darknight
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Posts posted by darknight
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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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I agree with Western Tanager. Lots moving north right now.
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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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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.
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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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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.
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Female tend to be whiter underneath than males, I'd lean toward a male for your bird.
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You got it
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On 2/27/2020 at 8:43 PM, Tony Leukering said:
The bill looks fairly short and straight, though photo angle might make for foreshortening. Unfortunately, the very tip of the wing seems to be hidden beneath the tail. The bird also looks fairly white below and bright green above. All of these features suggest Ruby-throated.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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In winter, it should be safe to assume that they are Long-billed. Short-billed are pretty strictly coastal in the winter in California.
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15 hours ago, Trevor L. said:
I didn’t know Arkansas and Kansas could hybridize.
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On 2/19/2020 at 7:34 PM, Mindy Smith said:
Could have been a kinglet, but I was pretty sure that I saw two white wing bars and the song was not musical whistle that Cornell has for the kinglet. Hutton's are seen here but I have never seen one so that is certainly a possibility. Sorry I couldn't get more of the bird in the photo.
Kinglets most give short calls this time of year, and do have two wingbars
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For number 4, you have Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, but not Willets. The central bird is just hiding its legs in the water.
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As a hummingbird bander, I don't see enough here to ID this one to species. The relative length of the wings and tail is very dependent on the birds posture, and the wingtips disappear into the heavy shadows, making it hard to judge their actual shape. Its also impossible to evaluate bill length, crown color. This one is best left unidentified.
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The very shorter, less pointed tail and heavier bill of #2 point to Gull-billed over Forster's.
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2 looks to be a Gull-billed and 3 a Forster's, with the "mask" around the eyes and thinner bill.
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On 2/19/2020 at 4:09 PM, birdbrain22 said:
Not sure... but is there a "Welcome back" due here?
I'm alive! I was curious to see if the forum had survived after the servers crashed a while back, good to see that it has.
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Costa's is by far the most common species in the Palm Springs area, especially this time of year.
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Correct, though it's Abert's Towhee.
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Magpie at the Salton Sea?
in Help Me Identify a North American Bird
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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