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Snowy Egret at Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge, SC 3/14/20

Female Belted Kingfisher

Willitt Anahauc NWR 10-17 by johnd1964, on Flickr

Brown Thrasher by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Definitely a Snow Goose. Note the large size and hefty bill with a prominent grin patch.

Some individual shorebirds -- particularly one-year-olds -- do not complete northward migration in spring, and coastal areas see a smattering of arctic-breeding (and other) shorebird species that do not breed there through much of the summer, though usually in very small numbers. Certain species seem more prone to this than others, with Black-bellied Plover and Sanderling being the best examples. [A brief aside: Note that Sanderling is NOT a peep. "Peep" is a term for only the smallest species of Calidris and covers only 10 species: Least, Baird's, White-rumped, Semipalmated, Western, and

Recently had the chance to bird essentially everywhere in FL over the past couple of days. Here’s some highlights: Photos will come later. Bold means lifers. - good numbers of whistling-ducks, always fun to see - FOY Chuck-will’s-widow at a gas station pre-dawn. Good way to start the trip - obviously huge numbers of waders including American Bitterns, night herons, Purple Gallinules, Limpkins, etc. - lots of classic southern FOY passerines like Parula, gnatcatcher, WE Vireo, etc. - Mottled Ducks and ground doves, these are things I don’t see in NC - a

Aleutian Cackler (leucopareia) vs Ridgway's Cackler (minima) - Aleutians have white collar, Ridgway's has larger white cheek patch, very dark breast with some blackish gloss, as well as being smaller in size and having a rounder head and shorter bill.

Loggerhead shrike

Looks like a domestic Muscovy Duck to me.

That's a Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Note the rufous crown and eyeline and white eyering and malar stripe.

I would say that this is a Swamp Sparrow.

New PFP!!!! NSHR that I found today.

I agree with adult Cooper's. The very bulky appearance, large head, and long tail also rule out a Sharp-shinned.

Welcome to Whatbird! Those are leucistic Red-winged Blackbirds. Leucism is an uncommon condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation in a bird or animal. It's not quite albinism, which is the the complete loss of pigmentation. Very nice find!

I see scaly-breasted munia by the beach when I visit Santa Barbara. I didn't know they called nutmeg mannikin or a spice finch which are nicer names. 🙂

This is definitely not a Broad-tailed. They have rufous outer tail feathers. Based on the large, broad tail with rounded tips and limited black, I would call this an Anna's.

Seconded.

The Merlin app, in my opinion, is simply the best free app for out-of-your-region-birds. Here are some reasons why it’s my go-to app: It’s free It has almost all birds in the world in its bird packs. I now can help with majority of IDs in the out of North America subforum and is invaluable for letting me get an idea of the most common birds on personal international trips. It’s comprehensive. It has more than enough photos and sounds for all regional differences. It’s photo ID accuracy has grown exponentially. Although not always correct, this feature is very nice for g

Looks like a male Redhead to me.

I agree with domestic Muscovy Duck. I blew the picture up a bit so you can see the bird a bit better...

Sorry, this is the wrong time for immatures. It's actually a nonbreeding adult (it just hasn't molted into breeding plumage yet like the others in the flock).

The last photo looks round-headed and bug-eyed to me.

Nice photos! Here are some of mine... Lesser Goldfinches: Pine Siskin: Also this treat (Northern Goshawk):

You have a Double-crested Cormorant there! Great Blue Herons wouldn't ever be that dark and they would have longer legs too.

That's actually a Double-Crested Cormorant. Notice the yellow, hooked bill, a feature that herons lack.

Seen in southern New Mexico, 3/17/2020

Verdin.

Purple speculum bordered by white is consistent with Mallard

It was too late to edit the original post. This one is correct. Great Egret

American Robin, I think.

Thanks Jerry - this looks pretty similar to the map in my Nat. Geo. guide - as if it wasn't bad enough deciding between two species!! BTW. Switching my sub-species to Northern got it flagged but it was confirmed, so for me it just got better as I may never see a Red-tail here again.

Agree

I saw the bird in Chesterfield, Missouri. It’s labeled as rare on eBird. I’ll include a picture of the species’ range that I got from Merlin to save you the time of looking it up.

Is this an immature Piping Plover? It was with a flock of adults on Hilton Head Island, SC 3/16/20

Wow! Beautiful photo, Spyonabird... I love the displaying feathers! (Just so you know, that's actually a Great Egret ).

Yes, it is a Sharp-shinned Hawk. I was getting the birds mixed up when I agreed with Cooper's earlier. I have this problem with memorizing the differences between 2 birds and then forgetting which birds is which later! ;)

NOOOO!

Young female Sharp-shinned Hawk for me because of the blotchy orange streaks on the breast and belly, thin legs, and steep forehead. The vertical streaking on the breast, streaked head/neck, and pale eyes make this a young bird.

Near-adult Golden Eagle

Maggie, aka 'SquirrelBane the Unstoppable'. Fourteen pounds of Hell on paws.

Local expert and ebird reviewer weighed in. It's a Barred Owl.

That is a Scaly-breasted Munia.

Red-bellied Woodpecker.

A triplet of Snow Geese coming in for landing.

These are more like habitat preferences than hard and fast rules. If there is salt and freshwater right nearby, usually the Short-bills will gravitate to the salt and the Long-bills will gravitate to the fresh. However, you shouldn't base an identification on this as either species can be found in either habitat, especially during migration. The being said, the bird in the photo is probably a Short-billed Dowitcher. Bill shape looks good for Short-billed, and overall compared to this bird Long-billed usually look more chunky in the breast, belly and upper back area, with a sort of indenta