chipperatl

Probably the best bird I have ever found. Bucket List bird - Self-found, Michigan Review Species, and in my home county. This potentially great shorebird spot had normal SOSA, WISN and KILL there, and that was disappointingly it. I drove down further to see the west side of the pond and freaked out when I saw this bird in my binoculars. https://ebird.org/checklist/S85623052

The picture is so noisy it is hard for me to tell where it is an end of tail feather, or not. Also first time I’ve ever noticed that grey cheek points to Cooper’s Hawk. Goes back to reading Field Guides is the best education not done.

I thought SSHA initially. When flying it moved more erratic than the dive bombers the COHA at my feeder seem to do. I'm wondering though if this round looking head is just an angle, and the mostly even tail feathers (except that far right one seems shorter) really aren't. Also I've never had any accipiter with that much grey down its cheeks which I think also points to male COHA (Sibley).

Local birder said same thing. I can tie some of the field marks to that for sure. Gulls suuuuck when you can't compare sizes.😅

I called this a Great Black-backed Gull in the field. It never landed and there were no other gulls to compare to for size. I have plenty of other angles if these don't work.

Lifer Little Gull. https://ebird.org/checklist/S85426239

Little Gull showed up at this small marshy area south of Kalamazoo today. Waited over an hour for it. I almost didn't put my glass on it thinking it was just another Killdeer flying over the water at first. Bird hung around for about 7 minutes and then gained a bunch of altitude and headed North.

Odd. When I search your name I see none of those pictures, even when filtering on unconfirmed.

I see none of those photos when I look at Orange County unconfirmed only.

First 40+ species checklist for the year. FOY Yellow-rumped Warbler, and this amazing close-up experience with a Barred Owl. I scared up something big just off the trail. I thought it was a Pileated, but when it didn't come around the tree I kept walking and here was this Barred Owl at 1030 in the morning staring back at me. https://ebird.org/checklist/S84760595

Flaring out the undertail coverts, head looks big to me, puts me in Coop-camp. It is a messy chest though.