With that said, I am going to post some photos, of different birds, for those that want to play or learn their names.
For many years I over looked all that was going on in nature. It took a camera for me to get interested in a lot of different critters and birds, which I now look back on with deep regret.
I know there are a lot like me, but I also know there are others that do see bowhunting as a learning opportunity in every direction!
So if you know the bird, name it and tell us a bit about its habits and way to ID it if you can.
I will post 10 and once they are identified correctly, I will post 10 more if there is any interest.
I also encourage any of you with bird photos to post them, put a different number to them and see who can ID it. We all can learn our birds better if you do. Thanks in advance.
This is bird no. 1 Western Tanager-male.
Bird no. 6 Yellow Rump Wabler
Michael
Michael
If any of you have some bird photos and want to post them and have Bowsiters ID them please feel free to do so. Then we can all learn a bit more about birds.
I have to run now but will check back in later. And thanks to all who respond.
Have a great bow hunt. BB
2. Swainson's hawk
3. Stellar's jay
4. Red-tail hawk
5. American kestrel
6. Golden winged warbler
Great photo's, I think birds are the most difficult to capture, especially small ones.
Zeik you right on 1, 3, 4, 5, but wrong on 2 and 6.
I have to run but will check in later. Again thanks for participating.
Have a great bow hunt. BB
8. ?
9. Mountain blue bird
10. ?
No. 2 correctly ID as a Red tail hawk (its immature)
No. 3 correctly ID as a Stellar's Jay
No. 4 Correctly ID as a mature Red Tail Hawk.
No. 5 Correctly ID as an American Kestrel.
No. 6, no correct ID on those birds yet.
No. 7 Correctly ID as a Western Screech Owl.
No. 8 is a Thrasher, but what kind?
No 9 Correctly ID as a Western Scrub Jay.
No. 10 no correct ID yet.
I love this thread! I'm glad I'm not the only one who brings a bird book in my pack.
Edited after consultation! Ha!
Here's a close up of Z1.
Z4. Here's a strange one. Found dead on top of a ridge in the northern CO front range. No idea how it got there.
Michael
#6. Yellow rumped warbler
#8. Sage Thrasher
??
Z1 Sharp Shinned Hawk
Z4 looks like a Western Grebe
Here's No. 11 Chipping Sparrow
Got to go walk my dog, but I will check in when I get back. Let's see if you some of you can get these last five correctly ID before I get back. BB
Z4 - I would think it may have been dropped by a hawk or something - the reason I say that is, a good friend of mine was driving along and a squirrel came falling to earth right in front of his car - no trees, no nothing around - looked around and the only thing he saw was a hawk flying. Didn't mean to hi-jack thread - just idea.
14...dark eyed junco
"Yellow-rumped Warbler 5-6" (13-15 cm). Breeding male dull bluish above, streaked with black; breast and flanks blackish. Rump, crown, and small area at sides of breast yellow. Western male ("Audubon's Warbler") has yellow throat, large white patch in folded wing."- http://birds.audubon.org/birds/yellow-rumped-warbler
14 dark eyed junco 15 great horned owl 12 already named- Spotted towehee 11 chipping sparrow -?
13. Female Bullock's Oriole?
14. Dark-eyed Junco
15. Long-eared Owl
PA1 (Northern MN) Great Gray Owl
PA3 (Nebraska) Upland Sandpiper
PA4 (CA coast) Heermann's Gull
PA5 (CA coast) Short-billed Dowitcher
PA9 (CA coast) Sanderling
I want to thank all of you who are following and adding to this thread. When one is out, its pretty easy to see quite a few birds and it adds to our experience if we get to learn a bit about what we are seeing.
As of yet no one has got number 13. Here's a hint. Its the female of its species.
Amoebus thanks for contributing to this thread. That owl photo is fantastic. I love owls!
PA10 (Central MN) Ring-billed Gull
PA11 - Cedar Waxwing
PA11...cedar waxwing
13...Baltimore oriole..or Bullock's oriole
PA6 is not a boobie (hehe).
18 is a wonderful picture. I think it is a GH Owl.
