mfoster.vt

Thanks all.

Thanks Trevor, Yep meant goose.

I was traveling southeast from Annapolis today and ran across a field full of snow geese. i gave it a rough guess at 1000, but it could have been more. I didn't really have time to scope the flock to see if I could find a Ross's goose, so took a number of pics thinking maybe I might find one in the pics. The attached photo is what I think might be one. Pink legs, shorter bill, smaller than surrounding geese. Not sure if the bill is quite stubby enough though. Only one I could find so far. Center of the first pic. The second pic shows just some of the flock in the field, maybe a third.

Thanks to all for the help. I'm changing my checklist from mostly redhead to mostly Canvasback. I counted 450 birds in one frame, so I will go with 50 Redhead and 400 Canvasback. I doubt I will mistake them again as this was a great learning experience. The really tough part about it was these birds were all backlit, which makes photography and observing that much harder. Thanks for all the help.

I took this recording while watching and photographing a raft of Surf Scoters. There were a few Greater Scaup and some Bufflehead mixed in. There were also a dozen or so gulls but I'm not sure the gulls were making the noise. Maybe. It wasn't your normal gull sounds though. 20200216-153634.wav

Hi all. Got these pics yesterday (2/16) in Annapolis, MD. I am not great at ducks, to be sure. I originally thought these were all Redheads, but a friend told me the close up pic was a male Redhead and a female Canvasback. Looking them up, I think he is correct. I did not even think of Canvasback as I so rarely see them (I live in S. VT). So the question becomes, what do you think the mix of ducks is in this large group. I counted close to 500 ducks in the pics, and still think the majority are Redheads.

Thanks Akiley. I was thinking they were probably hybrids for the same reason.

Picture taken 11/16 in Southern VT. Over a thousand geese. It was pretty cold and I spent quite a bit of time counting and scoping the birds, but didn't spot any unusual birds. I did see a couple Cackling Geese there yesterday. So I took a bunch of pics. The geese were pretty far off, so this pic is quite cropped. Sorting through all the geese in the pics I found these 2 that could be Cackling as they are smaller, smaller heads and a bit stubbier bills. Wondering what folks here think.

Thanks for the help. I didn't think of Dowitcher for the larger bird'

Got these pics today and i am just unsure of ID for either. The peep could be a least or semi-palmated, and I'm not sure about the larger bird, maybe willet?

Thanks akandula. That was my tendency for exactly the reasons you mentioned, but I doubted it only because it came up as a rarity on eBird. I'll go ahead and make the change.

I saw this bird in Maine today and can't decide if it is a Common Tern or a Forster's and could use some help.

thanks to you both

Hi Winter, Thanks, Canon 5dIV and 100-400 Telephoto

Got these pics yesterday. I think I have it figured out, but thought I'd run them by here to be sure. I was watching a Greater Yellowlegs when it was joined by 2 Lesser. The Greater was not happy with the newcomers and there was a short dustup but then they settled down and co-existed. I think this is Lesser One on right is Greater, and other 2 Lesser Greater on left, Lesser on right

Thanks to you both

I got this distant pic (quite cropped) on a rainy day. I just can't quite get a handle on this bird. I'm leaning towards Solitary Sandpiper. There were other shorebirds around it including Killdeer, Greater Yellowlegs, a very distinct Solitary Sandpiper, a pectoral sandpiper and leasts. The yellowish legs and clear breast are making think Solitary, though it does not have a distinct eye-ring.

Thanks all. I had asked a couple of birders here, and they also agreed it was Red-eyed. The yellow color is what fooled me.

I saw this bird yesterday. In the field it was strikingly yellow, making me first think of a warbler on initial glance. I realized it was vireo and snapped a couple of shots. I ID'd the bird as a Philadelphia, but got a comment on FB that it is a red eyed due to the "Gray crown and eyeline markings". A Philadelphia has both of those as well, so I am still leaning towards that, but wonder what folks here think.

Taken today 7/28. Very distant birds, so pic is quite cropped and not as crisp as I would like. There were some least sandpipers in this group and one pectoral that I couldn't get a pic of but saw with the scope. This bird I think might be a semi-palmated sandpiper, but I am often wrong with shorebirds.

Thanks akiley. I knew it didn't look quite right for a Herring gull, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I saw immature Black-legged Kittiwakes at the Cape a couple years ago, but they were immature and easy to spot due to the M pattern. Didn't know what to look for in an adult.

Not sure enough about gulls to call this one. Looks like maybe a Herring gull, but I don't see a red mark on the bill. Maybe just the photo?

Duh, i knew that but had Scaup on my brain. Don't think Ive seen Ring Necked Duck reputed here, so it wasn't on my radar. Thanks for catkin that millipede.

Got these pics today here N of PEI. eBird says Lesser Scaup are rare here, but these have enough of a peaked head that has me wondering. Just seeing what the experts here think .

Thanks Akiley