Charlie Spencer

@hbvol50, contgrats! Are you from that areas? Is that a good spot? I'll be there at the end of October, in a hotel just across the road from the south side of the park. I didn't realized I'd put myself so close to somewhere I could bird in the early morning while my Darling Bride is still snoozing.

'Like' this if you came here from 'Young Mathematicians'.

It goes back to the last comment on page 12 and goes on from there. It was a running joke for a while but it's probably run its course. @Aveschapines, would you consider changing it back? Thanks.

Slow evening? Time to dig up some zombies?

I think you have it. The orangey-yellowish color appears to be on an object in the bill, not the color of the bill itself.

I'm certainly not targeting Dave with this comment, but this demonstrates why I feel it is still important to have a printed field guide even in this day of ID apps and web resources. Systematically thumbing through a field guide can help a birder recognize types of birds he may not already be aware of. It can help to recognize what birds are closely related to each other. It can also help recognize which birds AREN'T closely related despite initial superficial similarities. I keep one in the car. I use it for ID'ing sometimes but it's there mostly to take with me if I know I'm going to be waiting somewhere - DMV, etc.

@John Jayne, thanks for the follow-up information. While we didn't need the location or date for this bird, it's often critical if there are similar species. Great photo! Oh, and I forgot this earlier: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/green_heron

Welcome! You have the ever-popular Green Heron.

Welcome! If you're looking in a field guide, imported House Sparrows usually aren't listed with native North American sparrows. Most guides have them near the very back, in a separate grouping of imports / non-native / non-endemics / other term to indicate they aren't from around here. That may be why this one stumped you.

The rain is likely why the bird looked 'Tuxedo Black'. Belted Kingfishers are more of a slate blue when they're dry. The spiky crest is standard for this bird. Welcome!

Don't look at me; @akiley did all the heavy lifting. I just said they weren't gulls. Saying what they aren't is a lot easier than saying what they are!

I'm pretty sure those are sandpipers, not gulls, but I can't be more accurate than that at the moment. I don't think gulls have eye lines, but I've been wrong lots lately. Either way, I'm sure someone will nail them down before I can get home and access my ID resources.

Nothing but!

I don't think I've seen a bald female cardinal, although I see males frequently. I don't think it's a question of female 'adult' plumage matching juvenile, at least not in this case. I notice a bald female regardless of what the outgoing and incoming feathers look like. I just don't see females dropping an entire group of feathers at one time. Or look at the male goldfinch above. You'd notice those patchy areas no matter what the surrounding feathers looked like. There's no confusing the new with the old because there just ain't no feathers there 'tall! Again, this is all just casual speculation on my part. If anybody knows a molt expert, I'd love to run this by him / her.

Try these: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Orange-crowned_Warbler/id