mfoster.vt

Thanks to you both. Just didn't look quite right for either male or female bufflehead to me,

I originally thought these ducks might be goldeneye due to the white patch I saw with my binocs. They were quite distant and I really wasn't sure. I did see a Common Goldeneye earlier in a different location (I am on the outer banks of NC near Nags Head). This was confirmed by several birders, though it is a rarity here. These ducks though, don't have the white patch in the right place. Only other thing I can think of is Bufflehead, though they are not right for that either. There were 4 together and were most definitely diving ducks, Hopefully someone here can enlighten me.

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.