Last summer, I had a trail cam out in hopes of getting deer pics, but I mostly got a bunch of "accidental bird pics" instead. It was amazing how many different species perched on the very strand of barbed wire right next to the camera even though that fence is about 3/4 of a mile long. They are trail cam quality instead of the professional type shots in this thread, but are pretty cool nonetheless. If only the camera had been turned just a bit more to the left . . .
Here's a link to those pics: Accidental Bird Pics Link
BB - 21 still has me working. 22-25 are best left so someone else can play. 25 actually took me way too long since we have those in MN also. All I could think about was a aging Chickadee with a receding hairline. It is hard to estimate size because your bird pictures actually fill up the screen...
23 is a chucker...
Yep, 24 is a killdeer
Your "Bird no. 5 American Kestrel" is a female, and your Z1 is a Sharp Shinned Hawk, what some refer to as Shinny Hawks...
Again thanks for the great post. BB
PA2...ruffed grouse?
Thanks for posting these guys, one of my favorite threads. After seeing this I'm going to make a conscious effort to photograph more birds in the woods this year.
Paul #4...Scaled quail?
Caracara
Avocet
Western Grebe
PA2 - not a ruffed grouse.
Paul's first raptor is a Harris Hawk, the one after is an African raptor, but can't remember the name, but I know it begins with a "C". They spend a lot of time on the ground....
Z4 is a western grebe, and I also figured it was dropped by a hawk or eagle.
No one got Z1 yet. It's a merlin.
Think bigger. Think Monty Python!
35. mourning dove
37. mountain bluebird.
39....Robin
40...Curlew
BB Bird no. 38, IS definitely a immature Coopers Hawk.... Goshawks, Coopers and Shinnies are Accipiters, (genus or type of hawk)...
Z9 looks like am immature Red Tail to me, but again, not enough exposed, but its definitely a broad wing buteo, if not young Red Tail, maybe a Ferruginous or Rough-legged hawk...
This bird is the Mexican National Bird.
Here is my last one titled, "what's for dinner".
My best, Paul
When I was a kid we raised an American Kestrel that fell from a nest in a storm. Ate all sorts of raw meat like crazy. Amazing how much he could eat. Let him go when he could fly. He stayed around for a while.
A couple of years ago I was in an antelope blind and had been taking photos of a cottontail rabbit. It got a bit too far from the blind, so I quit taking photos and just began to look for antelope out a different peak hole. When I looked back, to where I last saw the rabbit, here is what I saw.
Bird No. 41 Magpie (Lost Elk Finder)
#44 Willet - Was this a pretty tall bird - 14"? When it flew, did it have strong white/black coloring on the wings?
Edit: Brotsky - When I look at BB's pictures, I find it hard to get a relative size because they all fill up the entire screen. Stilt Sandpiper is pretty close to the picture, but it usually has a much more spotted belly than the Willet and the bill is noticably thinner. If you saw them together, there would be no mistaking them. The Willet would be a tank and the Stilt would be the mini-van.
BB bird 41 is a Magpie, 42 a Bald Eagle, and 45 a Grackle...
Being sort of a birder, and messing around with falconry as a younger man, I know raptors pretty good and upland gamebirds, but a lot of the little tweedy birds I'm not sure the names, or how to identify those closely related.... Some birds are closely related, yet different species or subspecies, although some of the hard core birders may be able to identify....
We had a yellow colored tweedy bird desperately trying to get in the house a couple springs ago and I'd never seen one before (that I can remember). But anyhow, it was very pretty and had a pretty song, yet I wasn't ever able to identify it via books and internet... It hung around a couple days, then disappeared never to return, and haven't seen one like it since....
For Gulls, I have to get a good look at the bill for colors and spots. Some gulls are hooded and leg color is important.
For Shorebirds, I need to need to divide them into small, medium and large. The bill length and curve then further differentiates them. The 'peeps' (small shorebirds) are VERY tough without a spotting scope.
Both Sparrows and Warblers too small to regularly identify visually without binoculars. The best way for both is to learn their calls.
Speaking of birds, checked my Bluebird nest boxes yesterday (I have 5 nest boxes out) and found one active with 5 eggs in it... Also have a Robin incubating eggs for the fifth day now on my bathroom window sill. She's annual, been nesting on that window sill the past 5 years... I assume it's the same bird, but don't know.... Every year I remove the nest after they fledge and every spring they build a new... It's amazing how quickly they build a next, less than two days...
