Quiz Bird!

So I sort of fell off the map recently due to getting sick, having a visitor, and working a lot after returning from NY. It may be a day early but I figured why not get the ball rolling now and post another quiz bird because last week I sort of dropped the ball. OOPS!

Here goes....

Answer to Quiz Bird

This weeks quiz bird was a juvenille Gray Jay. It is a dark gray bird with white on the malar. Structurally identical to the adult but without dark slaty gray overall.

Northern Mockingbird was another answer suggested by a few people - Northern Mockingbird juvenilles are almost the same as the adult but have some light spots on the breast for a brief period of time. The bill shape is also very different between Gray Jay and Northern Mockingbird.

This bird was seen in Pittsburg, NH on June 23rd, 2009.

Quiz Bird #6

Have at it folks...

Quiz Bird #5

Photo by: Lauren K.

So to make this more of a challenge I've disabled automatic posting of comments so you can't peek a look at what others are saying (although you'll probably tell each other on chirptracker anyway!). You can comment and I'll eventually publish your comment, or email your answer to: lowiequizbird@gmail.com

Answer to Quiz Bird #4

FINALLY! Here's the way to identify the bird:

So here we have a raptor of some sort. The stocky stature, relatively
small bill and short tail are quite unlike any eagle, accipiter or
falcon, so we're left with the Buteos (and a few near-buteos --
Harris's and Common Black Hawks). The white head and dark eye of this bird is truly striking and happens to quickly limit our options. Only
Swainson's, Ferruginous, Rough-legged, the florida race of
Red-shouldered Hawk, and a few of the plethora of Red-tailed Hawk
plumages can show anywhere near this much white on the head.
Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawks have feathered tarsi (the lower
part of the bird's "leg"), and our bird has bare tarsi.
Red-shouldered Hawk never shows a striking white head like our bird
(just a pale gray head), and should have a banded tail. This leaves
us with Swainson's and Red-tailed Hawks. Juvenile Swainson's (the
only plumage with a pale head), has a dark malar stripe, which our
bird doesn't. Swainson's Hawks also always have dark tails, quite
unlike the pale grayish tail on this bird. So that leaves us with our
familiar Red-tailed Hawk. Indeed, the silhouette of our bird is
quite similar to Red-tailed Hawk, but with some pretty wacky plumage.
Throughout most of Red-tailed Hawk's range, it's a highly variable
bird, with each individual looking a little different. This is
especially true in the Great Plains, where most birds have some
combination of the pale grayish tail, partially or mostly white head,
and white back that this bird shows. This bird falls on the extreme
pale end of Red-tailed Hawk, and is what is often called a "Krider's"
Hawk.

Quiz Bird #4

This weeks quiz is brought to you by Ben G. we'll post the answer on Thursday evening or Friday morning.

Answer to Quiz 3

So making it multiple choice definitely made this one a bit easier. Fall shorebirds can definitely be tricky - just like fall warblers. But tricky just means fun. Also, you tend to see a lot more shorebirds in the fall as they lazily make their way south as opposed to the spring where they want to get north to get done what needs to get done (bow chicka wow wow).

So here we go then:

1. Dunlin - this non breeding bird may not look anything like the color seen in a breeding bird - but the thick, long, drooping bill should be enough to give it away. Overall it is a grayish brownish bird (usually a little more brownish tinge to the chest than the back).

2. Semipalmated Plover - I suppose you could argue that I cannot eliminate Common Ringed Plover from this picture. In which case I could go into some more detail. But for the basic part here there really is no other shorebird that has that chocolatey brown back and the little white around its neck. You can see another one in the blurry background of the photo that matches up exactly.

3. White-rumped Sandpiper - This bird is obviously a little bigger than the other two around it. Its wings are longer and it has a white superilicum. It is also more brightly patterned than the birds near it and the breast is not nearly as dingy as you would expect with a SESA.

