smittyone@cox.net

Seen today south of Council Bluffs, IA.

Do the blurry flight images help any? Or are we sticking with generic Meadowlark?

I do have side profile (in flight) pics if they would be useful? I didn't include them in the original post because they're blurry. As far as the bump, the post had gone unanswered about 12 hours, so I assumed it would go back up to the top of the list for attention. Sorry if I was breaking any rules or etiquette.

Bump?

I know this is an adult Red-tailed Hawk. It was seen this afternoon in NW Missouri. In my stomping grounds of SE Nebraska, Western Iowa, and NW Missouri, both Eastern and Northern variants are the norm, as well as the occasional Krider's and Harlan's. Can anyone tell if this is a Northern or Eastern bird?

Seen this afternoon in NW Missouri. Is this an immature (Northern) Sharp-shinned Hawk?

Seen this morning at Loess Bluffs (Squaw Creek) NWR In NW Missouri. Is this an Eastern Phoebe?

Seen this morning in NW Missouri. Is this an Eastern or a Western Meadowlark?

Seen late this afternoon at DeSoto NWR near Missouri Valley, IA. I'm 90 percent sure it's a Mourning Dove, but I miss obvious stuff all the time. I don't know if the late afternoon light makes it look browner than usual? Lately doves are everywhere, most of them seem darker than the usual medium gray Mourning Doves I'm used too. Maybe the immature birds are darker?

Thanks Connor. Although there were no other nearby shorebirds to compare sizes with, they did appear small, though larger than Least Sandpipers.

There were only 2 of them, seen late this afternoon at DeSoto NWR near Missouri Valley, IA. Remarkably, they allowed me to approach to within 10-15 yards.

Nice. Only my 2nd sighting of one and much better pics than the initial one 2 years earlier! Thanks Aaron.

Seen yesterday afternoon in western Iowa. These are the best 2 shots I could manage. No backside looks or unobscured pics. It didn't sing. What kind of Sparrow was this.

Seen 2 weeks ago in a flooded farmer's field in NW Missouri. What are these 2 shorebirds? The smaller one I guess could be a Least Sandpiper?

I saw what I thought was my first Red-shouldered Hawk (verified by you folks) earlier in the week at Loess Bluffs NWR, in NW Missouri. However, looking through my own archives, I ran across this pic taken at the same place waaay back in Jan. 2017. Was this also a Red-shouldered Hawk, or an immature dark morph (or Harlan's) Red-tailed Hawk?

Seen last week in NW Missouri. What kind of flycatcher? I'm leaning towards Eastern Wood Peewee, only because I heard them calling.

Of course you are both right. Because it was much lighter than I'm used to seeing, wishful thinking made me ignore the obvious features. Was hoping to add to my string of new Lifer birds over the last couple of days.

Double-crested Cormorants are beginning to migrate through western Iowa/eastern Nebraska. I've seen immature ones before, but this is the whitest one I've ever seen. Just want to make sure it's not one of those "other" Cormorants. If it is just a young DCCO, can someone explain why it's so much lighter than any other young ones I've seen migrate through?

Pic was taken at extreme range, then heavily cropped. This was in a flooded farmer's field in western Missouri adjacent to the Missouri River yesterday afternoon. With a KIlldeer and (I think) Least Sandpiper for scale, I'm certain the large duck is a Mallard. Although I'm not certain it's not a domestic Mallard as it was absolutely huge--damn near goose-sized! What are the 3 "plain-looking" ducks behind it?

That could be the case, but it's appearance is unique enough to say that's unlikely. If it were warbler or vireo or shorebird, which all look the same to me, I'd wholeheartedly agree. Also, a bird does not make it onto my personal LIfer list unless I capture a good enough photo to verify what it is. Just "sightings" alone, don't count.

Thanks for the info folks. I learn so much here, not just bird identification.

Seen in NW Missouri this morning. Sorry, it wouldn't come out of the shadows. This is the exact location (same bush) where a Bell's Vireo was seen last week. Adult (Eastern) if I were to guess.

Seen today in NW Missouri. Did I see my 1st Ovenbird today?

Seen this afternoon in NW Missouri. I've ruled out Broad-winged and Red-tailed Hawks? Did I finally see my first Red-shouldered Hawk? The 2nd shot is the closest to a top-side pic I could capture.

This Wren was seen yesterday afternoon in western Iowa. My question is regarding their tail feathers (or lack thereof). I've noticed this seems pretty common with Dickcissels right now too. Do these birds completely lose their tail feathers and grow brand new ones every year? Or is it only immature birds I'm seeing growing their very first tail feathers?