MCTX

Thank you everyone for confirming the Allen's hummingbird!

Photo from Austin, TX today. It rained a little and bird spread it's tail during the rain so I was able to get this picture. Rufous are more common, but there is 1 Allen's around too.

Thanks for identifying the lesser scaup!

Thanks for western meadowlark suggestions.

Is it possible to tell the difference between eastern and western meadowlark from these photos? It was Austin, TX today. Sitting on a hay bale in a field. Thanks for any thoughts.

Here is a scaup photo from Austin, TX today. The area has more lesser scaup, but this one seems to have a fair amount of black on the tip of its bill. I know these are tough to distinguish. Any thoughts?

Thank you IKLland for the confirmation.

I would guess red-shouldered as well, but it is tough from the photos. I think red-shouldered are pretty common in much of Texas right now because I see them most days in the Austin area.

Thank you kjsmith. I appreciate the info.

Thanks for mentioning this. I have been watching the winter hummingbirds at my house, and I can't figure out why they are around one day and gone a few days later. They were around a lot after the last cold front, but not much yesterday (and it was warm). I will see if they come back with colder weather.

Here is a hummingbird from Austin, TX (Travis County) yesterday. Best guess is that this is a calliope hummingbird, but it is hard to tell. The wings are longer than the tail. The rufous/allen's birds in the area are much darker shades of brown. Thanks for any suggestions.

Here are a couple of gull pictures taken at Fayette County Lake in Texas on 12/22. I believe that ring-billed gulls and herring gulls are pretty normal winter gulls for the area, and I guess this is a ring-billed. What do you think?

Agreed. Pine Siskin.

I have been struggling with these same types of pictures and birds for the last month. A local expert in Texas sent me this link https://fieldguidetohummingbirds.com/broad-tailed-rufous-allens-calliope/ It is really hard for me to tell the difference at my skill level, and I still can't make out most of them even with good pictures.

Agreed. Ladder-backed female. I am in Central Texas as well, and the Ladder-backed happens to be my regular suet feeder visitor. That's great that you get the Golden-fronted.