussels for lunch (I'm gonna have to start wearing a hardhat)

Definitely a Lark Sparrow.

Keechi creek Palo Pinto Co. TX.

Look at me!

Red-breasted nuthatch

Blue-winged Warbler

? Yikes, I just noticed this category...

I've never seen one but this matches the appearance of a adult Lark Sparrow on AAB. Unstreaked breast, rufous and black facial markings, pale beak, white throat. Range is good too. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Lark_Sparrow/ I'm pretty sure but let's wait for confirmation from someone familiar with the species.

Juvenile Common Grackle.

I like Bronzed here.

Grackles actually have thinner bills than this. I think it looks okay for a Bronzed, but I don't have experience with them, so definitely wait for other opinions.

I would go with Common Tern rather than Forster's, but am curious what experts say. I am going by bill color, head pattern, tail length, but I'm not sure if those marks are reliable.

Thank you! I agree they can be hard to photograph...I got lucky with this shot...he landed right in front of me! ?

Great photos. Me too.

Day 2, Pt. 3 Further up, we found Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, and Cordilleran Flycatcher. IMG_8674 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8680 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8700 by Jim Joe, on Flickr While scanning the skies for the sough-after Zone-tailed Hawk, a Red-faced Warbler, maybe my most wanted bird, popped just a few feet in front of me. Unfortunately, it disappeared. We did see several more that day (and later in the trip), but the views weren't quite as close. IMG_8718 by Jim Joe, on Flickr To finish at Mt. Lemmon, we staked out the hummingbird feeder at the visitor's center, which was swarming with Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. Eventually the shockingly large and stunning Rivoli's Hummingbird made a visit. IMG_8809 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8840 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8881 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8894 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8860 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8870 by Jim Joe, on Flickr After a brief nap back at the hotel, we headed back to Sweetwater in hopes of Lesser Nighthawk. Since we had time to kill before dusk, we did one more loop around the lake and napped brief, unsatisfying looks at lifer Bell's Vireo, as well at looks at a pretty cool looking snake. After that, on a tip from a local, we found a spot just outside the wetlands where the dried up Santa Cruz River Basin can be seen. I had been told this was a good spot for nighthawks. Like clockwork, a bit after sunset, several Lesser Nighthawks started working the area. My 500th ABA lifer. IMG_9024 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_9089 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_9059 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_9107 by Jim Joe, on Flickr

Post to this group... https://www.facebook.com/groups/1387877288186021/

I don't think it's possible to age this bird from this photo.

Day 2, Pt. 2 After a successful morning made even better by the Harris's Hawks, we headed up to Mt. Lemmon, about an hour N of Tucson. I had always wanted to bird here and it didn't disappoint. It was also nice to escape the heat and get in some high elevation birding. On the drive up, we saw trip birds Violet-green Swallow, Acorn Woodpecker, and Violet-green Swallow. I had heard Rose Canyon was a good spot, so we payed the small fee and pulled over at the first campground we saw. Immediately the sounds of Hermit Thrushes, Plumbeous Vireos, and Greater Pewee filled the forest, and curious Steller's Jays came into investigate, as well as numerous Yellow-eyed Juncos. Here we also found maybe the coolest looking squirrel I've ever seen. IMG_8305 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8319 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8331 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8516 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8545 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_1661 by Jim Joe, on Flickr As we were trying to get better looks at the vireos, I spotted a beautiful Olive Warbler, one of the most anticipated birds of the trip. IMG_1701 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_1741 by Jim Joe, on Flickr

Yeah, it's the only N.A. swallow that's that long.

Day 2, Pt. 1 We awoke, anxious and excited, well before sunrise in order to make the 1 and a half drive down to Sierra Vista. We had made an appointment to visit a yard that had regular Montezuma Quail visits. We were not disappointed by one of Arizona's most notoriously difficult birds. We had ridiculous looks at multiple pairs that came in to feed and drink. IMG_7889 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7978 by Jim Joe, on Flickr But the quail were not the only things to see. The yard, as many are in SE AZ, was very active. Anna's, Black-chinned, and Broad-billed Hummingbirds were buzzing about while Western Kingbirds and a Ladder-backed Woodpecker made brief stops at the suet. Tons of Lesser Goldfinches were a constant presence, amongst them one Pine Siskin lingering from the winter season made an appearance. IMG_7993 by Jim Joe, on Flickr Canyon Towhee, Eastern Meadowlarks, and the trips only (surprisingly) Pyrrhuloxia were also around. IMG_1004 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8028 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7893 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_1146 by Jim Joe, on Flickr The owner had mentioned he had Botteri's Sparrow in the fields beyond his yard, but it a came a surprise to all of us when one visited the feeder area. I was excited to get that bird so early and so effortlessly. IMG_7863 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_1070 by Jim Joe, on Flickr Naturally, I was asking the owners for advice on some of my more difficult targets. When I mentioned I did not expect to find Harris's Hawk due to their sporadic reports in AZ, he said there was a place down the road where they bred and were seen regularly. After thanking our gracious hosts, we drove a couple miles down the road and sure enough, we found two Harris's Hawk, in addition to trip birds Bullock's Oriole and Say's Phoebe. IMG_8136 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_1454 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_8074 by Jim Joe, on Flickr

