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Rotten Cookies posted:Hey bird nerds, can I get some help on an ID? My friend sent me this picture asking if I knew what sort of bird it was. It was taken in a backyard on Long Island, New York. The closest I've looked at is a Cassin's Vireo, but that would be way out of range. Nashville Warbler is close, too, but this bird has a more distinct white eye/face region and the white outline on the wing feathers (I don't know the proper term for this, lacing?) I asked him how it was behaving, but he didn't remember anything or take notice. Sorry if this isn't a lot to go on. I'm only just trying my hand at the bird thing, really. It could be a juvenile something, but I don't know. Looks pretty good for Blue-headed Vireo, which used to be same species as Cassin's. (the old Solitary vireo)
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# ? Oct 29, 2014 21:04 |
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# ? May 15, 2024 03:14 |
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Moon Potato posted:Does this vary depending on whether it's breeding season? First, that's a great video. Please keep up the good work! Second, as far as I know Dr. Gurd's fieldwork only happened during the breeding season, and all of the reasoning and discussion he put forward had to do with resource partitioning and reproductive effort - Coots are jerks because they have so many very very hungry mouths to feed in the summer. I'm not surprised they're pretty chill at Arcata at this time of year. Between the apparent richness of that environment (i.e. lots of things for ducks and coots to eat) and the absence of chicks, Dr. Gurd's theory predicts they'll tone the aggro way down. Maybe Wood Ducks are just always dickheads?
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# ? Oct 30, 2014 02:55 |
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ExecuDork posted:Maybe Wood Ducks are just always dickheads?
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# ? Oct 30, 2014 08:45 |
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Keep in mind that many ducks court and form pairs in winter, so maybe they are a little more amped up than you would expect. Coots are pretty much the most interesting thing around during the breeding season. Bruce Lyon (UC Santa Cruz) and his students have done a ton of work on brood parasitism, parental favoritism and infanticide, etc.
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# ? Oct 30, 2014 17:48 |
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Looks pretty good for Blue-headed Vireo, which used to be same species as Cassin's. (the old Solitary vireo) Hey, thanks! I didn't know about that split into two species. Weird that only Cassin's was showing up for me. It was really throwing me off because I knew it looked so drat similar, but was out of range by 1 midwest US and most of the eastern US. Do any of you use free birding apps on your phones? The Merlin one is pretty neat in its IDing. It asks for location, date, approximate size, colors, and broadly the behavior (wading, soaring, on the ground, at a feeder, on a fence) then gives you a list of possible birds, each with a few pictures as well as some samples on calls and songs. I do like it. It has about 400 species in there. I was just wondering what else people use. Maybe I'll find something better? For more bird stuff, I saw a Barred Owl for the first time, by accident. Scared the poo poo out of me. I can definitely see how people might think it an alien when not in the right state of mind.
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# ? Oct 30, 2014 18:30 |
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Sounds like Merlin got you pretty close- maybe the location services was not working? Not bad actually. I've played with it a couple of times and it seemed to do pretty well with common stuff. I have iBird, Sibley, and Peterson's. At least iBird has an 'ID me' function but I've never played with it, and I'm not sure if it's in the free or lite version. Peterson's is not the first app I turn too but one nice feature is it retains the full-page plates with multiple species which can make it easier to compare. Also, it goes on super-sale periodically. If you get into birding , it won't be too long before you'll get a sense of what general type of bird it is (warbler vs. vireo vs. sparrow), and then having a more traditional birding app is nice because you can jump right to those birds. btw- Plumbeous Vireo is also party of the old Solitary Vireo complex, so it actually got split into Eastern, Rockies, and Western species.
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# ? Oct 30, 2014 18:51 |
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Ugh. There are currently (or were as recently as yesterday) a Eurasian Hobby, 7 Tropical Kingbirds, and a Brambling about a four hour drive from me and I can't go
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# ? Oct 30, 2014 21:42 |
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Moon Potato posted:Does this vary depending on whether it's breeding season? I'm used to seeing coots in places where they're a winter resident (Oakland and Arcata, California), and they don't seem any more aggressive than the other waterfowl. In fact, they seem a bit more timid than the Mallards, teals and wigeons when a hawk or falcon makes a pass over the area. Right now, there are large flocks of coots commingling pretty peacefully with everything else at Arcata Marsh. We get them year round in Arizona and here they tend to act like Dork's post, complete and utter assholes that are a blast to watch. I'm not sure if it's much different outside of city parks and riparian parks but I notice them be mostly dicks to each other with minor kerfuffles with mallards/ring necks/etc sprinkled in. I agree with the other goon that mentioned it, their kick fights are the best thing. small-2439 by jankyangles, on Flickr
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# ? Oct 30, 2014 21:46 |
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Things are looking good for Pine Grosbeak migration this year. I'm in Edmonton and yesterday I was out at one of the parks they hang around in the winter with a couple other bird photographers and saw 2 pairs. We didn't get any last year, due to good berry and cone crops up north.
