Aidan B

By far the best ever Storm-Petrel shots I've ever gotten!!! As anyone who has done pelagic photography knows, Storm-Petrels are the hardest species out there to photograph well! Super stoked to have gotten such good shots! ML608777436 Ashy Storm-Petrel Macaulay Library ML608777435 Ashy Storm-Petrel Macaulay Library

I just checked on eBird for this location because I was curious, and I think I'm going to retract Ruddy Turnstone as a possibility. This is a very heavily birded area (10+ visit in the last couple days) and the last Ruddy Turnstone at this location was in 2005. In contrast, almost every list has had Black-bellied Plover on it, and I can see that fitting this bird.

There's more Kittywakes in this one photo then all the ones I've ever seen combined! I'm jealous!

That was my other thought

Uhh, any chance this could this be a Ruddy Turnstone? Probably not identifiable but still an interesting thought.

Had an amazing experience with an immature Cooper's Hawk a few years back.

birdie 🦉 #480: 🟥🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛ https://birdiegame.net/

I probably shouldn't be jumping in here given I've never seen either species (and I don't think I could identify an Acadian if I saw one). However when we get vagrant Yellow-bellied Flycatchers out here in California, they're indistinguishable visually from Pacific-slope Flycatchers (to the best of my knowledge). However, if I saw the above bird here in California, there's absolutely no way I would think that was a Pac-slope. I would check that bird super carefully as it doesn't fit any of our western empids well. And if Pac-slope and Yellow-bellied are indistiguishable visually, I think that's a point towards Acadian.

I'm not sure either, but that bill is pretty dark. Certainly fits HETA better.

birdie 🦅 #479: 🟥🟥🟩⬛⬛⬛ https://birdiegame.net/

I'm with Alex here. I've never seen a Mourning before, but I've spent a LOT of time with MacGillivray's in this plumage, and there is absolutely nothing here that would make me take a closer look. I'm pretty confident this is a Mac.

It's rare but certainly not unheard of. We get several every fall. I'm much more interested in the Redstart though! @BirdMan was this at Babel Slough? If not, would you mind telling me the exact location? (if it's publicly accessible of course) Redstarts are quite rare in the Sacramento area and I'm sure people would appreciate the chance to try and refind it.

birdie 🦉 #478: 🟥🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛ https://birdiegame.net/

Yes! Check out that eyering and those super long undertail coverts with that short tail! Nice bird!

This bird is confusing me. . . Looks like an empid though, probably Dusky.

It's kind of ridiculous how many RBNU are around this fall. I was vagrant hunting along the coast in Sonoma today and I had 23! In a typical year you're lucky to get 1-2 birding the same route.

Looks just fine for a Least Flycatcher to me.

Not sure but probably Heermanni. What's the migration timing for Montana in Orange County? They haven't arrived in Sacramento quite yet.

birdie 🦃 #475: 🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ https://birdiegame.net/

birdie 🦉 #474: 🟥🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛ https://birdiegame.net/

House Wren

I need better photos of both species.

I'm leaning towards Heermanni but it's a weird bird. Lighting can really mess with the colors on Song Sparrows. I don't really think it would be possible to identify an intergrade in the field, the two subspecies are just so similar. Leaving it at Song Sparrow isn't a bad idea with this bird.

birdie 🦃 #473: 🟩⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛ https://birdiegame.net/