One year I had 3 active Robin nests on my little acre and half of paradise. The annual one on bathroom window sill, another one on a window sill on the other side of the house, and another in a shrub bush up the hill. Had baby Robins bouncing around everywhere, except hard to keep the neighbors cats from killing them...
Currently all together, I have 1 squirrel nestbox (always active), 1 screech owl nestbox (grey squirrels have taken it over), one Kestrel nestbox (Starlings have taken it over), a bat box (never been active) 5 Eastern Bluebird nestboxes, (1 active), and half a dozen or so wren boxes, which usually all are annually active.... Been a bunch of baby wrens come from my yard...
47- Sage Sparrow
48- Osprey
49- Red Tailed Hawk
50- Avocet
The picture of the adult looks like a dude to me. If you look closely, you can see an orange stripe above the eyes. None of the females have this.
I was curious when you said that she flew in to scare you off. I found this blurb in the Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior:
'Ptarmigan tend to be monogamous, forming a pair bond prior to copulation and maintaining it through the nesting cycle. During this period, males watch for predators while females forage.'
Besides thinking it is a male, I don't have a good guess as to what kind it is. I have looked for the White-tailed in CO about 10 times and haven't found one (yet).
Have a great bow hunt. BB
I concur with elkmtngear on:
46- Raven
48- Osprey
49- Red Tailed Hawk
51 is some sort of a kite. Am not up on the species though...
52 and 53 is likely either Ferruginous or Rough-legged hawk depending on the size...
54 is a Goshawk... They're bad mofo's...
Sage|American Tree|Brewers|Clay-colored|Chipping|Grasshopper|Savannah|Vesper|Lark|Harris|White-throated|White-crowned|Fox|Song|Lincoln
The ones that can be quickly eliminated are Am Tree (only in winter), Clay-colored (no breast streaking, stronger white stripe above eye), Chipping (red cap, no streaking, black eye bar), Grasshopper (rufous on back, buffy yellow on breast), Lark (red on cheek, no streaking), Harris (black on face, breast), WT & WC (white patches on throat or head), Fox (red on back & breast streaking), Song (not a strong white eye ring and strong belly streaking) and Lincoln (buffy yellow on throat/breast).
Remaining:
Sage|Brewers|Savannah|Vesper
It doesn't look like an adult Sage, but the juvenile (May-Aug) doesn't show the strong dark cheeks and throat stripe. The juvenile also shows a lot of breast streaking. My guess is it isn't a Sage.
The Savannah in all ages show more breast streaking and darker crown. Also, they don't seem to have a strong of white eye-ring as your picture. Probably not a Savannah.
Both the Brewer's and Vesper have strong white eye rings. The adult Brewer's doesn't have breast streaking, but the juvenile does. The female adult Vesper has a lot of coloring similar to your picture.
To make things more complicated, each bird can have individual slight differences in coloring and patterns. Also, the colors soon after their spring molt will be brighter than after a couple of months of wear/tear.
So, I think I would narrow it down to those Brewer's or Vesper, but could be argued into a young Sage or Savannah. I think its call would have to be the determining factor.
What do you think it is?
There is a Gray Hawk that has the yellow base of the bill but is usually south of you. Do you have any pictures of the tail for that bird?
I am also impressed by Zbone and the other hawk experts. We have mainly RT Hawk here in MN and I have seen them from almost all white to black - well, belly anyway.
As others have mentioned, this is a wonderful way to spend a slow part of the hunting season for me. Save some for next year. I might have to dust off the camera and see if I can get a shot or two of warblers.
Hawks are another tough one in pictures, as size can be important. Also, there can be many color variations within each species which makes it even more challenging. Having said that here are my latest guesses: Number 51: Harris' Hawk (a total guess as I am not familar with that one, but the name comes to mind when looking at it) Number 52: Rough-legged Hawk Number 53: Redtailed Hawk Number 54: Goshawk
I personally don't believe bird 49 is a red tail, but rather the same kind of hawk as bird 51 with just a different morph. Both photos taken in Utah.
I took this photo just yesterday. Look close and you can see what yellow-headed black birds like to eat.
