[Cooper's ??]

Thanks everyone.

[Cooper's ??]

Taken 12-25-2020 late afternoon near Haskell Creek, Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, Van Nuys, CA.

Cooper's Hawk?

[Gadwalls ??]

Taken 12-25-2020 late afternoon on the Los Angeles River at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, Van Nuys, CA.

Are there any Gadwalls here?

[Nuttall's Woodpecker ??]

Thanks Seanbirds and IKLland.  That's a first for me.

[Head-On Bird Shots]

[Nuttall's Woodpecker ??]

Taken 2020-12-25 late afternoon near Haskell Creek, Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, Van Nuys, CA

Is this a Nuttall's Woodpecker?

[Sparrow-sized bird with bright red bill]

Thanks Kevin and Michael.  Yes, Los Angeles County.  Looks like its a Pin-tailed Whydah.

 

 

[Diseased Finches]

I have taken down my feeders and will sanitize them and leave them down for awhile.  Also hosed down my balcony and everything on it.  And I'll notify my neighbors on NextDoor app.  Thanks.  Poor birds.

[Sparrow-sized bird with bright red bill]

What sparrow-sized bird in Southern California this time of year would have a bright red bill and gold/copper crown?

[Diseased Finches]

I saw these two birds at my feeders yesterday in Glendale, CA.

I suppose the Lesser Goldfinch has House Finch Eye Disease.

But I'm not sure what the condition of the House Finch is.  It appears to be a tumor.  It looks the same from both sides.  Not in the eyes.

[Red-shouldered Hawks ??]

Thanks everyone.

And thank you for the reference Tony.

[Red-shouldered Hawks ??]

Taken on 2020-11-14 in the late afternoon at the Los Angeles River, near Sunnynook Foot Bridge, Atwater Village, CA.

Are all of these immature Red-shouldered Hawks?

1 & 2 are the same bird taken at 4:37 pm

3 & 4 are the same bird taken at 5:09 pm

5 & 6 are the same bird taken at 5:16 pm

There were 6 minutes when the bird on the cable was gone between 3/4 and 5/6.

I don't know if all of the photos are one and the same bird, or if there are two or three different birds here.

 

[Thrush ??]

Pipit?  What's a Pipit?

 

[Thrush ??]

Taken 11-21-2020 at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve in Van Nuys, CA.

This bird has been puzzling me for a month.  I wanted it to be a warbler.  But I just realized it is likely a thrush (if so, my first).

The bar charts on eBird indicate it is likely a Hermit Thrush, but I'm not so sure.

I'm including a couple different exposures as produced by the camera.  The first one is probably underexposed and the other two maybe a little overexposed.  It was direct sunlight at 3:45 pm, and no leaves on the burnt trees.

The legs/feet are not shown in any of the photos I have.

[Swift / Swallows ??]

Thanks DLecy and Birding Boy.  The Swift is another new one for me.

[Swift / Swallows ??]

Taken 12-19-2020 in late afternoon at Los Angeles River in Atwater Village, CA.

Does the first photo (_4010) look like a White-throated Swift?  This is the only photo of that bird that I have because it was in the background of a raven I was photographing.

There were a few other similar birds that I believe are Northern Rough-winged Swallows in the remaining 3 photos.

The 4th photo puts the 3rd photo in context of what I was actually photographing.

[What are they?]

Ha!  That's a new one for me.

Thanks Birds Nuts and Aidan.

[What are they?]

Taken 12-19-2020 late afternoon at Los Angeles River in Atwater Village, CA.

I can't figure out what these are.

There was a group of 10 or 12 flying in a northerly direction like they had somewhere to go.

The first picture is of 4 birds in a row.  The next 3 pictures are close-ups of birds 2, 3 and 4 from photo 1.

The last 3 pictures are individual close-ups from a different photo.

What I see is:

Dark, thick pointy bill; maybe a black eye line or mask; brownish/rust head, throat, chest; maybe yellow wash on belly; white undertail coverts; dark tail with yellowish tips; brown wings (top).

[Some Sparrows]

Thank you all for your comments.

[Some Sparrows]

Let's see how I'm doing with sparrows.

Taken 11-15-2020 at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve, Van Nuys, CA

1) Song Sparrow ??  8695

2) Lincoln's Sparrow ??  8709

3) White-crowned Sparrow -- pretty sure.  8998

 

[In Flight]

[In Flight]

[Head-On Bird Shots]

[Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk ??]

Taken 11-21-2020 in the afternoon at Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve in Van Nuys, CA.

Is this a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk?

[Lesser or American Goldfinch ??]

Taken 12-3-2020 in Glendale, CA (backyard).

I'm not real sure on this but I think its a Lesser Goldfinch.  

I have a lot of Lesser Goldfinches, but the coloring of this one is different.  Although, I'm not sure it's brown enough to be an American.