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# ? Nov 3, 2014 17:03 |
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What kind of park / where did you see those Grosbeaks, neckbeard? I'm in Saskatoon and I realized today that I haven't gone out specifically to look for birds in ages. A species that I've never really had a good look at before is a perfect excuse to get out and freeze my rear end off. My GF and I tried to see what was going on in the Last Mountain Lake Wildlife Refuge on our way back by scenic route from Regina yesterday. Surprsingly - to me - we saw a Great Blue Heron, a Northern Harrier, and a big Buteo that we *think* was a Harlan's Hawk (subspecies of Red-Tailed); I had thought all the migrators had migrated by now, but there are plenty of ducks and geese still around in addition to the occassional raptor. Then we got stuck in some muddy ruts on the "road" (dirt track) that we foolishly drove down. The tow-truck driver forgot to hang up and we could hear him loudly cursing us as idiots for going out looking for (deleted) birds without even a (deleted) four-by-four (deleted) (deleted) after I explained why were down that particular bit of not-road.
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# ? Nov 3, 2014 23:01 |
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I dunno, your average Edmonton river valley park, I guess. https://www.google.ca/maps/@53.5327135,-113.5485286,1016m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en
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# ? Nov 4, 2014 04:23 |
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We're now getting tons of Pine Grosbeaks in Edmonton now. Last weekend I just saw 2 pairs, but yesterday at the same park there were at least 30 females. Was hoping to see some Redpolls as well, but none yet
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# ? Nov 10, 2014 14:39 |
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Bird fans, my wife and I just witnessed a raptor of some sort swoop in and nab the squirrel my wife had been watching across the street. I've looked through my field guides though, and I'm not sure what it was. It was mostly brown with some mottling on the back, with a prominent white patch on the neck and upper chest. It looked like some pictures of juvenile red tailed hawks, but would they still have juvenile plumage this late in the year?
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# ? Nov 13, 2014 20:05 |
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Where are you? Location is a big part of narrowing in on a bird ID.
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# ? Nov 13, 2014 21:00 |
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Red-tailed hawk is the 'default' hawk for most locations in North America, and juveniles will keep their colouring through the winter into at least their first spring moult. So on balance (pending location info) the likelihood is it's a juvenile RTH.
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# ? Nov 13, 2014 21:38 |
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ExecuDork posted:Where are you? Location is a big part of narrowing in on a bird ID. Whoops, I forgot about that part. I live in Salem, Oregon.
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# ? Nov 14, 2014 19:04 |
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Anyone played with the new ebird Targets? Seems like if you've got a reasonable approximation of your bird list into eBird, it would allow you to see what new birds would be easily seen if you travel to a new area.
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# ? Nov 14, 2014 19:35 |
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eBird targets is basically the last major feature I had hoped for on eBird. I do a fair amount of traveling and previously I had to generate a graph for the area I was visiting and piece through it looking for lifers. It does occasionally generate some odd data when you make the sample size small. I'm pretty sure I don't stand much chance of seeing an Iceland Gull in Louisiana next week. Just don't use it to investigate places you went when you weren't a very good birder. I spent a couple weeks in Grand Canyon and Zion NP's when I first started birding. I was heavily on the lookout for cool birds and yet somehow missed a ton of common birds that I still haven't seen to this day. BeastOfExmoor fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Nov 15, 2014 |
# ? Nov 15, 2014 18:58 |
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I went to Ashbridges Bay in Toronto today with my partner (she's the hardcore birder, I'm more casual). There were the usual assorted Bufflehead (cute as heck ducks), Long Tailed ducks (females look like juggalos), and Mergansers, Scaup, etc. bobbing around on the lake, and some aggressive chickadees landing on us looking for a handout. The main highlights were a mixed flock of redpoll and pine siskin gorging on alder seeds. Oh and a rough legged hawk that flew over just after we arrived! Seems all the arctic species have started to be driven south by the recent weather.
