TKbird

I've heard this before and haven't spotted the source, or else I've forgotten. My best guess is a robin. Thanks! TKbird audio 12:28:20.m4a

50% heavier, goodness! I wasn't sure whether size could be judged in the absence of other birds, but that's a bigger difference than I realized. I will make note of that and other points for future reference. Merry Christmas! TKbird

Greater is very unusual here (western MA), first of all. Also, this particular bird fails some criteria, e.g. brownish face, extensive black on throat, curved culmen. But I thought I'd post it anyway to get additional insights from anyone with CORE subspecies experience. I'm working on subspecies IDing. Thanks! TKbird CORE.mp4

Good points. Thanks!

Just going through some photos and noticed the closest duck in this photo from 10/25/20, western MA. It appears to me rather small, unless that is an illusion. Perhaps a GWTE? Thanks! TKbird

A bit of a homely individual.

Posted this as its own thread a couple months ago, but I'm still feeling thrilled about finding this cool Bufflehead x Common Goldeneye hybrid! Northwestern MA.

At least the owl looks as annoyed by that twig as I am.

Sage Thrasher, 11/8/20: One of my favorite photos, from many years ago: 🙂

My latest lifer too! 🙂 A vagrant made it to upstate NY about a month ago, only an hour or so from my house!

@lonesome55dove@Rick Brown I very much agree with lonesomedove here. Identifying a bird from memory after even a few hours can be challenging, especially with less birding experience. I have on many occasions discovered when looking at photos I took that my memories of a bird, however confident I was of them, were flawed. That said, I still think Indigo Bunting is worth checking out... see links I posted before.

@IKLlandBlackbird and cowbirds are substantially larger, I expect Rick would have noticed that. The coloration on Indigo Buntings may be a bit off, but it does vary. Try this picture: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/188012481 And here's one showing a bit more crestiness: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/162836601

What about a female Indigo Bunting? It would be quite late, but not unheard of at the end of November. Habitat is good, color can be darkish brown, and head is often pointed or even tufted up a bit. Appearance varies, take a look at a bunch of pictures if this is a possibility. TKbird

I highly recommend you trust Tony over Candydez on this 😢. Tony seems to be the most expert birder on here, whereas... no offense to Candydez but see this thread: Cheers, TKbird

Thanks, the white wing is visible on two of them in the video, though. The third is also a WWSC. See Tony's comments and article for more information on scoter ID. TKbird