smittyone@cox.net

Even smaller than Snow Geese? Wow. That's definitely nice to know. Thanks.

The 8 or so geese in front of the Snow Geese. Are they Cackling or Canada Geese? They were seen at Loess Bluffs NWR in NW Missouri in March this year. They're not much larger than the nearby Snow Geese, which makes me wonder. Based on my previous Cackling Goose post, I guess you cannot ID based on size alone.

These two geese were seen at Loess Bluffs NWR in NW Missouri waaay back in January this year. The larger bird in the background is almost certainly a Canada Goose. Is the similar looking (but smaller) goose in the foreground a Cackling Goose?

A little bigger than a Vireo, but definitely smaller than an Oriole. Not the right bill shape for a Tanager. Seen in Bellevue, NE, this afternoon. If I had to guess, I'd say female Yellow Warbler, but... it seemed a bit bigger, and didn't "act" like a warbler.

I apologize if this question is inappropriate here, since it's not an identification question. I'm struggling with which words in a two or more word bird name should or should not be capitalized. For example, is it Yellow Warbler, or Yellow warbler? Northern Flicker, or Northern flicker? American Tree Sparrow, or American tree sparrow, etc. I'm assuming (possibly incorrectly?) that the first word in the name should always be capitalized. Not sure if this is an English language question, or a birding question.

The band numbers are certainly visible on both birds' bands. I'll be glad to provide those numbers here if anyone wants to pursue this further.

Thank you everyone for your help

Am I misunderstanding what you're saying? Buteo jamaicensis borealis isn't a "recognized" subspecies of RTHA? Or there is not an "intermediate" morph of the Eastern RTHA?

This pair of immature RTHA were both seen in Bellevue, NE on Monday and Tuesday. Although they're both immature birds, one is slightly older than the other (darker eyes, redder tail). I believe these are the Eastern ssp., the dominant variant in my area during Spring and Summer. Are they light or intermediate morph birds? The 1st three pics are all of the younger of the two birds. The last pic is the slightly older one. I don't have pics of the back or tail of the older bird.

A flock of about 25-30 Ibis were seen at Loess Bluffs (formerly Squaw Creek) NWR in NW Missouri yesterday afternoon. I'm sure they're a mix of breeding and non-breeding adults, but are they White-faces, Glossy, or both? Sorry pics are heavily cropped and dark b/c it was cloudy.

It seems I've been misidentifying several very dark buteos as dark morph Harlan's RTHA that are in fact dark morph Rough-legged Hawks (RLHA). What ID features am I missing?

Seen last February at DeSoto NWR near Missouri Valley, Iowa. Is this a dark morph Harlan's Red-tailed hawk? I'm not 100 percent positive these are all pics of the same bird as they were taken at the same location, but hours apart.

Thank you AlexHenry

I see RLHAs, Western RTHAs, and Harlan's RTHAs during winter in Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa. This pic was taken last February just sough of Council Bluffs, Iowa. Other than being an adult (brown eyes), and a dark morph, I could go either way on which of the three options this bird could be. I'd appreciate any help, and more importantly, which ID features lead you to your conclusion. Although I have lots of pics from this encounter, I don't think I have any showing the upper sides, especially the top side of the tail.

Pics taken waaay back in Nov. 2016 at Lake Manawa, in Council Bluffs, IA. Are these immature Ring-billed gulls?

It was my 2nd day with a new Sony a9. My skills have improved drastically since then, but I clearly didn't know what I was doing at the time.

Thanks folks. I don't believe it was a "normally seen" woodpecker for eastern Nebraska. Dark cloudy skies and a brand new camera I didn't yet know how to use. If I ever see another one, I hope I'm able to get much better shots.

Terribly underexposed pics taken on Christmas Eve 2019 in Gretna, Nebraska. If I recall, it was definitely not a typical eastern Nebraska woodpecker. I'm not even certain it's a sapsucker.

Bummer I didn't get a new lifer. But I don't see Plovers much and am happy no matter what kind it is. BTW, I did get fuzzy pics of the feet, but they were mud covered. Semipalmated Plover it is then. Thanks everyone.

But don't those have an eye ring?

I'm 95 percent certain this is a Common Ringed Plover. But because it would be a new lifer bird for me, I thought I'd double check here first before I made that claim. It was seen with a dozen others this afternoon at DeSoto NWR in western Iowa.

Thanks Avery

Seen this afternoon at DeSoto NWR in western Iowa. The bird with it's butt facing the camera is a Pectoral Sandpiper. But what's the shorebird walking past? Initially I thought it was a Lesser Yellowlegs. There were lots of those at this pond today. But the legs look greenish to me.

Thank you Birding Boy

I assume they're sandpipers, and also assume all 3 are the same kind. They were seen this afternoon at DeSoto NWR in western Iowa.