Bird Brain

Agree with Rough-legged Hawk.

Agree with Sharpie. Nice photos!!

I agree with akandula for the reasons well stated. On another note, I would caution against assuming that a duck is a male and another is female based on the fact that they were together. 😄 Colusa Wetlands 01-10-36 by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr

What!!??!! You're only 70 and you've quit climbing trees??? I'm 73 and I still climb trees!! I just got down off the roof a few minutes ago. Been cleaning out the gutters and checking for potential leaks, etc. If you don't climb that tree and get the measurement that Charlie requested I'm going to vote for Sharpie!! 😁

Cooper's Hawk IMG_2114-001 by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr

With the dark patigals and belly band, I'd say Red-tailed also. Definitely not a Ferruginous with those bare lower legs.

Consider how many different breeds of dogs there are that are all of the same species. Cross-breeding these breeds does not produce a new species, just a new breed of dog. The same can be said of Ducks. If you cross two different species of Duck then you come up with a hybrid, but as long as the same species of Duck is being bred, such as a Mallard, then you get a new variation of the same species. The same is true of domesticated Jungle Fowl, aka Chickens. There are countless different breeds of them, yet they're all the same species.

I agree with leucistic American Goldfinch. I took these photos of one a couple of years on my feeder. They might have been twins separated at birth....er...hatch?? IMG_0633-001 by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr IMG_0429-001 by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr

I agree with Red-shouldered.

I think its tail is frozen to the ice!!!!

Agreed.

These are male Hooded Mergansers. Buffleheads don't have the shoulder stripes and have a shorter bluish bill.

There was another bird recently with unusual blue feathers, don't remember exactly what or where it was. The OP said it was a cold dry day and this House Finch doesn't appear to be wet. I've never seen down feathers on one that were blue like this one is. I really don't know what the cause is, but it's a very unusual House Finch for sure!

No doubt it's a male House Finch. I wonder if the blue in it's feathers could be due to something in its diet. We know that the color can vary from red to orange to yellow in male House Finches due to something in their diet.

Congrats!!! I've yet to see one of those critters....still on my bucket list!

Beautiful shot!!

Agree, for the reasons akandula stated.

Awesome shot!!

Congrats!! Nice shot!

Here is a Yellow-fronted Canary that was on my feeder today. It was here 2 years ago for a few weeks, then disappeared. Didn't see it at all last year, so I figured it was the victim of a predator or something else. It showed up here a few days ago again and today I was able to get a few photos of it. It still has the blue band it was wearing the first time it was here. I'm assuming (I know, I know......) it's the same bird. I think the odds of two different blue-banded Yellow-fronted Canaries showing up here would be highly unlikely! First two photos were taken today. IMG_2505 Yellow-fronted Canary by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr IMG_2508 Yellow-fronted Canary by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr Next two photos were taken in Aug 2017. IMG_9600-001 by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr IMG_9606-001 by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr

Looks good for Anna's.

Looks good for a young male Anna's.

They can vary from bright red to pinkish, and orange-red to orange, and orange-yellow to yellow. Below is one on my feeder here in Sacramento back in 2012. Yellow-variant House Finch 002-001 by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr

Here's mine from a few years back in Fla. 1-2015_04_29_124 by Wayne J Smith, on Flickr

Agree with Sharp-shinned Hawk.