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In order to wrap this thread up I had thought about something like the following but decided not to. After much lengthy and heated debate the WBIDAC (WhatBird ID Awards Committee) has decided to present the following prizes: Winner: @Jefferson Shank for outstanding (and speedy) ID skills under exceptionally arduous conditions. Second: @Jim W for outstanding ingenuity in demonstrating that his particular ID choice (the Narwahl) is indeed capable of flight - the incorporation of the mysterious artifact was brilliant. Third: @AlexHenry for outstanding persistence, against the odds, of sticking with his choice to the end. Unfortunately the prizes previously referenced are no longer available but the winners may choose any prize up to a maximum value up $4.99 including postage. Please note the WBIDAC only meets once a year so there may be a delay in delivering the prizes. Probably good that I decided not to do this.

Red crossbill stuffed with pine nuts

Is the hardware permanent or just there during the healing? "Better. ... Stronger ... Faster ... We can make the world's first bionic birder." - Yeah, that one's going past most of the audience in this particular thread. Just say 'Okay, Boomer ' and we'll move on.

Dunno if I was the only one with issues but I couldn't get anything but error codes from the forum last night! Maybe you were right? ? It was @RobinHood s fault!!!!

Actually a Mourning Dove with that long pointed tail and tiny head.

How's this? This is another Red-Bellied, but this one has a pigmentation variation called 'leucism'. Leucistic birds are missing pigment in some of their feathers. It's not albino, and it usually doesn't indicate there's anything else unusual or abnormal about the bird. Leucistic birds aren't uncommon, although some species are more prone to it than others. In this case, the bird is male, which is why the red goes all the way over the head. The one Melierax posted earlier is female, with the red on the back of the head only.

Ouch! Hope you feel better soon. Good thing you're a YOUNG birder!

While it is true that using other people's photos without authorization is illegal, a violation of the owner's property rights, and not a nice thing to do, the responsibility for protecting copyright rests on the copyright owner. It has been made clear that people should use their own photos and request made to change any photos that you are using without permission. Please don't go down the road of continuing to call out other WhatBirders in the forums; I don't want to have to moderate your posts.

No. Don't even go there. Just, no. Aren't there some nice fresh worms you should be eating?

I did warn you!!! (I"ll miss this thread - any more trail cam photos out there?).

No, it's actually the one of the Black-bellied Plover taking a bath. It's on the Audubon article. Jefferson didn't use my photo, but he almost did (since he used photos on that page), so I thought it was good enough for an understandable joke. But it wasn't, sadly. I'm glad that you're feeling better!

I am off of crutches! I broke my leg Feb 4th, it was a 60 percent offset. I Had surgery on Feb 7th, (A plate and six screws.) And to day March 10th I am walking! Just 38 days!

Eastern Towhee by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

A couple of the goldfinches in my SC backyard are showing a few bright yellow feathers. The GBBC is two weeks off. That pair of Red-winged Blackbirds that showed up intermittently all winter hasn't been seen in a couple of weeks. Time for spring migration sightings. Have at it!

11 March 2020. Dauphin Island, AL. Expansive grassy marsh between beach and road

It's a Red-shouldered Hawk. Note the translucent crescents on the last picture.

Keep that in mind the next time you're getting on a plane. In the long run, you'll find a letter from your doctor and a cheap copy of the X-rays will save you a lot of trouble with TSA. Get a couple of copies so you'll have a spare, laminate them, and stash them with your travel gear.

Why not King Rail? I'm not saying it isn't a Clapper, just wondering.

I... I think so. Wait for more replies, though.

Yup, mourning dove

Yellow Rumped Warbler and Mallard. The mallard may have some domestic genes mixed in or something.

It is staying.

Thanks, good to know. (I thought... being only twenty or so feet away and with good visibility) that it was "small" but, like I said... no expert am I.

Red-brested merganser, right? West coast of Florida

House Finch is correct. There is two of them, but I'm not necessarily sure if they're a pair (in the biblical sense).

Cranes have straighter necks. Herons and egrets are more serpentine.

I agree, this bird would stand out here in California as being very green and contrasty with a short bill. As others have mentioned, there's been a huge increasing in the number of wintering Black-chinned and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the gulf states in the last few decades. It's now pretty common for some people to have multiple Black-chinned AND Ruby-throated wintering in their yard. Some lucky people get Calliope, Rufous and Buff-bellied too.

Thanks Charlie, I think you've pegged it. (An interesting variation... never heard of leucism before.) Such a pretty bird! Snow white all over, except for evenly black-banded wings and small, bright, red cap. Not a trace of 'salt and pepper' or 'dirty white' anywhere on it.

I would say yellow-rumped warbler

Close though.... (perhaps a seasonal variant or subspecies of the red bellied woodpecker?) That's the closest match I seen suggested yet.

Not to be rude, but those kinds of details like perfectly straight bars is very subject to feather placement which can vary widely from bird to bird. I was particularly referencing the female RBWO: I can't think of anything else that fits that description. I'm pretty sure woodpeckers are the only genus in the US that has horizontal barring on the back, besides maybe American Kestrel and a few others that don't fit your description. Have you looked through the list of woodpeckers on the Whatbird identification website?

Yes, looks good for Red-breasted Merganser. Note the thin, upturned red bill and lack of contrast between the breast and head.

I’d say it’s good for Bank, but wait for more replies.

I've heard Mocks singing that long after sunset, as well as that early before dawn. They're among the first to start and the last to shut up. Here in the southeast, a song that changes every few seconds and goes on for minutes at a time almost always turns out to be coming from a Mock. I spent a summer working with a swimming pool installer. A Mock set up shop on the house next door and sang for most of the month. Like winter snow, the first few days are beautiful. Then...

Congratulations - very well done and nice technique, it worked really well. PS. Still not sure if you were joking or not about a certain member and his personal profile photo.

Hoping some little birds will return soon. Full disclosure - this one is from Monday (I'm always behind with my editing).

Fair enough - definitely in most situations, manual focus is a lot worse than auto focus. Sounds like your camera's manual focus is especially frustrating, and believe me, I feel your pain. I pretty much exclusively use auto focus - probably 99% of the time. But there are those rare cases - like when you see a bittern or rail that is frozen in place for minutes at a time, hidden in dense reeds, for example - autofocus doesn't work well in situations like that because if the cover is dense enough, the auto focus will focus on the cover instead of the bird. But with manual focus you can control that:

Crane flapping flight is distinctive, as the upbeat is faster than the downbeat, the latter being the typical faster beat in other birds. This flight style is another feature that shows that Limpkin is related to cranes.

Killdeer from today

For what it’s worth, the background bird in the last photo is a Siskin.

Snow Goose... "What's that black thing staring at me for?"

One from yesterday - a little blurry, I later noticed my lens stabilization had been accidentally turned off (no idea for how long).

There's also a Red Crossbill shot in there. Algonquin Park is an awesome spot for birding. My mom is from Toronto and I spent a lot of time in Ontario as a kid. Great for warblers, flycatchers, vireos, thrushes, etc. in the summer, and finches in the winter - I think I got my lifer Common Redpoll there! And then of course there's the big 4 boreal specialties - Spruce Grouse, Boreal Chickadee, Black-backed Woodpecker, and Canada Jay (aka Gray Jay aka Whisky Jack). If you would like, I would be happy to share advice on birding in Algonquin Park or the Carden Alvar area near Kirkfield!

Ring-necked Ducks