chipperatl

Have to backtrack on this. Got better audio and 75% sure I had the culprit behind the leaves of a tree, throwing its head back at same time as I heard the song. Field Sparrow.

Any one else have any thoughts? A couple of eBird reviewers contacted me with some concern about it not being quite right. I found some Xeno-Canto and eBird recordings that were close. There was a FISP about 1/4 mile away that had a slight rise, albeit at 1k hz lower.

And because of having to become familiar with the call of this bird, I nabbed a county-lifer Prairie Warbler yesterday.

In addition birds can be flagged for time of the year. A really common Yellow-rumped Warbler isn't a big deal, unless it is in the middle of winter in the North. Then it will be flagged. They also will often crank up the filters during the Backyard bird count. That way someone who participates and sees a Red-bellied Woodpecker, and calling it a Red-headed, can be flagged and asked for more clarification. They can also be flagged for a hight count. Dunlin appears on my checklist, but when I put in 25 of them it flags as a hight count in my inland county. My advice if your bird isn't confirmed, don't take it personal. A couple of us didn't agree with our reviewer on a late Tundra Swan, but the bird was such a "tweener" juvie it was a tough call either way. I accept the fact this bird would be way out of season for around here and the scientific data is the important part. It goes on my list, but not in the data.

Welcome to Whatbird. Great photo!!

Thanks for confirmation. This is gives us a first eBird record for my county. Hopefully it sticks around for others.

Look like Trumpeters to me.

There were Field Sparrows also. I was in Bird Sanctuary, old-growth next to several open fields with large fence rows filled with various trees/bushes. I see some Field Sparrow calls on Xeno-canto. They typically start down around 3K hz and rise to around 5K hz. There are some Prairie that are more musical and start at around 4k hz, and rise to almost 6k hz. My recording starts around 4k hz and rises just over 5k hz. I know it lacks the buzzy typical of the Prairie. Just wondering if maybe this was one of the more musical ones.

Odd call that stood out from the normal Herring Gulls that would race up and down the shore. Never saw the bird. It seems too low for Herring Gull, but I can't find anything else that matches it.

Prairie Warbler that decided to stay on the wrong side of the “No Entry” fence. Heard only.

I'm all over the place on this bird that was heading South out on the lake maybe 50 feet offshore. Smudgy breast, black beak I can see Phoebe The white tipped tail of a Kingbird, with a pic showing it from the top looks like it may not be due to an issue with sun shining through. Bill doesn't look right for Phoebe (too thick) or Kingbird (too short). I think the tail is too long for Kingbird and I'd expect more contrast between head and neck. Too early for the messy juveniles that I could see having less contrast. Dark underwings favor Kingbird.

I have a very blurry almost profile shot. I'll post but not sure how much it will help.

Had my best day birding my local hotspot on Friday. 80 species, 23 warbler species including lifer Golden-winged Warbler. I looked at it and went "Chestnut-side...WAIT!!!....where did it go?" Luckily it was noisy and active so eventually managed a decent shot after a few rather blurry behind branch ones.

Forgot to add in the title - SW MI 5/12

I dismissed this as a Ruddy, but decided to snap a pic for later. I lost it when a group of a dozen Ruddy and 10 more Buffleheads showed up and just focused on Swallows and never went back to it. Nothing about it in the scope stuck to me as Surf Scoter though, except now looking at the head markings. I don't see any Ruddy that molt with that vertical dark pattern on the face.