[Two birds flying in formation, Ottawa, Canada]

Thanks, guys!  Now that you say it, yeah, I can see they're blue jays.  

[Two birds flying in formation, Ottawa, Canada]

Hi,

   What are these guys?  They were flying in formation with synchronized wing beats today in Ottawa, Canada.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get any shots except from directly underneath, but they were swooping around quite quickly and, if I had to guess, I would have said ravens.  However, as you can see, they have white marks on their faces (this was obvious in real life as well as in the pictures).  I have never seen ravens with white markings before.  Could it be a trick of the light?  It didn't seem to disappear as the angle of changed.  What are these guys?

   Thanks,

Darryl

[Finch]

Hi,

   In this picture, from Ottawa, Canada, are two goldfinches and a...what?  What is the stripey bird at to the right of the goldfinches?

   Thanks,

Darryl

[Thrush]

Hi,

   Seen today in Ottawa, Canada.  Is there enough here to identify him?  Unfortunately, this is the only picture I have and it is a severe crop from a long distance away...  I was wondering if it could be a Swainson's Thrush.

   Thanks,

Darryl

[Ducks]

Hi,

   Saw these guys flying by in Ottawa, Canada this morning.  What are they?

Darryl

[Eagle]

OK - thanks.  Yeah, I guess I was letting hope triumph over reality.

Cheers,

Darryl

[Eagle]

OK, here's a second angle on the same guy.  Hmmm - looks less golden here...

 

[Eagle]

Hi,

   Saw this guy soaring over Ottawa, Canada yesterday.  He was very far away, so this is a pretty tight crop of the photo I took, but is there enough to identify the type of eagle?  I assumed Bald Eagle when I saw it in the field, but I'm wondering if I might be lucky enough to have found a Golden Eagle.  The colour of the the feathers on the nape of the neck got me wondering...

   Thanks,

Darryl

[Warbler]

Hi,

   I saw this guy in Ottawa, Ontario today.  From a distance, seeing him in a bush, I thought Yellow-rumped, clicked a couple pics and moved on.  Looking at the pics, I don't think so.  Yellow-rumped wouldn't have yellow breasts, would they?  So...what is this guy?

   Thanks,

Darryl

[Northern Harrier?]

Hi,

   I saw this guy flying REALLY high over Ottawa, Ontario today.  The pictures are awful, but I'm guessing Northern Harrier.  What do you think?

   Thanks!

Darryl

[Common or Red-breasted Mergansers?]

Thanks!

Darryl

[Common or Red-breasted Mergansers?]

Hi,

   These guys were way off-shore along the Ottawa River this morning.  I don't see any white chin spot so I was thinking Red-breasted, but much closer to shore, I was seeing Commons so I wanted to be sure that these guys were different.

   What do you think?

Darryl

[A Few Warbler Confirmations]

Hi,

   I saw a pile of warblers today in Ottawa, Canada.  There are a few I would like to run by you experts.

   First two - I think these are Nashville Warblers, but the yellow colour really looks wrong.  There were other Nashvilles around this morning as well and they were much brighter and more clearly Nashvilles. 

   Next guy (two pics) - Orange-crowned Warbler?   

   Final 3 - Tennessee Warblers?

   Thanks!

Darryl

[What's this guy?]

OK, great!  Thanks!

[What's this guy?]

I figured it was some kind of thrush.  I had eliminated Hermit because I thought the tail should be redder/orangeyer for a Hermit thrush.  Is this tail colour ok for Hermit Thrush?

Thanks!

Darryl

[What's this guy?]

Hi,

   This guy was in with a large flock of warblers this morning in Ottawa, Canada.  I can't figure out what he is.  Unfortunately, this was the only picture I could get of him.

   Thanks,

Darryl

[Cooper's Hawk or Sharp-shinned]

Thanks, guys!

Darryl

[Cooper's Hawk or Sharp-shinned]

Hi,

   I saw this guy in the field today and identified him as a Cooper's base on size (it looked big, to me) and the dark cap.  However, when I look at the picture, the "cap" looks less cap-like and, maybe, more hood-like.  Also, the head looks round to me.  This would suggest Sharp-shinned.

   What do you think?

   Thanks!

Darryl

[Warbler]

Hi,

   I saw this guy this morning here in Ottawa, Canada.  In the field, I was thinking Yellow, but I'm pretty sure it's not.  Any ideas?

   Thanks,

Darryl

[Red-shouldered Hawk?]

Hi,

   I saw this guy earlier today in Ottawa, Canada.  I wanna say Red-shouldered.  Am I right?

   Thanks!

Darryl

[Sparrow]

Thanks - the lack of yellow through me, but the rest looked good for Savannah.

Cheers,

Darryl

[Sparrow]

Hi,

   Is this guy, seen in Ottawa, Canada today, a Savannah Sparrow or....

   Thanks,

Darryl

[Sparrow]

OK - great!  Thanks, guys!

 

[Sparrow]

Swampy woods.  Actually, White-throated had been my guess in the field.  There are white-throated in the area.

[Sparrow]

Hi,

   What kind of sparrow is this guy, seen in Ottawa, Canada a few days ago?

   Thanks,

Darryl