Fall 06 Bird ID Thread

[Loupey]

You crazy guy

ID these two. Can't seem to get a concensus between the wife and I here.

The first one runs up the side of a tree like a son of gun. Small.

The second one has a head like it wants to be gold finch but the wings are different.

[paulnj]

brown creeper and goldfinch in winter plumage. Brown creepers have a very faint high pitched call and are actually there wintering

[Lava Lamp]

I haven't seen one of these before, but I think I know what it is, but haven't confirmed it yet...

[Lava Lamp]

Not a wild bird, although I suppose they are still wild in South America.

[Lava Lamp]

Groan...

[paulnj]

tough call, but that's a young common moorhen

[paulnj]

Blue and gold macaw and barred owl(is that wild?)

[Lava Lamp]

Blue and gold macaw and barred owl(is that wild?)

While I have seen and photographed a few wild barred owls, this one is not. He is a resident of a halfway house for injured birds. I think he damaged his wing in a tussle with a power line.

[Mike T]

Nice day yesterday so I took a walk, didn't see a big variety of birds but saw enough to keep me happy. This first Sparrow wouldn't let me get close so this is about as good as it gets. The second shot I stood in one spot for about twenty minutes and this bird came up from under some thick brush. I think I'm going to have to ask Santa for a Sparrow book this Christmas.
Mike

[Lava Lamp]

That second shot is nice -- 'bout as good as it gets.

[Lava Lamp]

Saw many, many of these in Central FL last week.

[Lava Lamp]

Nice and close.

[Lava Lamp]

Remember this guy?

[paulnj]

Mike,

That first image is a fox sparrow. An a few easy ways to ID them in the field is... Large in size and brick red color streaking and main body color. We get the Tiaga subspecies mostly(from ontario area)

The last nearly fooled me, so don't feel bad. I had to go to my Sibley to make sure it wasn't a Lincoln's sparrow. That is a Song sparrow you have in image 2.

[paulnj]

Double crested cormorant, redtailed hark and a grey phase eastern screech owl.

Nice image this week everyone!

[paulnj]

This seems to be THE SPARROW BOOK to own, though I have never seen it.
http://press.princeton.edu/titles/7446.html

This in my areas local NJ audubon center in bernardsville. call them and ask if the have "sparrows and finches of ontario by Chris earley" and "warblers of ontario by Chris Earley"

Those two POCKET guides are a must have for eastern US birders who need help ID'ing sparrows or warblers in the field!

Honestly, I live 3 miles from the center, but never go there. They all know me well, so if they have one, I can get a member's discount(won't be much on a book though) for you if you'd like to go there and get one or both.

[Copy_Kot]

Three different types of gulls? I always guessed the brown one is a mix.

[paulnj]

left to right..

herring gull - most likely adult but I can't see the bill, so it may be a 3rd winter gull.

behind it is an adult great black-backed gull

RIGHT gull is a young(juvenile going into it's first winter molt) great black-backed gull.

most ,if not all, gulls have 4 distinct winter plumages because they take 4 years to mature to adulthood.

[Copy_Kot]

Thanks Paul

So I went out and bought a field guide to help with ID's, Loupey is right.... this is ADDICTING! The only birds in the guide that these look similar too are some kind of merganser or grebe... LOL. the pics in the field guide are too small

[paulnj]

Mixed flock(male/female) of winter plumage common mergansers.

Bottom right... male(closer) with a female behind him.

So what book did you get?

[Copy_Kot]

Thanks again Paul,

It is the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Birds (Eastern Region). The guide is ok, but most of the pictures are in 4 inch by 4 inch frames and a lot are even smaller. I also wish I didn't have to flip from the front of the book to the back to find out about habitat and etc.

[paulnj]

That's a decent book.