Spyonabird

hey! as a PA native - I resent that!

looks like a very wet eastern Phoebe

I guess the answer to your original questions is - YES. I think most of us crop to get a better picture for whatever purpose. Some people crop to highlight a specific feature and others (like myself) crop to make it more artistic. If all you want are pictures for ID purposes, you are doing the right thing. If you consider post-processing a chore, then don't do it. Life is too short to struggle.

This may not be a popular answer - but I say Downy. I think the bills looks larger because of the angle in the second picture and there is no shoulder spur. Also, I see some spots on the outer tail feathers in the first picture.

Sometimes it's the simple things in life that are the most beautiful. Wildflowers

I did a quick search on the feather atlas and it came back as a Red-Crowned Parrot. https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/feather.php?Bird=RCPA_secondary_adult Maybe an escapee?

Looks more like a Yellow-Crowned Night Heron

No picture but.... saw my first Canada Warbler last weekend near Staunton Virginia. . Cameras don't travels well on motorcycles...

Whitewater Falls, near Cashiers, NC This is only the upper half of the falls. The lower half wouldn't fit in the frame. It drops over 400 ft.

Well, they chose not to nest in our boxes this time, but they brought the babies for a visit.

I can't believe that it took me so long to find this one. Red-Eyed Vireo

what about a Yellow-Rumpled Warbler?