Lisa NJ 1 Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 I wish I could have taken a picture but i’ve been feeding birds for decades and I saw an orange breasted bird in my NJ yard that i’ve never seen before. It was not a robin or oriole. It was larger than a sparrow or finch but not as big as a robin. It was in my forsythia hedge by seed I have on the ground for more timid birds. It had black wings with a stripe ? I’m at a loss! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jefferson Shank 1,978 Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Welcome to WhatBird! @Lisa NJ Your bird sounds like a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rose-breasted_Grosbeak Also, what was the date you saw this bird? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lisa NJ 1 Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 Today. January 10 2021 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hasan 104 Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 Try Red-breasted Nuthatch Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jefferson Shank 1,978 Posted January 10 Share Posted January 10 It was larger than a sparrow or finch but not as big as a robin. Try Red-breasted Nuthatch Nuthatches are smaller than sparrows and finches. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lisa NJ 1 Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 Thank you all! It looked more like the nuthatch than the grosbeak. It just surprised me because of the color. Hopefully I get a chance for a picture to confirm. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lisa NJ 1 Posted January 10 Author Share Posted January 10 It was definitely bigger than a sparrow. The head was more rounded than nuthatch though. And the wing had a definite stripe of some kind. I’m hoping for a chance for picture. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Charlie Spencer 3,392 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 @Lisa NJ, welcome to Whatbird! Eastern Towhee, maybe? https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Towhee/overview Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lonestranger 793 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Welcome to WhatBird, @Lisa NJ. Eastern Towhee was my first thought too. The example in the linked photo might match the orange breast and wing bar you referred to. https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/275903281 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lonesome55dove 526 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 (edited) Varied Thrush? Welome to Whatbird! 🙂 Edited January 11 by lonesome55dove Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MichaelLong 436 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 3 minutes ago, lonesome55dove said: Varied Thrush? Welome to Whatbird! 🙂 That would be a mega rarity Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lonesome55dove 526 Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 (edited) 8 minutes ago, MichaelLong said: That would be a mega rarity Okay, well, it was just a thought! Oh snap! I didn't realize that Varied Thrushes are rare on the East coast.🙂 Edited January 11 by lonesome55dove Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lisa NJ 1 Posted January 12 Author Share Posted January 12 there wasn’t any white on the breast. I’m still looking with the hopes of seeing it again but so far no luck. The closest I can find now is the below picture of Baltimore Oriole but I didn’t think they are in NJ during winter. All the Orioles I see in Summer are black and deep orange. The breast on the bird I saw was a light orange as below. Thanks for helping! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Avery 1,056 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Maybe a female Robin? They don’t have wing bars though... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aveschapines 831 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 If you see the bird again and can't get a photo (or even if you can...) try to get a good look at the beak; that will help a lot to narrow down the ID. Also look for other color patterns on the bird - what color and position the stripe on the wing had, any other colors on the bird's head or other parts of the body, and length and shape of the tail. These things can be a big help in figuring out which bird you are seeing. For example, between Robin, Grosbeak, Oriole, and Nuthatch, a careful look at the bill would give you your answer. Also note behavior; if it was climbing up a tree trunk Nuthatch would be more likely, for example. Study the pictures of all the possible species mentioned here in a field guide or bird app, or looking at pictures from a reliable website like the bird ID guides here at WhatBird or the Cornell site. Be careful about just googling because you'll find a lot of incorrectly identified bird photos that way. Then when you see the bird again you'll have a better idea of what you're looking for to figure out your ID. (By the way, when looking at the Rose-Breasted Grosbeak, be sure to check out photos of females and immatures as well as adult males.) We also all need to be careful about ruling things in or just based on observed size! All of us birders have been fooled by this before; it is often very hard to accurately judge the size of a bird we see in the wild, especially when using binoculars. If a bird is considerate enough to pose a few inches from another species for comparison it helps a lot but they don't always cooperate LOL! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Avery 1,056 Posted January 12 Share Posted January 12 Ooh! Carolina wren? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IKLland 584 Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 16 hours ago, Lisa NJ said: there wasn’t any white on the breast. I’m still looking with the hopes of seeing it again but so far no luck. The closest I can find now is the below picture of Baltimore Oriole but I didn’t think they are in NJ during winter. All the Orioles I see in Summer are black and deep orange. The breast on the bird I saw was a light orange as below. Thanks for helping! @Lisa NJwelcome to the forum! If you ever have any other questions or want to list something in any of the other forums on the site, feel free to do so! It is a great site! my thoughts on your bird is the same as @Avery, Carolina wren Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pictaker 2,650 Posted January 13 Share Posted January 13 There have been several Baltimore Orioles sightings in Jersey over the winter, I can tell you of at least 5 that have been confirmed, and are still here,plus a bullocks which is a mega rarity here. Can you give a county or town for the sighting? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lisa NJ 1 Posted January 19 Author Share Posted January 19 Update... saw it again today on my suet cage. I think it is a Baltimore Oriole. Still hard to believe I’m seeing one in NJ in January. The picture attached isn’t very good. I’m in Old Bridge, NJ. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BirdNrd 478 Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 21 hours ago, Lisa NJ said: Update... saw it again today on my suet cage. I think it is a Baltimore Oriole. Still hard to believe I’m seeing one in NJ in January. The picture attached isn’t very good. I’m in Old Bridge, NJ. This could be an oriole but it doesn't look like one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aidan B 893 Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 22 hours ago, Lisa NJ said: Update... saw it again today on my suet cage. I think it is a Baltimore Oriole. Still hard to believe I’m seeing one in NJ in January. The picture attached isn’t very good. I’m in Old Bridge, NJ. Tell me if I'm wrong, but isn't this spot on for a Black-headed Grosbeak? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aidan B 893 Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 (edited) On 1/10/2021 at 2:33 PM, Lisa NJ said: It had black wings with a stripe I didn't see this before, but it also supports it being Black-headed Grosbeak. Edited January 20 by Aidan B Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Bird Nuts 4,585 Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 Looks fine for a Baltimore Oriole to me. It appears to have an orange undertail which BHGR don't have. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aaron 631 Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 New Jersey is waaaay out of range for a blackheaded grosbeak as well 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
IKLland 584 Posted January 21 Share Posted January 21 18 hours ago, Aaron said: New Jersey is waaaay out of range for a blackheaded grosbeak as well Yeah Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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