TKbird

Interesting... This doesn't look like too much black for a HERG to me, but maybe I'm wrong! The bulging body suggests HERG, does it not? Here are some good photos: https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/313229521 https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/306780541 @Seanbirds Yeah, pretty quiet winter! But you'll be seeing more of me again. ?

Western MA, today. Not very exciting, I know, but FOY and first for hotspot. I also would just like to improve my gull-in-flight IDing. In this case I think I'd go with HERG. Thanks!

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

Gorgeous heavily-marked Northern Red-tailed Hawk. Not the greatest picture-wise but... worth it for the bird.

Thanks, that's quite helpful.

Thanks Tony! You say virtually always taller than wide; is this because the patch is sometimes short, or can it occasionally be somewhat wide?

Seen today. This looks like 2 WWSC and probably 1 SUSC (trailing bird) to me, but I would like confirmation. Are they all WWSC? Previous birders reported all SUSC. Thanks! TKbird scoters2.mp4

That would be great, but we'll see haha https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4350569 ? P950 seems like a good option, if nothing better comes along in the meanwhile! The game changers for me with the P1000 over the P900 are (in this order): greatly improved viewfinder (I never used the P900 viewfinder, and I almost exclusively use the P1000 viewfinder), auto to manual focus thumb switch (almost as good as back-button focusing), 4K video (I personally use this for IDing mostly), and the extra zoom. P950 has all but the zoom! (Plus RAW of course, if you like photo editing.)

Sorry, western MA. Good call. Misjudging size, and prominence of white on the wing through me off. ? Thanks!

Haha I love my P1000! Hate to say it, but my scope ends up just sitting in the car sometimes. P1000 does almost as well on a tripod, and of course takes photos and videos. Formerly owned P900 and I have to say the upgrade was definitely worth it.

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