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# ? Nov 21, 2014 23:10 |
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One Swell Foop posted:Red-tailed hawk is the 'default' hawk for most locations in North America, and juveniles will keep their colouring through the winter into at least their first spring moult. I just got some pictures of a raptor in my back yard, and it's probably an RTH. But is a Coopers Hawk possible? The pics I see online can be confusing. I'm south of Cleveland.
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# ? Nov 25, 2014 16:51 |
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How big was it? Coopers is about the size of a crow, RTH is much bigger.
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# ? Nov 25, 2014 16:56 |
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ExecuDork posted:How big was it? Coopers is about the size of a crow, RTH is much bigger. My impression was that it was bigger than a crow (and we have quite a few of those around), but I'm not sure if I'd say much bigger. But I just went back to the spot where I took the picture, and now I'd say it was maybe a foot to a foot and a half tall, in other words, it could have been the size of a big crow.
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# ? Nov 25, 2014 17:01 |
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Looks like a Red-shouldered Hawk to me.
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# ? Nov 25, 2014 17:31 |
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Looks like a Red-shouldered Hawk to me. I think you are the winner.
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# ? Nov 25, 2014 21:36 |
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Tangentially related, but this upcoming Lego set should be of interest to bird nerds (x-post from Lego thread).ixnay posted:The Birds idea set is already revealed. $45, 580 pieces, comes out in January as a set with 3 birds:
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# ? Nov 28, 2014 17:12 |
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I'm going to be driving down from Seattle to San Fran starting tomorrow, and was wondering if anyone had some good birding recommendations? We're in no hurry, though we'll likely hit the 5 as far as southern Oregon before picking up the 101 and 1 once in California. Arcata marsh is one place we're planning on hitting, but other than that we're pretty much winging it, with no real itinerary or pressing schedule.
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# ? Nov 29, 2014 07:09 |
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Oh wow, I didn't even know this thread existed. I guess I recognize a lot of the regulars in here from the bird photography thread over in Dorkroom. I did my first "go find specific birds" chase today, going after a snowy owl in at the marina in Edmonds, WA (didn't find it) and a american white pelican in Lake Sammamish right next to the State Park boat jetty (found it!). The pelican is quite rare up here west of the Cascades.
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# ? Dec 1, 2014 06:05 |
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Kenshin posted:Oh wow, I didn't even know this thread existed. I guess I recognize a lot of the regulars in here from the bird photography thread over in Dorkroom. My partner saw the snowy at Edmonds (I think she saw the same list as you). Got a few photos but it's hard to see if they're any good on the camera LCD. There were lots of people out to see it. She wasn't sure if it was all together all right, it looked like it was panting a lot. There looks like maybe some blood around its mouth? But that may have been from a recent meal. We'll have to check the photos once we're back home at the computer. We made it to Arcata this evening, stopping at Emigrant Lake in Oregon. No golden eagles (though one maybe flew high overhead when we were on the interstate), but we got some good views of a kestrel, a prairie falcon, acorn woodpeckers, and assorted little birds like Western bluebirds, golden crowned sparrows, juncos and probably lesser goldfinches. It's absolutely gorgeous country down there.
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# ? Dec 1, 2014 06:58 |
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That's not good news, there was chatter on the list about possible fishing line hanging from the owl's mouth.
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# ? Dec 1, 2014 07:04 |
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I need a bit of advice here, though it might be just as appropriate for the birding photography thread. I'm trying to find a (legal and ethical) way of getting close enough to Tufted Puffins (on land) to get good photos of them. So far my best idea is volunteering to help do some of the grunt work inherent in research in exchange for getting close to them during nesting season. There is a professor who works out of the University of Puget Sound who is one of the few people allowed to go to Protection Island and Tatoosh Island, two of the very few places near Seattle where the puffins nest. Alternative ideas? My next best idea is flying up to Sitka, AK, and hiring a local with a boat, but that seems like something that would need substantially more research to be anything more than a total crapshoot. Does anyone else have any experience with something like this? Obviously I could go on a peliagic tour and hope for the best but that isn't really what I'm going for here as I'd like to get non-flying, non-swimming pictures.
