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Palm Warbler

Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch - April 1, 2020

Chipping Sparrow by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

I think the date is critical for these. Coronally yours, Charlie Ring-necked? Obviously some kind of sea duck. Maybe a leucistic eider?

Several from today--Little Blue Heron, Savannah Sparrow, and Blue-gray Gnatcatcher.

Grasshopper Sparrow

Swainson's Hawks

I photographed this Pied-billed Grebe on a local pond this morning as a thin layer of fog began to lift.

Anna's Hummingbird and double-crested Cormorant.

If looks could kill!

Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Great Blue Heron A gigantic Mountain Bluebird The problem with eyewitness testimony is that eyewitnesses are generally really poor at it. There is an extensive -- and I mean EXTENSIVE -- literature on the fallibility of eyewitness reports. Our brains are incredibly good at MIS-interpreting information. There are no bird species that occur regularly in New Jersey that are entirely blue. Mountain Bluebird has occurred, but it eats mice even more infrequently than does Merlin. New or inexperienced birders are regularly stumped in situations of seeing common species in poor or odd lighting, situations that experienced birders have learned to account for by making weird mistakes earlier in their birding lives.

Bald Eagle

Carolina Chickadee by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

FOY Blue-gray Gnatcatcher!

White-eyed Vireo by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

about 15 minutes ago

Cedar Waxwing by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Black-chinned Hummingbirds.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher by Mark Goodwin, on Flickr

Finally, the why: The bird is a Broad-winged because both of its parents were Broad-wingeds. 😎

Eastern Phoebe's

Black-chinned hummingbird

No, it's an April wren.

California Scrub Jay. Sorry the photo isn't better, but it's the best I could do within 5 minutes of reading this challenge!! 😁 Taken 11:10 this morning in Sacramento. IMG_2608 by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr

Horned Larks

Happy Sunday! Taken in Panama City at the Conservation Park April 4. Red-Shouldered Hawk? I see very similar pictures to a broad winged hawk on Audubon/birdseye apps... What would a major field marker be to tell the difference? Thanks! Also, off topic - came across a red-morph eastern screech owl enjoying the morning sun... Lifer for me! 🙂

Just based on structure, I like Boat-tailed for the first two photos and a Bronzed Common for the last photo.

Pine Warbler

What we need at this difficult time is an enormous super secret underground bunker full of hackers who have traded their hoodies and ski masks for floppy birders hats, and who have committed their collective energies to once and for all resolving the glitches, crashes, hiccups, and general frustrations of the Whatbird Forum, not to mention the altogether inexcusable and arbitrary, if not punitive, limit on reactions! Phew!!! Would anyone like to diagram that sentence?

Guesses 1 and 2 were Willet. Guess number three was also Willet. 😄

Seen this afternoon circling with 3 other hawks outside DeSoto NWR, southwest of Missouri Valley, Iowa. Didn't notice if the other 3 were the same as I concentrated on this bird--the closest one. Whatever it is, it's definitely unlike any other hawk I've ever seen here in the midwest. The last image is the closest I have to a topside shot. All my other pics are font or underside as it circled and got blown farther away.

Here is a visual that may help

"See ya guys later!"

Crested Caracara by johnd1964, on Flickr

It might just be a very old female that has lost so much female hormone that it's expressing male plumage. The peach colored throat is a feature of adult female Red-wingeds. In birds, unlike in mammals such as ourselves, male is the default sex. That is, male is the homozygous sex, rather than female, which is heterozygous. That means that female hormones override the expression of male plumage characters in female birds. When those hormone levels drop below some threshold, male plumage features can begin being expressed -- that is, not overridden. However, I believe that soft-parts coloration, if they differ between the sexes (such as in Bushtit and most ducks), is not affected, as the soft parts are not replaced. Whatever the cause, that bird is COOL!

Reminded of what? Is today the day to put out the garbage, or............Oh, yeah!!! Reminding me to post a challenge!! I remember now!! OK, I'll think of something and post it after it gets dark here, in a couple of hours. Thanks for the reminder! 😊

Evening Grosbeak - April 2, 2020

Sweet potato pie has roots but it's round, not cubed.

Purple Martin pair