Have a great bow hunt. BB
I think #49 is a pretty color phase Red Tail though… He’s just fluffed up to keep warm, giving him a different appearance…8^) When I get a chance, I’ll post a pic I took of a Red Tail long distance with my cell phone…
Question – Is 52 and 53 the same bird?
That last picture, I’m gonna say is some species of blackbird. Which species, I couldn't say, but looks similar in shape and similar colors to a Baltimore Oriole which is a species of Blackbird…. I know it’s not and oriole, just saying looks similar…
Keep’m coming, I enjoy…
Thought 52 was a Rough-legged hawk, based on the color band on the breast. As that wasn't right, I will venture another guess of a Ferruginous Hawk. Hard to tell at that angle, but that would be my next best guess.
Nice to see all the pictures - terrific pictures too. Hope you keep them coming. We haven't seen many migrants yet where I am at (Canada). Snowing pretty hard here today - end of April and we have a snowfall warning! Sooner or later Spring might come!
Its the weekend and the wife and I clean the house on Saturday's. so I better get cleaning, but will try to add a few more birds later today.
Just to add a photo, I will post this bald eagle, whose photo I took last winter.
Have a great bow hunt. BB
Pulled these off the internet...
PS: Anybody got a picture of a Canadian Whiskey-Jack as I love to watch these birds come to the bait barrels while Spring Bear Hunting.
The hint below about seeing a Hummingbird in MN narrows it considerably because we have ONE regular Hummer. You guys in the West are lucky (for Hummers, not Warblers). Interesting that the adult Ruby-throats raise the young and then migrate leaving (mainly) only juveniles for a month.
This one was easy, but I will always find some Robins that overwinter here in MN - even in the coldest weather. As long as there is some open, running water over mud, they will survive on berries and worms?
I know, I know, its a turkey vulture, and termed Buzzard here, when they call a bird of prey much like our red tails over in England/Europe/Asia a Buzzard... Kinda like them calling a moose an elk,,, go figure...8^)
Many here also term Kestrels, as sparrow hawks, which is inaccurate for they a truly a small falcon, and a sparrow hawk is much like our Cooper/Shinny hawks over in the old countries...
Amoebus - You post some hard ones... I know PA12 is a species of hummingbird, and go out on a limb and say juvenile, Ruby Breasted....
Since we don't have many around, never could distinguish the difference in gulls, nor shorebirds, but those little tweedy birds look familiar, just never knew what they were called.... Thanx
Amoebus - PA13 is a tweedy bird...8^)
Edit: My buddy just looked at it and figures it is a Toronto Raptor!
BB - you are right. I mentioned somewhere in this thread that western version of the Yellow-rumped (Audubon) has the bright yellow throat. The Eastern version (Myrtle) has the white throat.
Amoebus - Would have to get a better look at the head and back of your PA25 flying raptor, but it is not an eagle, falcon, vulture, kite or harrier, but the silhouette is that of the classic soaring broadwing or Buteo's type hawk. As said before, raptors come in different color phases, so it is hard to tell without a better look, but it is definitely not a Red Tail...
BTW... Here is a picture of the window sill Robin’s nest taken through my bathroom window back on April 24th... I keep a piece of cardboard up on the inside of the window to keep from disturbing but I checked yesterday evening and a couple of the eggs have now hatched.
A pair of Flickers had made a nest in an old oil barrel. Since we have already done that bird, I won't post pictures for identification, but here's a couple of the the photos I took. I thought it was quite unique where they chose to nest.
Have a great bow hunt. BB
The End!
Have a great bow hunt. BB
Its been fun BB, thanx for sharing....
Better yet, come to MN for the next 3 weeks and you will become a warbler expert.
I will update my last pictures in case anyone wants to learn the LBJs (Little Brown Jobs).
BB60 looks like a White-crowned Sparrow.
Thanks to everyone who participated. Hopefully a few of us learned a bit about some birds we had seen but didn't know its name.
It would be good for someone to start a thread on vegetation that the critter we hunt eat, along with a photo of each so we can find out some of their favorite foods. I know hunting mule deer and bear, and elk, can be far more successful if you learn what they eat and where its at.
Have a great bow hunt. BB