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# ? Dec 1, 2014 23:26 |
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Kenshin posted:I need a bit of advice here, though it might be just as appropriate for the birding photography thread. Keep in mind that field assistant pay ranges from low to "I provide the food and a place to sleep", kind of the academic equivalent to the much-derided concept of "exposure for your work" or "contacts and networking". The Alaska option is not bad. There are certainly locals in Sitka who know where to go for good bird photos, they'll have taken people out before. This will be pretty expensive, like at least a few hundred bucks a day if you hire a guide for just yourself, but if you bring a friend (or two) you can split costs. Wildlife-watching tours (birds, whales, Sitka probably has bear tours, too - especially when the salmon are running) are easier on the wallet but you'll have fewer opportunities to get really close and you lose most of the control - the tour goes where the tour operators think are good places, and they are mostly not photographers. They'll accomodate reasonable requests, though, especially if you spell out what you're looking for ahead of time.
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# ? Dec 2, 2014 00:10 |
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We spent half the day in Arcata Marsh today, what an amazing birding spot! Now I know how Moon Potato gets all his incredible photos! It's definitely worth the drive from wherever you're at. We even saw the white tailed kite! Beautiful bird. Tomorrow we're either going to hit Point Reyes or San Pablo Bay, depending on what the weather is doing.
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# ? Dec 2, 2014 06:18 |
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Linedance posted:We spent half the day in Arcata Marsh today, what an amazing birding spot! Hah, I was just coming here to tell you that the kites have started roosting in the marsh again. I'm glad you got to see one. Thanks for the compliments! If anyone else is planning a trip, I'm happy to try to help people find their wish list of birds at Arcata Marsh or other hotspots in the area.
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# ? Dec 3, 2014 02:10 |
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Sup bird people. We're experimenting a bit and going to drop this thread in Pet Island for a bit. If it doesn't work out, let me know.
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# ? Dec 3, 2014 02:58 |
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Could use some help id'ing this guy: kingbird sp1 by Ruth O Birds, on Flickr We think he's a tropical kingbird, but he's definitely a vagrant if he is. When flycatching off his post, he didn't have the black tail or dark back like a western kingbird, and his tail was quite long. He was seen near one of the ranches on the way to the lighthouse at Point Reyes near San Francisco.
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# ? Dec 3, 2014 07:44 |
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Linedance posted:Could use some help id'ing this guy: Sure looks like one. Doesn't have the grey band across its breast of a Western or Cassin's and the grey chin is too pale to be a Cassin's. Looks like it's rare but not unheard-of, my Sibley guide lists it as a rare visitor all the way up the Pacific coast to Vancouver Island
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# ? Dec 3, 2014 07:55 |
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Kenshin posted:I need a bit of advice here, though it might be just as appropriate for the birding photography thread.
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# ? Dec 3, 2014 09:29 |
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Linedance posted:Could use some help id'ing this guy: I think so. Couch's seems like a slight possibility as well but I don't see these often enough to know what descriptors like "more colorful" means. There's been a Tropical around Walnut Creek all winter, and there's usually one or two in the area most years. There was a cooperative scissor-tailed flycatcher in Half-moon Bay- I'll be interested to see if it stayed through the storms. I've seen them before in Oklahoma and Texas, but it's been a while, and I'd love a photo. Pablo Booth posted:Chris Dodds runs a workshop to place called Saint Paul Island in Alaska that includes Tufted Puffins, although it's not exactly cheap. There's a small town on the island so you could try arranging your own trip. I posted this in the other thread- St. Paul is pretty remote but has some nice birding and photography opportunities. Besides seabirds (including Red-legged Kittiwakes and Thick-billed Murres that can be hard to find elsewhere), there's blue-morph Arctic Foxes and a big fur-seal colony. If you are really into listing, it's a good place to try for vagrant species from Asia. BetterLekNextTime fucked around with this message at 17:21 on Dec 3, 2014 |
# ? Dec 3, 2014 17:17 |
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Slo-Tek posted:Sup bird people. We're experimenting a bit and going to drop this thread in Pet Island for a bit. If it doesn't work out, let me know. Does this mean we all need to add Melopsittacus undulatus to our life lists?
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# ? Dec 3, 2014 18:19 |
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# ? May 15, 2024 03:14 |
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BetterLekNextTime posted:
Now we're in pets, presumably this would be the ideal time to muse that pet cats are an ecological disaster...
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# ? Dec 3, 2014 23:06 |