Connor Cochrane

Yeah, that bird has been hanging around Dikeman's all winter.

I'm not really a big helper but once a year during the rainy season I'll flip some logs in the backyard, and this time I found three of the four salamander species in the county. I'm sure @Seanbirds can correct any of my IDs if I'm wrong. California Slender Salamander - definitely the most common type, there were multiple under almost every log. Arboreal Salamander - A few around, seemed to be more than usual Ensatina - My first time seeing this species, thought it was a newt at first.

Northern Scrub-Flycatcher.

@Birds are coolthats a female elephant seals. The males get much bigger than that.

birdie 🦅 #262: 🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ https://birdiegame.net/

Yeah, Large-billed Savannah will probably be split in the next few years.

Some backyard photography after the rain passed by https://ebird.org/checklist/S127714360

Wood Thrush and Gray-cheeked Thrush from the same trip

An old Royal Tern photo in a batch I forgot to edit https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/531936351

Just getting around to editing some photos from my Texas trip 10 months ago. Eastern Meadowlark

Sorry, brain fart there. Which statement in particular? I think it’s pretty well known that European species are pretty split. The European countries split a lot of American species as well on their lists. I don’t know as much about central situation but thats what I’ve heard with talking to people who have a lot more experience down there than me.

Another one two that I haven't been mentioned yet are Bell's Vireo and Swainson's Thrush. I think that the vast majority of these birds should be split but the AOU is extremely cautious and slow with splitting (the European's are the opposite, they split everything it seems). There's hundreds of splits waiting to happen in south and central America that the AOU won't consider till there's multiple genetic studies.

Yeah I've heard there's a pretty good chance that STJA get split this AOU cycle. The other two main splits I can think of is House Wren (it's crazy it isn't split yet) and Fox Sparrow. I think a Junco split will happen in the future but not 5-ways. I think Gray-headed/Red-backed birds will be the first to get split off.

Vultures become more common the further south you go. There's almost always a vulture in the sky where I live, and when you get down into the neotropics they become the most abundant birds in the area.

Our local nuttalli White-crowned Sparrows are back on their breeding territories and are singing https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/531014661

https://ebird.org/species/paplor1

Still working through the Panama photos, here's a Slaty-tailed Trogon https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/530986881

364. Western Gull https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/252851071 365. Western Kingbird https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/150743331 366. White-tailed Kite https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/280956881

361. Red Phalarope https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/530985691 362. Bad Semipalmated Plover https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/365099031 363. Swainson's Hawk https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/172877851

358. Mountain Quail https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/244769271 359. Pinyon Jay https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/288146811 360. Red-breasted Sapsucker https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/289062871

355. Least Sandpiper https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/480111021 356. Long-billed Dowitcher https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/289717751 357. Marbled Murrelet https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/285863771

352. Gambel's Quail https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/149932261 353. Really bad but it is a Gila Woodpecker https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/308494971 354. Hermit Warbler https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/288488091

348. Band-tailed Pigeon https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/286591311 349. Black-throated Gray Warbler https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/335420871 350. Common Murre https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/255790941 351. Common Poorwill https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/320630561

We have good night sky views from my house but I could never find the comet. I didn't spend a lot of time searching though.