John Landon Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 SW Ohio 3/3/19 dark cheek.white ear patch, “bustle rump” Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nighthawk01 Posted March 3, 2019 Share Posted March 3, 2019 I’m leaning Eared. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millipede Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 Options are pretty much horned or eared... and I'm leaning eared myself, not that I'm great with these. I remember last time I looked in the guide it showed a lighter colored tip to the bill on the horned. The first picture there seems like(I could be wrong) it's good enough that we'd see the light tip if it were there. Just another thought to add... ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Landon Posted March 4, 2019 Author Share Posted March 4, 2019 Submitted to E bird as an Eared- state first this year and county 2nd all time.Thanks all for weighing in. There are images of this species on I naturalist that match this and were ID’d as a Eared, of course they were on the other side of the Rockie Mountains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millipede Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 we both said we're "leaning" eared. Hopefully someone else will confirm with more certainty. But, if it gets flagged on eBird and you have to add info it will get reviewed there as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egosnell2002 Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 I don't really see anything that points away from Horned here... Head shape as far as I can tell seems to be better for Horned, same with the bill. Plus it's Ohio in the winter, and Horned is much more common at this time of year, and Eared is rare at all times. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millipede Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Really? I'm looking at Sibley's(not 2nd) again... From experience, I have nothing to add here but, looking at the guide(because you know, things ALWAYS match the guide... HA) This time of year they should all be in adult non-breeding plumage and the horned would typically have more white on the face and neck than this(Unless they're starting to transition already?). I'm not sure I can say much on the shape of the head but can see what you're thinking. Same with the bill though I'll say it's a grainy photo and such things are REALLY hard to judge. And I still FEEL/BELIEVE(I'm willing to be wrong) that a light tip to the bill would show up in that first photo if it had one. I've zoomed in and am not seeing it. Anyway... just pushing back just for the sake of certainty, not because I think you're wrong. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egosnell2002 Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 3 minutes ago, millipede said: Really? I'm looking at Sibley's(not 2nd) again... From experience, I have nothing to add here but, looking at the guide(because you know, things ALWAYS match the guide... HA) This time of year they should all be in adult non-breeding plumage and the horned would typically have more white on the face and neck than this(Unless they're starting to transition already?). I'm not sure I can say much on the shape of the head but can see what you're thinking. Same with the bill though I'll say it's a grainy photo and such things are REALLY hard to judge. And I still FEEL/BELIEVE(I'm willing to be wrong) that a light tip to the bill would show up in that first photo if it had one. I've zoomed in and am not seeing it. Anyway... just pushing back just for the sake of certainty, not because I think you're wrong. ? And that is how it is done, concerning that owl fiasco http://danbusby.ca/gallery/index.php/Waterbirds/20111108_HOGR_2401 Here's a full frame shot, and either the white tip isn't there or I can't see it (it is *helpfully* pretty much the exact same colour as the water). I've never used that field mark, mostly because I find bill colour is super hard to judge and can be pretty variable for a lot of birds, considering Horned fully change the colour of their bill by April. On the plumage part, I'll agree this bird is a little smudgier then Sibley illustrates, but if you take a look through some eBird photos here , you'll find lots of exceptions. I personally find head and bill shape the most reliable for this species. Certainty is definitely important in birding, I hate counting things I'm unsure of, so I don't! But another look at stats gives a good impression of Horned, especially combined with plumage and body proportions. Here's EAGR records for Ohio for birds in this plumage, and here's Horned, it's a 0.11% vs 4.21% occurrence. Just to put things in perspective , Eared is one of the last "common" (>0.05%) birds I need to round up for my Ontario list. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinHood Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Another beginner about to do his bit annoying the more experienced. I do see lots of Horned, no Eared to date, and this one is interesting as some characteristics seem to be midway between the two. If it was not for location I would have been slightly more inclined to Eared. This one seems to be riding much higher in the water than I usually see with the Horned and is what first caught my attention. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millipede Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 10 hours ago, egosnell2002 said: And that is how it is done, concerning that owl fiasco hmmm... I can't tell if you were complimenting me or insulting me. This conversation cannot compare to that one. ? you're telling me a detail I'm looking for can't be seen because of the condition of the photo... that's something I wont argue but I'll use that comment to explain that, perhaps the bird only looks a certain way to you for the same reason. Can we accurately judge those characteristics? Are less experienced birders really not allowed to question ID's given by more experienced birders? Should we sit back and trust that you're correct all the time? I hope I'm actually just reading into that all wrong and that's not the case. I can understand the frustration with some people on here at times BUT... this is an ID site and you better get used to it. (I'm not saying that with the attitude that will come across there) This is where inexperienced people come to get advice... and, sometimes, every one of you has been wrong about something. So, I sure hope attitudes don't develop further where people are getting up set with everyone that questions an ID. That would be a tragedy. I'll drop out of the conversation and let you be "right" here as that's what you seem to want and, it's not my bird anyway so why would I care... I'm sure it's not because I want to learn to ID these better myself... I'm not as grumpy as I sound here... it is early and I haven't had breakfast yet though so... ha. Peace, love,and birds... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiley Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 I agree with @egosnell2002. This is a Horned Grebe. The facial pattern is more defined and less smudgy than Eared and the bill/forehead slope is just fine for Horned. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akiley Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 5 hours ago, millipede said: hmmm... I can't tell if you were complimenting me or insulting me. This conversation cannot compare to that one. ? you're telling me a detail I'm looking for can't be seen because of the condition of the photo... that's something I wont argue but I'll use that comment to explain that, perhaps the bird only looks a certain way to you for the same reason. Can we accurately judge those characteristics? Are less experienced birders really not allowed to question ID's given by more experienced birders? Should we sit back and trust that you're correct all the time? I hope I'm actually just reading into that all wrong and that's not the case. I can understand the frustration with some people on here at times BUT... this is an ID site and you better get used to it. (I'm not saying that with the attitude that will come across there) This is where inexperienced people come to get advice... and, sometimes, every one of you has been wrong about something. So, I sure hope attitudes don't develop further where people are getting up set with everyone that questions an ID. That would be a tragedy. I'll drop out of the conversation and let you be "right" here as that's what you seem to want and, it's not my bird anyway so why would I care... I'm sure it's not because I want to learn to ID these better myself... I'm not as grumpy as I sound here... it is early and I haven't had breakfast yet though so... ha. Peace, love,and birds... Reading this, I'm not sure I'm understanding what your main point is. You seem to he doubting @egosnell2002and I who have experience and are saying that this is a Horned, but you don't really explain a specific reason for doubting the ID. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melierax Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 I'm seeing Horned here as well. I would expect a lot more black on the cheeks in Eared. Also, I notice that Eared have slender, almost upturned bills, and they also tend to have a much more slender appearance overall. I'm not seeing that here. Y'all need to calm down a bit lol. I think it's just been a while since we've had a lot of "beginner birders" on here (I'm a long-term member since 2015 and so is Ethan), so most experienced birders have fallen out of giving really extensive reasons for ID's. Nobody's asking the beginner birders to sit back and just take an ID as fact without looking into it themselves. Millipede, I think your questions were great and I would have answered them like Ethan did. But at the same time beginners are indeed beginners and a lot of the time simple GISS and experience with a species determines an ID. But I think experienced birders should step up and give better reasons (giving detailed reasons for IDs helps everyone). I believe Ethan answered your question so if you have any more questions about why the bird looks a certain way don't be afraid to ask! 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egosnell2002 Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 8 hours ago, millipede said: hmmm... I can't tell if you were complimenting me or insulting me. This conversation cannot compare to that one. ? you're telling me a detail I'm looking for can't be seen because of the condition of the photo... that's something I wont argue but I'll use that comment to explain that, perhaps the bird only looks a certain way to you for the same reason. Can we accurately judge those characteristics? Are less experienced birders really not allowed to question ID's given by more experienced birders? Should we sit back and trust that you're correct all the time? I hope I'm actually just reading into that all wrong and that's not the case. I can understand the frustration with some people on here at times BUT... this is an ID site and you better get used to it. (I'm not saying that with the attitude that will come across there) This is where inexperienced people come to get advice... and, sometimes, every one of you has been wrong about something. So, I sure hope attitudes don't develop further where people are getting up set with everyone that questions an ID. That would be a tragedy. I'll drop out of the conversation and let you be "right" here as that's what you seem to want and, it's not my bird anyway so why would I care... I'm sure it's not because I want to learn to ID these better myself... I'm not as grumpy as I sound here... it is early and I haven't had breakfast yet though so... ha. Peace, love,and birds... No no no, I was complimenting, again, another example of how hard meaning is to convey through the computer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Landon Posted March 5, 2019 Author Share Posted March 5, 2019 Just as an update,E bird kicked it out ,ID is a horned-but it took around 18 hours to do so.The head shape was the factor-it should peak above the front of the head and fall away quickly.The bird does exhibit traits of an Eared but not enough.Thanks all for the input, been birding for 35 years and this was a first for me in Ohio, winter plumage.Breeding plumage is a no brainer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millipede Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 1 hour ago, egosnell2002 said: No no no, I was complimenting, again, another example of how hard meaning is to convey through the computer! I went back and forth on which way to take it... Between being tired and, well considering how I do find myself getting under people's skin(unintentionally) more often than I'd like... I chose poorly. Thanks for clarifying. John Landon, glad there's more consensus on the bird for you. Also, glad you're using eBird. Two thumbs up for that. :) There are BIG areas in Arkansas with not enough eBirders... It's an extremely useful tool when there's enough data. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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