Yeah, probably a young Song Sparrow.

Day 1, cont'd. To finish off our first day, we drove from Phoenix to Tucson in order to a) get to our base hotel and b) bird the famous Sweetwater Wetlands. Right out of the car, Lesser Goldfinches, Yellow Warblers, Red-winged Blackbirds, and White-winged Doves were seemingly in a craze, probably because of the nearby Cooper's Hawk. IMG_7173 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7266 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7183 by Jim Joe, on Flickr As we started walking the trails, we started hearing Lucy's Warblers and had brief views of a Vermilion Flycatcher. IMG_7239 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7257 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7632 by Jim Joe, on Flickr It didn't take long though to find our main target, Tropical Kingbird. It, along with a brilliant male Vermilion, put on quite the show for at least a half hour. One of the highlights of the trip, to watch these two beautiful flycatchers in action. IMG_7573 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7299 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7361 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7379 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_0871 by Jim Joe, on Flickr Next, we had stellar views of a Greater Roadrunner taking a dirt path, a perfect way to end our first day in AZ. IMG_7606 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7618 by Jim Joe, on Flickr Plus, this. IMG_7692 by Jim Joe, on Flickr 13 lifers for day 1. Day 2 would bring more typical SE AZ birding.

Looks a bit more like a Song Sparrow to me.

Day 1, cont'd. We really only had one necessary target on Day 1, due to their extremely localized and restricted range. Fortunately, following a tip from eBird, they proved easy to find in a small city park pretty much in the middle of Phoenix. My favorite bird of day 1, Rosy-faced Lovebird: IMG_7067 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7032 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7008 by Jim Joe, on Flickr IMG_7001 by Jim Joe, on Flickr An obliging Gila Woodpecker was also in the area. IMG_0325 by Jim Joe, on Flickr I'm going to leave this as an independent post because the next one is rather busy.

The bird and the number are not as one. The number of your bird may not be my number of the bird. The bird does not know the number; indeed, the bird is beyond numbers. Be as the bird. Be ... the bird.

Yes, Black Tern. I have a fair amount of experience with them on the NC coast. Their plumage this time of year is quite variable.

I have limited experience with adult, breeding plumage Common Terns, but to me this is a Common Tern. The black cap appearing shorter than normal is probably a combination of feather wear and posture. The features that point to Common Tern for me are the dark primary feathers and the short legs, though the latter is a bit subjective and the difference between Common and Forster's is very subtle (as compared to Arctic vs the other two). The bill is rather orange, but I suspect that is due to the overexposure of the photo. The legs look red to me, but again tough to tell for sure. The tail on terns is only really long early in the breeding season, usually in April and May. By late June and later, it's usually worn or broken off. So that's not really a helpful mark this late. Also, the dark carpal bar is only on immature and basic (non-breeding) plumaged Common Terns so that can't be used either.

Hmm... it's showing for me, at least on my phone. I am no expert here but would lean Forsters--Tail longer than wings and no sign of a dark carpal bar.

Location? Looks like a Common Grackle.

A couple from the Cape Lookout, NC this past weekend--American Oystercatcher and Common Nighthawk.

Two from the weekend...NC coast. Distant shot of Black Skimmers, and a Seaside Sparrow.

Bullock's Oriole. Birds are somewhat scarce in my area now but captured this beauty today. ?

Henslow's Sparrow (left click for better view)

Kingbird Security.

After 35 years of birding... finally got a Henslow's Sparrow(#626) today!!!!

Wrong photo above. Werfen Austria.

Redwood National Park

Mt Hood and Trillium Lake on a foggy sunrise 5-31-2019

Eastern Bluebird by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

The locally well know University Of WA Japanese Cherry Trees

Northern Nevada

I glad we're not in the mid west or we would be on our way to the land of Oz!