Flycatcher in Charlotte NC

[Nancy]

Hi there - I've seen this bird a few times in my Charlotte, NC garden and this is the first time I've gotten its picture.  The pics may not be close enough/clear enough for identification.  I know the belly of the bird is white from seeing it on earlier occasions.

I'm in a residential area but there's a large patch of trees (small forest area) behind the garden.

Thanks in advance!

 

[akiley]

Looks like an Eastern Phoebe- note darkish head and overall shape/structure.

[Dan]

That was my guess as well. 

[Nancy]

Thank you both!  I need to get a bird book.  I've been relying on the internet and I think that gets confusing.  Someone on a thread a while ago mentioned that the birds are often misidentified.  Always fun to have a new bird visit the yard.

[Administrator]

Instead of a bird "book" you should get an iPhone or Android app such as iBird Pro. And you might like our new iBird Photo Sleuth which will identify a bird species from any photo, even one like you posted here. See attached results which are the same as our esteemed experts 

[MerMaeve]

3 hours ago, Administrator said:

Instead of a bird "book" you should get an iPhone or Android app such as iBird Pro.

Or not.  It is not our decision to make whether or not they should get a book or an app.

[psweet]

At the risk of annoying the administrators, I'll put in a plug for an old-fashioned paper field guide -- they're easier to simply sit and leaf through, even when you're not trying to ID a bird. That makes them very useful learning tools.

[Snapshotbirder]

36 minutes ago, psweet said:

At the risk of annoying the administrators, I'll put in a plug for an old-fashioned paper field guide -- they're easier to simply sit and leaf through, even when you're not trying to ID a bird. That makes them very useful learning tools.

Haha this I can agree to ^ That's how I learned to be the birder I am today... Spending a lot of time looking through different paper field guides. Its amazing what you can learn by going that route!

Of course, apps and researching birds online does have its perks too. 

[Charlie Spencer]

Not to snap at the hand that feeds us, but an indentification app and a field guide are different tools.  An ID app is reactive, a tool you reach for when you've seen a bird and learn it's a Great Blue Heron.  It's great for reproducing calls and songs, something no field guide can do.

A field guide can serve as an ID tool but it's also proactive, something you can browse through to learn that cranes aren't herons before you see either of them.  It's much easier to get started with a targeted guide for your state or area than an app often features birds found over half a continent or more, easier to interpret the app's results and probabilities.  And frankly, it's often easier read a full-sized guide than a 4" or 5" screen.

Nobody ever suggested, "You're looking for binos?  You should get a camera!".  Like a guide and an app, they're both useful tools but they aren't interchangeable and they aren't mutually exclusive.  It's easy to use and enjoy both.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Charlie Spencer