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Good job getting all the stickers back on straight

Thanks. I hate it when my wife is right (happens a lot)

These are Gadwalls.

I have a new hobby... 😁

Looks like a female House Sparrow to me. Any other photos?

It looks good for a pure Mottled Duck to me, with that tail with no white and the black spot at the base of the yellow bill, but as a birder who's never been within a 1000 miles of one, I could easily be wrong.

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/396647521 https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/396647511

Greeting a new day

Looks good to me.

Lawrence's Goldfinches

There’s a consensus here. 😉

Agreed. Also, no white border around the speculum

Definitely a Greater.

I’m leaning greater, but can’t see the nail that well. Any other photos? If not, I’ll leave this to the experts.

All Mallards

Today - the usual hybrids are the typical predominantly Mallard variety. This one has a more American Black Duck bias.

Okay, I am ready to see how bad I did.

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/396510911 Five? It's maybe a three from me.

I don’t think it’s identifiable to sex. It’s either a female or immature male. I don’t see anything unusual about the colors.

Where were the photos taken? It's definitely a House Finch.

THIS

I've never completed a Rubik's cube before. I have the intelligence of a lamp shade and much less of a attention span.

Thanks everyone! Lifer!

Pretty much what has already been said. Black Ducks are fairly common at this time of year, Chicago should be a similar environment to mine so Lake Michigan shoreline or inland water bodies, they are typically in pairs now and often found with groups of Mallards. Screech Owl - easiest to find a known location and just before sunset check the edges of the wooded area adjacent to open areas, they don't seem to wander far. If you know where a tree cavity nesting site is then they routinely look out at intervals during the day. They are not that common here and tough to find randomly. Eastern Meadowlark - more of a challenge both here and in the Chicago area (I just checked) at this time of year, but can be found. The others should be easy. Good luck.

I'm starting cross country skiing! I've never tried it before but it sounds like good aerobic exercise to me.

I don't know too much about Northern IL, but I have a feeling the first six on your list are gonna be pretty easy. American Black Duck- don't have any experience with them. Just check open bodies of water I guess. @RobinHood seems to see quite a few. Maybe he/she has some tips. Eastern Screech-Owls seem to vary in abundance from place to place. Check Merlin/eBird bar charts to see how common they are in that area. My best tips would probably be: 1. Check every tree cavity and crevice. There just may be a little round face peering back at you. 😁 Dead trees are especially good. 2. Learn their calls, and at night listen for them if you can. They seem to be vocal little birds. Look for an Eastern Meadowlark the same way you would a Western back home in Oregon. Scan open areas for them and listen for their songs/calls. Western Meadowlarks sing sometimes in the winter, and I have a hunch Easterns do too. Just my two cents. Good luck and have a fun trip!! Get lots of lifers!

You do know that taking the wrapping off isn't 'solving' it, right?

These are Gadwalls! Edit: Sniped!

You can’t really see the tail in the first photo. It’s behind the tree trunk. I think what you’re looking at is the UTC.

I'm also thinking Greater Scaup

The photos saturation is pumped way up

Henry flew off in a huff after losing a staring contest to Henrietta.

Northern Lapwing in Connecticut this afternoon https://ebird.org/checklist/S98968857 Here's hoping it flies down to DC for the Christmas Count on Saturday

Both Blue-winged. Separated from Green-winged by larger bill, white in front of face, no white triangle near the tail, and GISS.

HEEEEEEELP!!! My feets is stuck!!

Thanks! The frigatebirds weren’t in great light, so those shots are just ok. The hull shots are great. I got great turnstone snd sanderling shots too!

I hope not....

I truly don't get this week's quiz, and bird 3. is utterly baffling to me.

Birding isn't my hobby, it's my lifestyle. Besides that I run, kayak, play card games and eat interesting food!

I used to have dozens of those wooden ones, although many of them were the same solution in different shapes. Back in the '70s I had one of these in plastic. A couple of years ago I made my own with wood cubes from a hobby store. There are web sites with a few thousand different figures you can make from the seven basic pieces. https://www.amazon.com/Toys-Wood-Oxford-Wooden-Puzzle/dp/B00CVDYPJQ/ref=asc_df_B00CVDYPJQ/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=241997379068&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=758481408417408499&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1020991&hvtargid=pla-563097201010&psc=1

Boat-taileds have just as much or maybe more iridescence as Commons. Plus, it's not purplish or bronzeish like I would expect from a Common. The iridescence is solid blue, which is a BTGR feature. I'm on team Boat-tailed.

But what if she told you it was the first ABA record that you had found?

I agree with Greater based on bulky, crown-forward head, slightly elevated eye placement, bright white sides of a breeding male, and I think we can see the nail well enough to see that it favors Greater.

It might be that it’s in the sun for it being brown. I always see them as grayish/brown. I’m not sure about the rump, I’ll see if I can find something on that.

I think I’m getting better at these.

Yup, sorry. I fully intended to mention that, and yet in my haste forgot. I'm in northern NJ. ...So it *is* a House Finch, eh? An immature, I suppose? That could account for the different coloration from what I'm used to seeing on [adult] females.