photog46

This nest was on the ground in the woods in southern New Hampshire. Near an old logging road. About 4" in diameter. An area with lots of ferns. The eggs look like they are the color of robins' eggs, but the nest seems small and I don't know that a ground nest would be typical for a robin. Any ideas? Thanks!

All seen at Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge, east-central Massachusetts on May 11. First two are the same bird. Seemed like a Brown Thrasher bill, but there are no wing bars that I can see, so I am stumped. The third is some kind of warbler, but the head-on shot confuses me. The last two could be the same bird or one of them a second similar bird in the same area. One or both of these last ones may be a Golden-crowned Kinglet, but I haven't ever seen one. None of the pictures is great, so it makes ID harder for me. Thanks for the help!

Thanks to both for your thoughts. I'm glad it didn't look to either of you like the Angel Wing issue, so I hope the bird was able to manage without the feathers.

I saw this surf scoter April 1st at Scarborough Marsh in Maine. It was surprising to me to see it there since I associate these birds with open ocean water, but I am new to Maine (and a not-too-experienced birder) and don't have much knowledge of the range of various species. I noticed that there are bare shafts in the tail feather area. In February, I submitted a photo of an eider with similar bare shafts (but on the wings), and responders suggested it was condition called Angel Wing that can afflict birds that consume food that is not healthy for them. Is this surf scoter suffering from a similar condition, or is this a natural phenomenon? Could the issue have anything to do with the bird hanging out in a salt marsh all by itself instead of being part of a larger group on the ocean? Thanks for your help.

Thanks for the information, sad as it is. This bird was out on the water and I don't imagine it had been in close contact with humans in its life, but who knows?

Can someone explain what is happening to the wings of what I believe is a female Common Eider? Is this some kind of molting or does the bird have a real problem? Southern Maine coast February 18. Thanks very much.

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

Canyonlands National Park, Utah

The pictures are of the same bird, but hard for me to tell which Chiffchaff it is. The way the pale yellow extends into the cheeks, and the legs which seem black but have lighter feet as can happen with Iberian, and the pretty clear and yellow supercillium make me think Iberian. Seen in Northern Spain in early September. It was hopping around in brush beside a stream. Thanks for any ideas.

Thanks for the information. I looked at better pictures of the Short-tailed Snake Eagle (called Short-toed in the very limited book of birds of Spain that I have), and that certainly seems a reasonable ID. The tail bands really had me leaning against Buzzard or Booted Eagle, so it's good to have the ID.

I am pretty sure that the first one is a Booted Eagle and the second is a Common Buzzard. Having a hard time with the third--the tail bands make me think it might be a Eurasian Sparrowhawk, but perhaps it's one of the other two--a juvenile or a different morph or something else altogether? Confirmation of the Eagle and Buzzard and ideas about the one I can't identify would be much appreciated. Seen late summer in northern Spain. Didn't have my longer lens on the trip, so the pictures are not great. Happy New Year, fellow birders!

Thank you !

I have a hard time with some sparrow identifications, especially when the photos are not as clear as I would like. Can you help with this one? Maybe a juvenile field sparrow (pink bill) or song sparrow (raggedy forked tail) or tree sparrow (streaking and dark area on breast)? I think the pink bill is throwing me off. Seen in July in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Thanks for your ideas!

Thanks to all! I learn so much from these posts and enjoy looking at other people's posts as well (sometimes I see if I can identify the bird in someone's post and then check my answer against the knowledgeable people who respond).