[Your best photo of a bird species.]

Don't have any good photos. Found one excavating a cavity in an urban park just across the bridge in the East Bay a few years back. Cool behavior to see, poor photo.

[Red-tail Dark Morph… what subspecies?]

This bird has a clearly barred tail and a thin subterminal band, both of which are better features for calurus than they are for abieticola.

[All Rufous/Allen's Hummingbirds? (any identifiable to species?) - Xmas Mtns Oasis - Brewster Co, TX - 10/16/21]

2 hours ago, AlexHenry said:

Keep in mind that the notching/pinching on the R2 of a juvenile male Rufous Hummingbird can be quite subtle. And the tip of the R2 is slightly out of focus in the one relevant photo. So I’m not sure we can rule out Rufous Hummingbird. Additionally R3-R5 seem fairly broad and rounded.

Only one of these photos contains any information relevant to the identification

I agree. R5 is the key here, and it doesn’t look particularly narrow. I’d lean heavily that this is an immature male RUHU. 

[Rare Birds!!!]

2 minutes ago, Seanbirds said:

Nice! Sharp-taileds are one of my favorite sandpipers.

I completely agree. Juveniles are really…sharp (pun intended)!

[Rare Birds!!!]

I know it's already been posted here, but gosh darn this bird is a subtle stunner! So fun to study up close.

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/381144031

 

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/381144011

[Share Your Best Photo of the Day]

https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/380850471

[Sharp-shinned Hawk?]

Merlin? Wing shape looks wrong for an accipiter to me. Not sure it’s identifiable from these pics.

[Ruby throat or black chinned?]

59 minutes ago, AlexHenry said:

Narrow pointy tipped P10 = Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Yeah, I guess it’s safe to call that narrow longest remige P10 on the near wing. It’s in heavy wing and tail molt and the opposite wing has either molted P10 or it’s relatively obscured. I agree with RTHU.

[Ruby throat or black chinned?]

Interesting bird. It's molting it's remiges and rectrices and thus confusing me. Per Howell, "Because of the P8-P10-P9 sequence of outer primary replacement, one could see a bird with P10 partially grown and a worn P9 retained, and mistakenly assume that P9 was the longest outer primary. This could affect judgement of “outer” primary shapes or relative wing/tail projectons on perched birds, and should be borne in mind. Also consider how tail moult (usually occurring when the outer primaries moult) could affect perception of wing/tail projections."

If we had a really clean shot of the inner primaries, we may be able to ID the bird; but the longest outer primaries look vastly different due to molt. I'd safely call it Archilochus sp.

[Either of these White-winged?]

SUSCs.

[Dowitcher dilemma's]

These are LBDOs (or at least the lefthand bird is) due to the clean white lesser coverts on the underwing.

[Sharpie?]

54 minutes ago, Liam said:

Facial structure is much more reminiscent of Sharp-shinned and a tail looks squared.

The dorsal view of a COHA/SSHA tails is problematic at best. Wear, molt, and angle of viewing present significant ID challenges with regards to this field mark. The nape is suggestive of sharpie, although the lighting in the pic is not ideal. Structurally it feels much more like a coop to me. It’s head is not small and projects well beyond the wings in a manner which supports COHA. 

This bird is somewhat of a “tweener” IMO. I could see it being a juvenile female sharpie, but feel better calling it a juvenile male coop based on the above.

[Sharpie?]

It’s a juv. coop.

[Lifer - Hawk id assistance]

Def. a Red-shouldered Hawk.

[Mountain or. western blue bird]

MOBL. Structurally, the bird just looks looong.

[Big Day Birds]

4 hours ago, Seanbirds said:

Yes it is. Marin County is near San Francisco. @Connor Cochrane and @DLecy both live there, I believe.

Indeed, we do.

[Fox Sparrow?]

Birds #1 and #3 are Song Sparrows. Bird #2 is a Fox Sparrow. Notice the differences in the crown pattern and breast streaking, among other things.

[Please assist with Vegas Hummer]

Seems fine for ANHU. Conservatively, this ^^

[CA Allen vs Rufous Hummers]

1 hour ago, Mark5 said:

Bump.  

What state is this in?

The title says California.

 

1 hour ago, Aidan B said:

Photos are not sufficient to ID these birds to species

I agree.

[South Padre Island, Texas Birds (Part 1)]

Both are very likely immature male Ruby-throats. However, since we can't see P10 or the shape of any of the rectrices (tail feathers), conservatively, I would safely call them Archilochus sp.

[Nashville or Tennesee Warbler?]

1 minute ago, The Bird Nuts said:

Orange-crowned Warbler, I'd say.  Incomplete eyering rules out Nashville and the eyeline seems too indistinct for a Tennessee.  Wait for other opinions, though.

This is correct. Tail is too long for Tennessee Warbler and facial patterning is not strong enough for TEWA. It's obviously not a Nashville so...Orange-crowned Warbler.

[Boreal Chickadee?]

There is significant white edgings to the secondaries, the amount of white in the cheeks is FAR too much for BOCH, and the cap looks too dark for BOCH. It’s a Black-capped Chickadee.

[Blackpoll]

Indeed. Strong facial pattern + pink legs/feet + white undertail coverts without any hint of buff = Blackpoll.

[Palm Warbler?]

For sure. Drab, streaky, pale supercilium, yellow untacs. 

[Dowitchers]

Yes, bill length varies with regards to the sex the bird, and then there is individual variation within a species. Thus, only birds on the extreme ends of either spectrum can be identified with confidence…which also usually includes additional data (vocalizations, location, field marks on breeding birds and juvs., etc.).