15 replies to this topic

[David Case]

Thanks for the previous IDs folks! Here is round two. You would absolutely not believe how much house cleaning I am avoiding doing by engaging in this wonderful activity.
1 Western Kingbird
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Eugene, OR
2010:07:22 09:50:18


2 Unknown - I'm stumped on this one. It was taken in the Cascade Mountains if that helps.
Cascade Lakes Hwy, OR
2010:07:30 13:52:14


3 Virginia Rail
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Eugene, OR
2010:08:07 09:28:50


4 American Dipper juvenile - My best guess. One of my local books said that juvies of this species have spotted breasts (no photo though) and the shape looks right.
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Eugene, OR
2010:08:07 10:42:30


5 Hairy Woodpecker - This bird looks a little larger than the Downy Woodpeckers I've seen so I am going with Hairy.
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Eugene, OR
2010:08:07 11:10:39


6 Pectoral Sandpiper - I had this one down as a Short-billed Dowitcher (ouch!) but it looks most like a Pectoral to me now.
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Eugene, OR
2010:08:16 09:27:36


7 Sora
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Eugene, OR
2010:08:16 10:52:31


8 Marsh Wren? - For some reason all these little brown birds are looking like Marsh Wrens to me today.
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Eugene, OR
2010:08:24 07:52:03


9 Female duck - I am terrible with most ducks.
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Eugene, OR
2010:08:26 08:33:52


10 Hope its not a female Redwing Blackbird!
Fern Ridge Wildlife Area, Eugene, OR
2010:08:27 08:46:45

[fisherman1313]

1. Western Kingbird
2. Could be a juvie Gray Jay, but the bill color is wrong
3. Virginia Rail
4. Juvie European Starling
5. Downy Woodpecker, bill is too short for Hairy
6. Pass
7. Sora
8. Juvie Brown-headed Cowbird
9. Blue-winged Teal, I think
10. Female Red-winged Blackbird

[Pat B.]

Concur with Fisherman on #s 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10. Pass on the rest.

David, #8 is much to heavy/thick for a Marsh Wren, which are tiny, dainty little birds with upturned tails and thin bills.

And, of course, you knew that as soon as you said you hoped #10 wasn't a Redwing, it had to be. The shape of the bill clinches it.

[David Case]

1. Western Kingbird
2. Could be a juvie Gray Jay, but the bill color is wrong
3. Virginia Rail
4. Juvie European Starling
5. Downy Woodpecker, bill is too short for Hairy
6. Pass
7. Sora
8. Juvie Brown-headed Cowbird
9. Blue-winged Teal, I think
10. Female Red-winged Blackbird

Concur with Fisherman on #s 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10. Pass on the rest.

David, #8 is much to heavy/thick for a Marsh Wren, which are tiny, dainty little birds with upturned tails and thin bills.

And, of course, you knew that as soon as you said you hoped #10 wasn't a Redwing, it had to be. The shape of the bill clinches it.

Thanks to the both of you. Pat, you are correct, the bill and the breast/belly markings both suggested female Redwing to me, but the orange color in the face threw me off. Apparently there is quite a bit of variation in that regard. They don't generally appear so colorful. The strong lighting may have had something to do with it as well. Besides, I was hoping for something new.

[Liam]

I can confirm your Pectoral Sandpiper.

[David Case]

I can confirm your Pectoral Sandpiper.

Sweet. Thanks, Liam! It's nice to get a hard one right every once in a while.

I am leaning towards Blue-winged Teal for #9. It shows the dark eye line which Sibley points out and which is lacking in the Cinnamon Teal. That leaves #2. I am really and truly stumped on that one. Any ideas, anyone?

[Totah Sam]

Wonderful photos by the way. TOTALLY jealous.

[psweet]

Given the size of the bill on #9, I lean towards Cinnamon Teal. On #5, you can see dark barring on the outer tail feathers on the left side -- which is another mark for Downy.

[Liam]

#9 is too proportionate for Blue-winged Teal, particularly the bill, as psweet noted. Also, Blue-winged Teals are usually paler than this.
#2 is a juvie Gray Jay

[birdbrain22]

I like Cinnamon Teal based on the size of the bill. I also agree with juvie Gray Jay for #2. I think all the others have been ID'd.

[David Case]

Wonderful photos by the way. TOTALLY jealous.

Thanks! Not sure about the jealous part though.

[David Case]

Given the size of the bill on #9, I lean towards Cinnamon Teal. On #5, you can see dark barring on the outer tail feathers on the left side -- which is another mark for Downy.

Thanks for the Downy tip, psweet. As to the Cinnamon/Blue-winged I will defer to you all. Would this be a female?

#9 is too proportionate for Blue-winged Teal, particularly the bill, as psweet noted. Also, Blue-winged Teals are usually paler than this.
#2 is a juvie Gray Jay

Thanks, Liam. #2 was giving me headaches.

I like Cinnamon Teal based on the size of the bill. I also agree with juvie Gray Jay for #2. I think all the others have been ID'd.

Yep, that wraps it up. Thanks everyone! Now on to Round Three.

[psweet]

Yes, the teal's either a female or a HY male -- an eclipse male would still show red eyes.

[David Case]

Yes, the teal's either a female or a HY male -- an eclipse male would still show red eyes.

psweet - just to confirm terminology: is 'HY' hybrid? (doesn't seem right) and does 'eclipse' mean transitioning out of breeding plumage?

[psweet]

Sorry. Okay, eclipse plumage is something you only find in ducks. Since they lose all of their flight feathers at once in late summer, they are flightless and therefore vulnerable to predators. Bad thing to be if you're brightly colored like a male duck. So, the males molt in a female-like plumage that they hold for a month or two (for the most part, that is. N. Shovelers will slowly molt back into breeding plumage through the winter, and Long-tailed Ducks have a regular winter plumage, on a schedule similar to a lot of songbirds.)

And HY is bander lingo for Hatch Year, in other words, it would have hatched out this summer. I'm not really sure how the term juvenile translates with ducks, so I figured I'd use the term I was sure of.

[David Case]

Sorry. Okay, eclipse plumage is something you only find in ducks. Since they lose all of their flight feathers at once in late summer, they are flightless and therefore vulnerable to predators. Bad thing to be if you're brightly colored like a male duck. So, the males molt in a female-like plumage that they hold for a month or two (for the most part, that is. N. Shovelers will slowly molt back into breeding plumage through the winter, and Long-tailed Ducks have a regular winter plumage, on a schedule similar to a lot of songbirds.)

And HY is bander lingo for Hatch Year, in other words, it would have hatched out this summer. I'm not really sure how the term juvenile translates with ducks, so I figured I'd use the term I was sure of.

No problem, thanks for clarifying. I can definitely see that if you are going to be grounded for a while it would be better not to be brightly colored. It would be interesting to know if the predation rate is higher, and if so by how much, during the eclipse period.