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01 Mar 2021 Baldwin co. AL; Mobile Bay 1. Ring-billed Gull, ?1st or 2nd Winter 2. Bonaparte's Gull, 1rst Winter 3. Bonaparte's Gull, adult, non-breeding 4. Bonaparte's Gull, 1rst Winter (L), Non-breeding adult (R) 5. Forster's Terns 6. Forster's Tern vs. ??

01 Mar 2021 Baldwin co. AL Is it more likely this bill deformity is due to trauma or infection? Either way, rehabbers won't take the bird because it is a species non-native to the area. What to do?

27 Feb 2021 Industrial ponds/mudflats

27 Feb 2021 Mobile co. AL Public lake & park 1. Palm Warbler 2. Orange-crowned Warbler--wasn't sure about that eye stripe Industrial ponds/mudflats 1. ?Willet (center) & 2 Greater Yellowlegs 2. All ?Greater Yellowlegs except for ?Dowitcher sp. in center 3. Green-winged Teal, ?Least Sandpipers & who is the fellow tipping up? 4. ?Greater Yellowlegs 5. Which duck?

25 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; bayside public boat launch at point where small bay opens into Mobile Bay; rough water; mostly large gravel parking lot and small grove of pines; fairly inhospitable place Just caught a glimpse of this bird. About the size of a crow or larger woodpecker. I thought it was a woodpecker at first, before I saw the color combination. Feature that stood out: 1. Rufous on the chest or belly with lighter coloring under tail 2. Flashed white wing bars--I think on the upper side, rather than underside as I drew it 3. Either a shallow forked or notched tail 4. Flashed rufous or red on the upper surface of the wings near their insertion on the should girdle 5. Bill discernable 6. Flew in straight bursts like it was shot from a cannon, and rolled a bit so I could see both upper & lower aspects Female Belted Kingfisher is the best I could come up with, but the bird did not act like a Belted Kingfisher--no chittering, and it was really high in the pines--and I think I saw rufous or red on the shoulders in addition to the underside. There was no discernable barring or streaking on the underside, so I don't think it was a female Red-winged Blackbird. Rudimentary drawing using my granddaughter's color crayons:

25 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL Good morning, All. I am trying to do better about putting in Breeding Codes, etc., when I am able to discern such. This morning, I found 8 Hooded Mergansers. Two are definitely adult males, and the others either females or a mix of immature males & females. Is it possible to sex these remaining 6 birds? If so, how?

24 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; delta/river/bay/marsh 1. ?Rusty vs. Brewer's Blackbird or Common Grackle--salient features to differentiate the 3 species? 2. ?Orange-crowned Warbler--he looked a little different than ones I've been seeing; lots more yellow underneath and back not as dull 3. ?Bonaparte's Gull (with 2 Laughing Gulls)--such a big head for such a tiny fellow

23 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; delta/bay/river & mixed piney/cypress/hardwoods; public access walking paths, interpretive center & other habited buildings 1. ?Red-tailed Hawk 2. ?Swamp Sparrow--deep in shade, hard for me to appreciate color 3. ?Savannah Sparrow--apologies for the blurred image 4. ?Song Sparrow 5. ?Lincoln's Sparrow 6. I could ID the Killdeer (bird in center of lower image) in the field. Can the smaller shorebirds be identified any further than "peep sp."?

21 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; freshwater pond There were a couple of different-looking ducks with a flock of about 40 Northern Pintails. 1. ?Green Winged Teals (? 2 male and 1 female) 2. L to R: Northern Pintail (for comparison), ?female Green-Winged Teal, ?no clue

20 Feb 2021 AL Mobile/Baldwin co. upper Mobile Bay 1. ?Northern Shoveler (the 4 swimming, bracketed by the dabblers, which I believe to be Gadwall) 2. ?Gadwall (swimming) 3. ?? Which Duck (swimming, right side) 4. Herring Gulls, Ring-billeds, and who is the squatty little ?duck up front? 5. Herring Gull & Laughing Gull 6. ???--some Gadwall + something else; the second one looks to have a dark head

20 Feb 2021 Mobile co. AL Public lake & park 1. ?Killdeer 2. ?Gadwall (male & female) Small longleaf forest adjacent to botanical gardens & city golf course 1. Winter Wren vs. House Wren--he appears to have an eyebrow stripe but also his throat seems pale 2. Coopers vs. Sharpie (could not get a shot of legs before he flew)

05 Jan 2021 Mobile co. AL It has been visiting backyard feeders since Dec 9. I have not gone to see it. It is at a private residence, but the homeowners are allowing birders to view from their carport.

15 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; private pond While driving today, I noted a small flock of ducks which had apparently just taken off from a small pond. They were fairly large and mostly brown in the body with wings that showed a large white stripe. I have seen Black-belled ducks on the ground before, but never in flight. Could what I saw be anything else? Several sightings have been posted for my county in the same area in which I saw my birds today.

15 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; estuary/bay

15 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL offshore mudflats in estuarine environment

15 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; saltwater marsh & bay; pine/cypress/palmetto wetlands 1. Northern Pintail? 2. Tree Swallow? Much of the time they flew just above the water's surface 3. Weird angle, but is this just a Northern Mockingbird? It seemed small...

15 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; Boardwalk along a weedy creekside corridor wedged between an interstate/4-lane highway exchange, hotels, and a saltwater bay. The creek is separated from the boardwalk by tall, vine-covered chain-link fence on either side. This bird was singing high from a tree top on the far side of the creek near a hotel parking lot. There appears to be 2 sustained notes followed by 3 more rapid, higher notes. 20210215_131035ed - Copy.wav

15 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; Estuary/Bay I can't decide if these female scaup are Greater or Lesser.

13 Feb 2021 Mobile co. AL; public lake & park I was hoping this was a Greater White-fronted Goose, but now I think it is a domestic Heinz 57.

10 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; Mobile Bay American White Pelican vs. Great Egret These birds were far offshore on a spit of sandbar. They never did raise their heads. Before I could go back and get my spotting scope, it started pouring rain, so these are the best shots I have. I thought their overall shape, posture, & fact they were in a pretty tight social group was more on the side of American White Pelican, but idk. There is a Ring-billed Gull on the far left for reference.

10 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; Mobile Bay

Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL I would have called this a House Finch b/c of so much brown on the face and the curved culmen, although he does have a lot of red on the back, short tail, and only faint streaking. Can someone help me with the specific features on this photo that determine this bird is a Purple Finch? https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/304790061

08 Feb 2021 Wooded private yard next to small bayside park; singing from high in trees 20210208_112044 - Copy.wav

09 Feb 2021 Thick undergrowth & hurricane debris at foot of bluff among pines, oaks, azaleas & near walkway in bayside public park. I recognize Northern Cardinal, Carolina Chickadees, and Carolina Wrens in this clip. There is another bird sound in there that I don't recognize. It is a 2-note, somewhat burry call that, to my ear, seems to descend with the first note, then ascend with the second note. It occurs fairly regularly at around 3.2, 5.8, 8, 13, 17, 22... 20210209_100124.wav

08 Feb 2021 Baldwin co. AL; bayside 1. ?Red-breasted Merganser (vs. Common Merganser vs. ??); he appears to have a red eye, but his bill looks broad for a merganser, so idk... 2. ?Chipping Sparrow (with Northern Cardinal for scale) 3. ??