Magpie at the Salton Sea?

[bpresby]

Hello,

I have a lot of pictures to go through, but I know I missed this one. Black and and white and looked like a magpie (black or yellow billed, unsure). When I did my research, I can’t see where there range covers the Salton Sea. 
 

any ideas?  I can’t find any other bird that would match

thanks!  Other Picts to come  

 

 

 

[Connor Cochrane]

Is there supposed to be a picture here? I don't see one. One thought of mine is a Black-necked Stilt. There should not be magpies at the Salton Sea. More info about habitat or the bird would be helpful. 

[bpresby]

No pic, sorry

 

not a black-necked stilt. 
 

I should have circled back for the picture. I thought magpie for sure until I looked at the distribution maps

 

 

[IKLland]

Pin-tailed whydah? Adult breeding male.

[Avery]

There a bit more gray, but maybe a mockingbird? They’ve got wing patches. 

[darknight]

Phainopepla would probably look the closest. As other have mentioned either species of Magpie at the Salton Sea would be exceptional, and neither are very good candidates for vagrancy. An escaped pet would be more likely (though still very unexpected, given the location) than a wild magpie

[Jerry Friedman]

8 hours ago, darknight said:

Phainopepla would probably look the closest. As other have mentioned either species of Magpie at the Salton Sea would be exceptional, and neither are very good candidates for vagrancy. An escaped pet would be more likely (though still very unexpected, given the location) than a wild magpie

The darknight returns!

[Connor Cochrane]

Do you have more information on the exact location of the bird?

8 hours ago, darknight said:

Phainopepla would probably look the closest. As other have mentioned either species of Magpie at the Salton Sea would be exceptional, and neither are very good candidates for vagrancy. An escaped pet would be more likely (though still very unexpected, given the location) than a wild magpie

I'm asking as Phainopepla seems like a good idea, however, they are also pretty rare directly around the Salton Sea. Once you get into the surrounding desert, mountains, and even the Palm Springs area they become pretty common. More information would be helpful here. 

Edited April 14, 2022 by Connor Cochrane

[bpresby]

No pic, sorry

 

not a black-necked stilt. 
 

I should have circled back for the picture. I thought magpie for sure until I looked at the distribution maps

Pin-tailed whydah Looks like it  thanks IKLland  not enough data for me to confirm, it is actually the second time I saw this one.  My family can tolerate my bird watching so much and a U-Turn to get the shot might have made me a permanent resident of the Salton Sea  

actual location was a few miles south of the Sonny Bono nature preserve in the agricultural fields  

 

[Quiscalus quiscula]

10 minutes ago, bpresby said:

My family can tolerate my bird watching so much and a U-Turn to get the shot might have made me a permanent resident of the Salton Sea  

 

Relatable. ?

[Charlie Spencer]

1 hour ago, bpresby said:

My family can tolerate my bird watching so much

Family, eh?