
darknight
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Magpie at the Salton Sea?
darknight replied to bpresby's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
Phainopepla would probably look the closest. As other have mentioned either species of Magpie at the Salton Sea would be exceptional, and neither are very good candidates for vagrancy. An escaped pet would be more likely (though still very unexpected, given the location) than a wild magpie -
I'm finally going through some old photos from 2018 from my trip to Brazil and adding them to my eBird checklists. However a few of them I'm struggling to identify so long after the fact. The first two photos are the same bird, I've got it narrow down to Short-crested or Swainson's Flycatcher. The next two photos were a tricky thrush that my not be identifiable.
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First Parrot and others So. Cal
darknight replied to bpresby's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
I agree with Western Tanager. Lots moving north right now. -
looks like a small falcon, probably either a Kestrel or Merlin for the 2nd photo. I agree with Mourning Dove for the first.
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blurry fly aways
darknight replied to insanityslave's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
With the short dark tail and big head, I get a Ruby-crowned Kinglet vibe with some weird lighting causing it to look overly yellow. But I'm not that confident in that ID. -
I concur, leaning towards Black-chinned, but not sure if Costa's can be ruled out.
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Why not a juvenile Bald Eagle? Seems to fit that better than anything else, with the broad bulging wings and large head.
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Possible Allen's Hummingbird
darknight replied to TeriOfRedlands's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
Allen's breed in the Redlands area, and only a very small minority of Rufous Hummingbirds will have extensive green in the back. I've studied Rufous and Allen's a lot, and I don't think I've ever seen a (pure) Rufous with this much green on the back. You're pretty safe calling this one an Allen's. -
Male or Female Barn Swallow?
darknight replied to JamesM's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
Female tend to be whiter underneath than males, I'd lean toward a male for your bird. -
You got it
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Which Hummer and Why?
darknight replied to floraphile's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
I agree, this bird would stand out here in California as being very green and contrasty with a short bill. As others have mentioned, there's been a huge increasing in the number of wintering Black-chinned and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in the gulf states in the last few decades. It's now pretty common for some people to have multiple Black-chinned AND Ruby-throated wintering in their yard. Some lucky people get Calliope, Rufous and Buff-bellied too. -
Rufous or maybe Allen Hummingbird
darknight replied to birdgurl's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
Rufous is the only realistic option in that area, Allen's are a more southern and coastal species. Reasonably pure Allen's extend just into the extreme southern coastal Oregon, where they then extensively hybridize with Rufous. By the time you get as far north and inland as Grant's Pass, they should all be pure Rufous. -
Rufous or Allen's hummingbird Texas 78070
darknight replied to TexasCobra's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
Do you have any photos? I don't see one here. From your description, it would be impossible to tell which species it is. For female Rufous/Allen's Hummingbirds a good shot of the spread tail feathers is needed, or measurements taken from the bird in hand. Allen's are pretty rare in Texas, but probably overlooked amongst the more common Rufous Hummingbirds in winter. -
Are these all song sparrows?
darknight replied to gstacks's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
1,2,3,and 7 are Savannah. Tricky angles for some of the, but the crisp streaking, clean white breast coloration, thinner malar stripe and short tail are good marks for Savannah. 4,5,6 are Lincoln's, with the very thin streaking, buffier chest contrasting with white belly and also a very thing malar stripe. Call is often a better way to ID tricky sparrows. It takes some practice to get down, but Lincoln's have a pretty distinct call that gives them away from Song Sparrows, often before you even see them. -
Little blue heron in Outer Banks SC
darknight replied to mfoster.vt's topic in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
Cameras often get the white balance wrong when trying to capture a white bird against a pale background. Photos of white birds often look blue in different lighting conditions