smittyone@cox.net

Thanks akandula. I think the weird iridescence on the back of the neck from a small breeze is what made me have 2nd thoughts.

Seen last week outside DeSoto NWR near Missouri Valley, Iowa. I'm about 90% sure this is a Mourning Dove. But...something nagging in the back of my head (can't put my finger on it) suggests it just might not be.

Too late to edit original post. I found two other pics that may be useful.

Seen last week at DeSoto NWR near Missouri Valley, IA. Was this a Warbling Vireo? This was the only unobstructed in-focus pic I managed to capture of it.

Seen last week at DeSoto NWR near Missouri Valley, IA. It was flying with Tree Swallows and Cliff Swallows. Another "brown" Swallow I posted here for ID last week was a female Tree Swallow although I thought it was a Rough-winged Swallow. I have a lot of difficulty with the brown ones.

Thanks. I think I'm getting the hang of this.

Seen today at DeSoto NWR, near Missouri Valley, IA. Is this a Sanderling?

Seen today at DeSoto NWR, near Missouri Valley, IA. White-rumped Sandpiper?

Thank you. What does SY and ASY mean?

Seen last week at DeSoto NWR near Missouri Valley, IA. I presume to the two birds on the ground are immature Tree Swallows. I also assume the arriving bird is an adult Tree Swallow. But is it a male or female adult? In the last pic, it's the bird on the right (looking at the viewer).

Well, at least I'm learning something. Plus on the bright side, the Sanderling is a new Lifer bird for me! Yeah.

Seen last week at DeSoto NWR near MIssouri Valley, IA. Let's see if I'm learning anything from you guys. I think the two smaller birds in the foreground are Least Sandpipers and the larger bird in the background is a Pectoral Sandpiper. Am I correct?

Seen last week at DeSoto NWR near Missouri Valley, IA. Is this an Eastern Wood Peewee?

Seen last week at DeSoto NWR, near Missouri Valley, IA. I think the lighter colored one (on the right) is a Willet. I'm not certain about the other two birds. This website helped me ID a few Willet at the same location. The 2nd image (photobombed by a blurry Barn Swallow) shows the in-flight bird better. It's the same as the one on the right. Note the eye ring on both birds.

Seen a few days ago at DeSoto NWR, near Missouri Valley, IA. Was this a Solitary Sandpiper? It was all by itself after all.

Thanks folks. So I did get a new Lifer bird afterall. Yeah me!

I was wrong. I DID find an in-focus shot of what I believe is a White-rumped Sandpiper.

While photographing Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows in flight, I'd occasionally see a "brown" Swallow. The brown ones always confuse me. Is it an immature bird, or an adult Northern Rough-winged Swallow? Seen at DeSoto NWR, south of Missouri Valley, IA, last Wednesday. Although the first pic shows off the bird the best, I'm not 100% certain it's the same bird as in the other pics. The pics posted in the reverse order from what was uploaded.

Unfortunately, it seems I don't have any in-focus pics of the White-rumped Sandpiper since I was shooting for the Plover. Next time I go out I'll concentrate more on the Sandpipers and maybe get lucky.

Here's another pic of the Sandpiper. I thought it was a Least Sandpiper.

Thanks for the Plover ID. I'll post a couple of other pics of the Sandpiper in a minute just to be certain. If it's a White-rumped, it'll be a LIfer bird for me.

Both birds seen at DeSoto NWR near Missouri Valley, IA, last Wednesday. Are these Semipalmated Plovers?

I encountered 4 different Buteos in the same freshly tilled farmer's field late Wednesday afternoon in St. Mary's Island WMA, south of Council Bluffs, IA. They stood between 50-75 yards from each other, and varying distances from where I stood at the edge of the field. The first 2 pics (same bird) I think is a Harlan's RTHA. The 2nd pair of pics I'm pretty certain is a Swainson's Hawk. The next pic (pretty far away) I have no idea what type of hawk. The last pic (very far away) I think is a Krider's RTHA.

I learned yesterday that Least is the smallest of the Sandpipers and have ID'd several since then based on size alone--they're tiny next to any other shorebird. This one didn't seem that small. BUT, as you said, it's difficult to determine size in the field. Especially with no other reference nearby.

Seen this morning at DeSoto NWR in western Iowa. Color may be off since it was dark and cloudy. There were no other nearby birds for size comparison. My guess (size wise) would be equivalent to an American Robin.