Charlie Spencer

Exactly. It's great you picked up that this only applies to 'many birds'. It definitely doesn't apply to all birds. In some species, both sexes are identical. So yes, this is a female Baltimore Oriole. We were all novices once; none of us were born knowing this stuff!

The first bird is a Wood Duck. EDIT sniped again! To get even, https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wood_Duck https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mallard

There's a lot less color on a House Finch and more brown. Also, look at the bill. This is a blackbird's general-purpose bill (orioles are in the Icteridae family), not a finch's blunter, thicker seed-cracking bill. And while size is difficult to judge, finches are generally half the size of orioles. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Baltimore_Oriole/overview https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/house_finch, although the red shown in this example can also be orange or yellow.

"This philosophical razor advocates that when presented with competing hypotheses about the same prediction, one should select the solution with the fewest assumptions" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam's_razor

I have wet and / or worn adults hopping across my deck regularly. Even under those conditions, the markings visible on the primaries here are noticeable across the body, like this young'un: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/309840051 Speaking of primaries, this bird appears to be short several, leading my to think it hasn't grown all it's flight feathers yet. It definitely does not yet have the full-length adult tail. For comparison, try these little fuzzballs: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/332998131 https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/262410071

Not important. I was asking mostly because the bird is browner than I expected. Tony would likely say that's because the bird's feathers are old and worn. This is a species I've honestly haven't paid as much attention to as I could have, so I'm not yet familiar with how they look through the year.

You're alive! How's the spring and summer been treating you?

Thanks. Can you venture a guess as to gender? I -assume- they're not breeding females; they look too dark compared to the guides I'm checking. They also look too brown for breeding males, leaving me to guess non-breeding males.

These technically aren't lifers but they're close enough. I've ID'ed only one Rusty before. It was several years ago in flock of Red-Wingeds browsing rapidly across my back yard. I have a second one listed that I misidentified as a COGR and a reviewer had to correct me. It's a bit embarrassing because I routinely forget Rustys exist. I was determined to not rush through the photos of this flock, but I found the task intimidating and I've been putting it off for months. Thanks.

Lexington County, central SC. February 5th, 2021. A large open field of several dozen acres, mowed, partially shade by a grove of pecan trees. I spotted a flock of several hundred mixed black-colored birds on my way home from work. I -think- the larger bird in the upper left is a female Common Grackle. The bottom right is a female Red-Winged. What's the bird on the top right, above the Red-Winged? Another Grack? It appears too pale for a female Rusty but my only previous Rusty sighting was a male. Female Brown Cowbird? Thanks.

Lexington County, central SC. February 5th, 2021. A large open field of several dozen acres, mowed, partially shade by a grove of pecan trees. I spotted a flock of several hundred mixed black-colored birds on my way home from work. I originally marked most of them as Common Grackles but I'm reconsidering. They're roughly the same size as the female RWBL in the same photo (not included), and the tails look squared off. I never considered Rustys until reviewing these today; cut me some slack, it was a rough day at work and I've only knowingly seen one before. All pictures are of d

And not anywhere in Texas in June either.

Respectfully, only hummingbirds and maybe gnatcatchers are that small. None in North America have any yellow. Here are links to the birds others have suggested, in roughly increasing order of size. I've included only those birds that would be expected in central IN in the summer. ("Back home again ...") Would you see if any of them are close? Thanks! https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Yellow_Warbler https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Warbler/overview https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Summer_Tan

If that was your goal, it might have been more effective to '@' him and ask a direct question. I interpreted your previous comments as attempts to benefit the original poster, and to get other to include field marks as a routine part of their replies. That's why I posted the AAB page.

Why not Eastern Kingbird for #1? The bird is sitting rather upright, and I see white edging on the tail.

The device used to view the photos can also make a difference in the perceived colors.

If there's information you'd think should be posted, you have the option to post it.

Here ya go. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/id

Nah, that's gliding

Yeah, if a Chinstrap Penguin could fly...

Coastal Brunswick County, southeastern NC, June 17th and 19th. All are over brackish waters - tidal estuaries, inlets, or Intercoastal Waterway. I'm thinking Royal with the more deeply notched tail over Caspian. I also see a pale tip to the bill. But orange-billed / black-footed terns are still a challenge for me. Thanks. 1. Same adult 2. Same immature 3. Multiple immatures

No, my life list is a joke. 😭

Sandwich Tern, Lockwood Folly Inlet, southeastern NC

I got into the weeds at DPreview with some British photographers who were adamant that British birders would NEVER count a bird solely on song or call alone without having seen it. I made one attempt to disagree with them. After that, I decided they were photographers, not birders, and most likely didn't have a clue what they were talking about. That seemed much more likely than British birders not birding by ear at night.

"I'm shocked, SHOCKED, to find movie lines being misquoted in here!" Ingrid Bergman says "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By'." Bogie says "You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can!" But no one in 'Casablanca' says "Play it again, Sam." The misquotation is rooted in the title of a Woody Allen movie made almost 30 years later.