Bird Brain

Welcome to Whatbird!! Definitely a Red-shouldered Hawk. I agree with @Melierax , it looks like an adult. I think the reason @AlexHenry asked if it was in Fla is that it looks very light, which is typical of Red-shouldered Hawks in Fla. I was raised in Fla and now live in Sacramento, and your bird is lighter looking than ones I typically see around here. Some of it could be the lighting, it does appear to be washed out somewhat.

I have that happen a lot. I just hate it when a bird photobombs a shot I'm taking of limbs, leaves, grass, cattails,..............etc!

Nice! Congrats on the lifer!! 👍

Wow!! Guess I didn't realize that Mockingbirds weren't in all the lower 48 States . I didn't look at their range map. I've lived in Ala, Fla, Ga, Wyoming, and Calif, and I've been in all but 7 of the 50 States. Thought I had seen them everywhere!!

Beautiful shot! It's a shame you took it before the challenge was posted. But, alas, as the old saying goes, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades!!! 😏

I agree with @Tony Leukering , and I wouldn't even attempt to make a guess based solely on the description given above.

Might want to ask @The Bird Nuts as he/she/they started this thread. I have no problem with either putting a time limit on each challenge or letting it run till someone wins. I'm fine with it either way. But I'll leave it up to TBN.

Sure, if you can make it good enough to look like a photo! 😁

Okay. After dark, so I'll post the next challenge. Trying to make it as fair as possible, so I'm picking a widely distributed bird, Northern Mockingbird. BUT, to make it a bit more difficult, since almost anyone in the lower 48 can find a Mockingbird, let's make it more specific as TBN did. So, the challenge is to get a photo of a Northern Mockingbird in an evergreen tree, e.g., pine, cedar, etc. Good luck everyone!!!

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! 😊

Confirmed. The belly band is a good ID mark.

Sounds good to me. So I'll have till Friday evening to think of a good challenge? I'm game, just remind me again on Friday!! 😊

They do. And there is a nesting pair just across the road from me. The power lines run across above their nest tree, a small evergreen. So it's very common for them to light on the wires there.

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

Just saw it on the news. Hope you weren't too shook up by it!!!