Florida/Texas road trip bird ID help #14

[riverpoet]

Hi all,

some Aransas ducks and then on to Anahuac which I liked a lot! (but am now afraid it won't yield many lifers)

1) Male Gadwall?
Location:  Aransas NWR

 

2) Scaups, but which ones, Lesser seem more common?
Location:  Aransas NWR

 

3) One strange bukly bird, it looked much larger than a sparrow. Oh no, don't tell me its just a Mockingbirding in a strange pose???
Location:  Anahuac NWR, Willows Trail

 

4) Ehhh... Song Sparrow?
Location:  Anahuac NWR, Willows Trail

 

5) Hopefully not a Blue-gray Gnatcatcher? (got that one elsewhere)
Location:  Anahuac NWR, Willows Trail

 

Thanks,

Peter

 

 

[Kevin]

1 Gadwall.

2 Pass.

3 Northern Mockingbird.

4 I think so.

5 Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

[birdbrain22]

All your IDs are correct... except 2b might be a Greater IMO(head looks rounded and bill wide).

[Jerry Friedman]

I'd be willing to call the first scaup a Greater and the adult males in the third and fourth pictures Lesser.  Someone will be along soon to identify the others.

[AlexHenry]

1. Gadwall

2. Lesser Scaups - pretty sure all of them are Lesser, although I'm less sure of the first 2 pictures

3. Northern Mockingbird

4. Song Sparrow

5. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

[Tony Leukering]

I believe that all the scaup are Lessers. Yes one seems to have a rounded head, but posture is ephemeral. The head is notably taller than deep (front to back), which is a Lesser feature. Of course, I could be wrong, too.

 

[blackburnian]

I would say all the Scaup look like Lesser, although I agree 2b is the most questionable.

[riverpoet]

Thanks, I'll mark them as Lesser.