Leaderboard

I wanted to share a photo I took in the Catalina's after the Bighorn fire. First snowfall and a Golden Eagle soaring out of the clouds.

Falcon by wing shape and behavior, and peregrine by size and plumage

We were visited by Black Necked Stilts in the Oregon Cascades this summer. The first time we have ever seen them in the Central Cascades.

Looks like a House Sparrow.

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/380850471

Are these better? https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/380824771 https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/380825301

Awesome shot! You should put it in the "Birdscapes" thread too.

They are in Guatemale, and Ontario, but me being in the middle, do I see any? Most definitely not.

Pure shovelers will sometimes show a crescent on the face like a BWTE.

I don't think anything else has that face pattern

That looks like a lovely little Dark-eyed Junco. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Dark-eyed_Junco/overview

Little early to tell if it's going to be an irruption year in NJ but if it does turn out to be one then Island Beach State Park, Sandy Hook, Holgate on the south end of Long Beach Island & Edwin B. Forsythe NWR (AKA Brig) in Galloway Township are probably the most consistent places to find them in NJ. They can & do show up almost anywhere along the seashore though. As an example, the attached picture is of one I found while driving along a highway near Atlantic City. In around The Meadowlands can be good as well, especially around Richard DeKorte Park\ Disposal Rd. area in Lyndhurst. I had my personal best Snowy day there a few years ago where I had 4 different owls in sight at once. I also had a Short-eared chase a Snowy right over my head there. Hopefully it will be a good year for them & you won't have to go to far.

I'm far from an expert here but: The very good Cornell Academy course on raptor ID includes this excellent slide on body proportions (I've included the example of the sharpie for how it looks put together. So shape is different - the really long tail of the accipiters is even longer than you might think. Same goes for falcon wings. Flight style us different too, with the accipiters mixing flapping and gliding and Merlins flapping frenetically like a bat out of hell. I'll add unhelpfully that this is one of those things where you'll know it when you see it. (At least in my experience.)

This is the only one I've ever seen...

Munia posing nicely. Lighting was a little harsh though. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/380705921

lol chill out guys, it's literally just a bird forum. also these are Cooper's Hawks. The first image is the most Sharpie-ish, but I'd need to see more photos before I'd feel confident calling that.

A young male preening and an unimpressed female.

Red-tail, you can see the red tail in this photo.

Here's something new! Underwater Goldeneye! Plus a small flock

WOW! You have to check out this Paradise Tanager! https://ebird.org/species/partan1/

I would rather do my own root canal with a Dremel tool, a pair of Vice-Grips, and a shot of Red Bull. And I mean that in the nicest possible way.

Red Knot, nice bird!

Coincidence.

I believe so but Merlins are the only falcons I know well so please wait for confirmation.

Yup, a Red-tailed.

Kestrel.

After a quiet day yesterday (just a report that the Brambling continued). Here's some from today: Broad-billed Hummingbird (continuing since the 13th) Humboldt, IOWA Little Egret (2 of them) Kelligrews, NEWFOUNDLAND Pink-footed Goose (4 of them!) Stephenville, NEWFOUNDLAND Barnacle Goose (2) Unknown, NEWFOUNDLAND (shot by hunters, sigh.) Corn Crake found deceased in St John's, NEWFOUNDLAND

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/208926201 White-crested Coquette.

WOW!

The following shot.

I agree with @Hasan, all are Cooper's Hawks. The big heads, narrow streaking, and tail feathers of different lengths rule out Sharp-shinned. Merlins have a different tail pattern (thin white bands), coarser streaking, and narrower and pointier wings.

Behaving myself today and only posting one photo. This is a very common duck in Colorado in the winter and I saw and photograph a boat load of them. Including male, female, young, adult, leucistic and it is tempting to post Barrows Goldeneye also but... I like this one it seems to be doing a Chipmunk with stuffed cheeks impression.

Fantastic photo from someone on Vancouver Island https://www.instagram.com/p/CUahFCPP8-u/?utm_medium=copy_link

I've always been fascinated by the patterns a bird's feathers make, so this thread is for close up images showing these amazing feather patterns. European Starling White-crowned Sparrow

Of course, if you are just looking for over all color I think tanagers take the cake. https://ebird.org/species/gietan1/

This small raptor flew past as I was photographing an eagle perched in a tree. Heavily cropped and underexposed -- camera settings were for a large perched bird, not an unexpected small bird flypast. Pics were taken today in NW Missouri.

It’s not a Black Vulture… 😆

Orange-crowned. Given time of year, Orange-crowned would be grayer than Tennessee, as this bird is, and would have yellow undertail coverts, while Tennessee would have white.

Yes, Merlin

I can never get close to them either, very easily spooked around here.