Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Identify These Mystery Birds!

I stink at bird identification!  Won't you please help me with these UFO's!  Most of these birds are the victims of 1) bad lighting 2) blurry photo 3) strange position that obscures distinguishing features otherwise known as "Branch in the Face" or "Bird Butt" 4) it looks like something common but something is off like coloring or size and I desperately want it to be something else! 5) it's a sparrow and I just can't figure out which kind.

P.S.  If you help me, I will give you a shout out on the next installment of this blog and tell all my friends on Facebook to follow your blog.  Thank you!

Here follow my Mystery Birds otherwise known as the Top 40 Most Annoying Birds Ever:
#1  Pine Warbler or Yellow throated Vireo?

#2 Another Piney?
#3 Whoa, super morph

#4 Sparrow--please don't say chipping.


#5 Nice eye ring, is it a ruby crowned kinglet? It's a wonderful picture of that pine needle.


#6 Someone told me this was a female goldfinch.

#7 This was in a tree with a bunch of robins and cedar wax wings.  The scale is all weird.
 I can't tell if it's a hawk, an owl or a blue jay.

#8 Probably a junco, but I want it to be a black headed blue warbler.

#9 Not a clue.

#10 Someone also told me this was a goldfinch.  Nooooooooo!

#11 Ooh, silhouette!  Could it please be a catbird?

#12 Argggh!

#13 Probably yellow rumped, but could it possibly be something else?

#14 Phoebe?

#15 In Virginia in Summer.  How could you EVER tell what it is from this angle?

#16 Darn sparrows.

#17 Fox sparrow?

#18  I thought maybe it was a baby robin, but it's so big for a baby.

#19 At the time I thought this was a female shiny cowbird.

#20 Good luck with this one!

#21 Weird crouching position.

#22

#23

#24 This may be an alternate view of #23 above.


#25 This is in Florida.  There were lots of positively identified Palm Warblers and Swamp Sparrows nearby.

#27 Warbler, please, warbler.


#28 May be the same as crouching bird above #21.

#29 May be the same as above.

#30 May be the same as above.



#32 Oh, Foxy, why do I even ask?

#33 Short Willet in deep sand?

#34 Fox again? These sparrows get on my nerves!

#35 I tell everyone this is a Red Cockaded Woodpecker.  Whadyathink?

#36 I think it's a Myrtle Yellow Rumped Warbler. Blah.

#37 Prothonotary Warbler or Yellow Warbler?



#40 Three views of what I think is a Winter Wren.

#41 Female Yellow Rump?  In Florida you'd think it would be something more exotic.

1 comment:

  1. Hey Jill! Just gonna go down the list here:

    Pine Warbler
    Pine Warbler
    Young Northern Cardinal
    Non-breeding Chipping Sparrow
    Pine Warbler
    Non-breeding American Goldfinch
    Not sure... tough photo!
    Yellow-rumped Warbler
    Pine Warbler
    Non-breeding American Goldfinch
    Gray Catbird
    Tufted Titmouse
    Yellow-rumped Warbler
    Eastern Phoebe
    Unsure...
    Song Sparrow
    Song Sparrow
    Carolina Wren
    Female Brown-headed Cowbird
    White-eyed Vireo
    Female Indigo Bunting
    Eastern Phoebe
    Weird angle... White-throated Sparrow, I think
    Looks like a leucistic White-throated Sparrow
    Palm Warbler
    White-eyed Vireo
    Northern Parula
    Female American Redstart
    Same as above
    Unsure
    Willet
    Fox Sparrow
    Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
    Yellow-rumped Warbler
    Pine Warbler
    Carolina Wren
    Carolina Wren
    Carolina Wren
    Palm Warbler

    Hope this helps!

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