4 & 5. Semipalmated Sandpiper - The back on these birds is much more uniform and scaley. There really is no rufous to the upperside (as opposed to Western). The cap is dark. The bill is relatively short and straight (longer and slightly drooped for Western)

Hint for Quiz 3

OK this quiz seems to be tricking people a bit... So to make it a little "easier" I'm going to give you the species in the shot - and you need to match them to the bird:

Species: White-rumped Sandpiper, Dunlin, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover

ready... set... go!

Quiz Bird(s) #3

Photo credit: Jason Lambert

This week we'll have 5 birds to identify - they're numbered.  1 and 5 are a little hard to read but one is the front most bird on the left and 5 the front most bird on the right.  

A bigger version can be seen at http://picasaweb.google.com/lauren.kras/QuizBirds#5347923027621861586

As always you can post your answer to lowiequizbird@gmail.com 

Answer to Quiz 2

Seaside Sparrow

Photo by Jessie K.

The very large bill, obvious white throat, and the overall dark gray color through the bird give this away as a Seaside Sparrow. It can be a bit confusing in that the supraloral is not bright yellow, but this can be explained by the age of the bird (hatch year bird). The fact that it is a hatch year bird can also be confusing in that this is not a plumage often seen or drawn.

The distinct streaks on the side with a buffy indistinctly streaked front and the over-all grayish tone place this bird in the "atlantic" population.

*For those of you interested this was not taken in NH, and yes, I'm still searching for my NH Seaside Sparrow*

Quiz Bird #2

Send answers to lowiequizbird@gmail.com

And the answer is...

As a few of you have guessed this is indeed a female Bay-breasted Warbler.  While it may not be the best photo ever (forgive my simple canon point and shoot) it still shows plenty of features that make this a pretty straight forward ID as depicted on the photo.

A Blackpoll Warbler would be similar in size and shape but would look drastically different in the spring.  A fall bird may look similar but would show streaking... The female Bay-breasted does not show this streaking.  This bird is a 1st spring bird (coming out of 1st winter plumage) and is not quite yet an adult so it does not show a rufous wash on the flanks.  Therefore, as far as field guides go, it most closely matches the 1st winter female plumage as depicted in sibley.  

The lack of streaking, general greenish-yellow wash, the bright color on the sides of the neck, white around eye and the black eye line really add up here.  

Some birds guessed were:

Kinglet (which would have a much smaller bill, gray color, etc.)

Oriole (thicker bill, brownish neck, different shape, etc.)

Other Warblers (variety of easy reasons to eliminate the species suggested including a combination of  streaking, auricular color, tail length, etc.  )  

If you have questions about these - hollar away.  

Quiz birds will appear weekly on Tuesdays, answers will be given Wednesday night or Thursday morning.

Suggestions/photos for quiz birds can be sent to: lowiequizbird@gmail.com.

Until then check back for year list updates and stories.

Quiz Bird - Number 1

If you think you know the answer you can email the response 

to: lowiequizbird@gmail.com.  Answer will be posted in due 

time with key identification features.

Also if you want a hint such as location, time of year, etc.  email away! 

Cape-may Warbler

(Photo by J. Lambert)

Above is a bird that may seem confusing to many birders.  But it is in fact a drab drab drab female Cape May Warbler, and served as life bird for me.  How on earth do you pick this out you may ask? (or may not ask if you have your Sibley memorized!)  

Here are the things that stood out to me:

1. Sharp, decurved, dark bill.  

2. Greenish-yellowish Rump

3.  The sides of the neck are rather pale

4.  The bit of yellow on the face

5. Overall a gray-ish blurry streaked bird.  Finer streaking would point elsewhere where as the blurry streaking really forces the issue here.  

Sibley depicts this although the bird drawn has more drasticly edged coverts.  Studying birds like this is important so that if you stumble on a drab bird you still know what to look for and what you're looking at!

While I did not post this bird in this mechanism I'm going to attempt to start to post confusing quiz birds so we can all learn a bit about different plumages and things to note.  I bet you can't wait for Fall Warblers!

LK