chipperatl

@KnotLisa I wouldn't give up on this bird as cismontanus yet. Some more photos might help. We are looking for really clear contrast between darker "hood" over head and color of the flank and back. Back has some, but flanks are really close. Maybe it will show up again.

You think there is enough to say it has a "hood" on it? That third photo looks pretty straight across. Bad angle?

Any other pictures? Hard to tell if he has a hood or not. Head does look darker than the back, and sides. Could be a cismontanus.

Can't quote all 16 pages from Miller's Speciation in the Avian Genus Junco. I would have suggested anyone wanting more info on Juncos pick up a copy, but the price has skyrocketed on it, on Abebooks.com. I picked up my copy for $35, but there is only one copy on there now for $125. Bent has a brief description on them in Life Histories of North American Cardinals....Sparrows and Allies.

I was referring to what looks like lack of grey on the crown. It looks like juvenile streaked brown on top.

Any more shots of that head? Are those really juvenile brown feathers still on there, cause they don't look like the grey adults should have.

Tail, and the eyes don't look like a freaked out cat.

@xpoetmarcr - worked like a charm with just the regular Date-Filename template on the import in LR. That is all I really need is that date to help differentiate all my stuff. Thank you again.

I did have caveat of well-defined hood, which I think this has. 😉

Is it just me or does that look like an adult body, with a juvenile head? Birds of the World looks like all the molt should be done by now. I say Coop.

I drove by this spot earlier in the morning, and no Lapland Longspur flock there. My other travels took me back around close enough I tried again. High count for the county for eBird of 203 Lapland Longspur. Probably more that were out of the frame of the photo I chose to count. One of my other pics have have shown more also, but who want to count over and over again. https://ebird.org/checklist/S101208067

I'm at 58, and keeping pace with my county best from last year. No lifers. Have dipped on 2 geese I should have gone after sooner, Snow and Cackling. I'm guessing I'll end January around my high of 63. Depends on what I can find on the river tomorrow. Favorite bird, probably the dark morph Rough-legged Hawk I saw last weekend. Overall our county is 5 more birds in January than the best we had last year for the whole month, 85 to 80. 2 other birds have tired or exceeded my January best last year, but I think that happened last year also.

Would be only 2nd Michigan record, but I think the gap between the flank coloring is too wide.

I thought this had a fairly defined hood, but we seem to be getting more "tweeners" this winter than I've ever seen. Usually the Oregon or cismontanus stick out.

Female

Very much a Red-shouldered Hawk. That alternating white/brown on the wings (bottom left of the pic) are a great field mark.

I’m all over getting that set up today then. Didn’t even know that was an option in LR. Thank you.

When you go birding are you starting on a well cut path, proceeding to open green patches, ending up in the trees, then the sand, then in the water, and finally feeling like you are hiding in a hole, all to see some birdies?

Do you spend 4 hours outdoors feeling like you walked in a path that led right back where you started?

Do you miss most of the birdies you try for?

Great call. I noticed the secondaries weren’t checkered, but thought maybe it was the angle. This is a crazy bird for this time of the year.

Any shots with Common in the frame may help with size comparison. That head is really straight up, suggesting Barrow’s. Young Barrow’s could have that little amount of yellow. I think size is going to be determining factor.

I might start avoiding junco ssp., unless that hood is completely solid all the way around. These young ones are too messy. The male doesn’t look like a lot of contrast between hood and flanks. I wonder if these Cassiar are pushing East, but then getting diluted in with the Slate-colored population. Seems like more “tweeners” are showing up.

What other ducks were out there? it is going to be larger than something like a Common Goldeneye. You should see the white both above and below when in flight. WWSC will also run along the surface for a bit when taking off, if you saw that.