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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

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  1. Gillian_M

    Best/Favourite "Self-found" bird.

    I don't like chasing other people's birds much, or visiting the most popular birding spots here in Ottawa, Canada because of the crowds, so I'm always super excited when I find my own good birds at the relatively under-birded trails within 15 minutes of my house. Last fall I found an adult...
  2. Gillian_M

    Vireo ID needed - Cozumel, Mexico (April 20, 2016)

    Hi again, I saw a group of vireos in the trees at the ruins of San Gervasio. On one of them I saw a distinct black malar line that made me think Black-whiskered Vireo, a species I'd never seen before. I don't think it's the same individual I photographed (photos below), though I'm wondering...
  3. Gillian_M

    Three Flycatchers from Cozumel Mexico (April 19-20, 2016)

    Hi everyone, I went to Cozumel last week - my first time to Mexico - and although I studied madly on the birds most likely to be seen on my trip, the flycatchers remain a difficult group for me when they are not singing. Still, I think I may have ID'ed two of them and have an idea about the...
  4. Gillian_M

    Grackles in Florida

    Thanks Chris. Sibley's does mention that Common Grackles in Florida are smaller than other grackles, so I knew not to expect them to look the way they do here. Here is another photo of the bird in photo # 4 where his beak is closed. He seems to have pale eyes that are bluish, not yellow...
  5. Gillian_M

    Grackles in Florida

    Hi all, I just got back from my first birding trip to the USA yesterday, chiefly in the Everglades in Florida (all I can say is WOW!). Just when I thought I had the Boat-tailed Grackles and Common Grackles figured out, I spotted a couple of blackbirds that looked different. All were seen on...
  6. Gillian_M

    Which redpoll? Ottawa, Canada

    Thanks everyone. I guess I'll have to keep looking for my first Hoary!
  7. Gillian_M

    Which redpoll? Ottawa, Canada

    It's been a long time since I've posted here, but I need some help with a redpoll I saw two days ago at a feeder I frequent. It looked a little bit whiter than the redpolls it was associating with, and has the small bill I associate with Hoary Redpolls (Carduelis hornemanni). This is the best...
  8. Gillian_M

    Which swallow? Ottawa, Canada

    Awesome, thanks for the confirmations! Another year-bird for me today!
  9. Gillian_M

    Which swallow? Ottawa, Canada

    Hello! I was at the river today and had a small number of swallows hawking for insects. I can identify Tree and Barn Swallow on the wing, but there were some brown swallows which I couldn't identify. I found two perching in a tree, and got pictures of them both. The angle is not great...
  10. Gillian_M

    Leucism, is it common?

    Hi ferret (may I call you ferret?!!! ;) ) Leucism in birds is not uncommon, but leucistic birds are usually few and far between. I've seen two since I started birdwatching a few years ago, one a goldfinch with white patches on her wings, the other a crow with white wings, and photographers...
  11. Gillian_M

    Juvenile Accipiter - Ottawa, ON

    Hi Ken, I really can't say whether it was close in size to Red-tailed Hawk or not. I am used to seeing them perching, but they usually fly away before I can get that close! The streaks look better for Cooper's Hawk than Sharp-shinned, IMO. I'm confused about the squarish tail, however, and...
  12. Gillian_M

    Juvenile Accipiter - Ottawa, ON

    These guys get me almost every time! At first (from a distance) I thought this was a Red-tailed Hawk with the pale breast and white spotting on its brown back....once I got closer I saw the tail. Fortunately he didn't fly off as soon as I got out of the car, so I was able to get some photos...
  13. Gillian_M

    Which plovers? Presqu'ile PP, Ontario

    Okay, thanks for confirming Black-bellied!
  14. Gillian_M

    Which plovers? Presqu'ile PP, Ontario

    I went to Presqu'ile Provincial Park last weekend to enjoy the shorebird migration. This beautiful park is located on Lake Ontario between Kingston and Toronto. I don't have much experience with Pluvialis plovers in the fall as they don't linger in Ottawa, where I'm from. They are most likely...
  15. Gillian_M

    Which flycatcher? Ottawa, ON

    Thanks for the responses. The head didn't look dark enough to me for a phoebe, and it wasn't flicking its tail at all (however, it was preening at the time, so it may have been distracted). Thanks again!
  16. Gillian_M

    Which flycatcher? Ottawa, ON

    I never realized how completely dependent I am on hearing a flycatcher's voice to identify it until today! This guy was preening happily and didn't utter a single sound. My best guess is E. Wood-pewee, which, now that I think about it, I don't often get excellent looks at since it spends so...
  17. Gillian_M

    Tern ID - Rondeau Park, Ontario

    Thanks everyone!!!!
  18. Gillian_M

    Tern ID - Rondeau Park, Ontario

    Good morning! I just returned from a birding trip to southern Ontario and saw these terns on a dock at Rondeau Park along Lake Erie. I think they are Forster's Terns but would like confirmation. Thanks!
  19. Gillian_M

    Last two from Costa Rica

    Thanks Microtus and Carlos.
  20. Gillian_M

    Last two from Costa Rica

    Hello again! My mother sent me these two photos from her trip to Costa Rica. I know they're not species I have seen before, but if I were to venture a guess I'd say Willet and Eurasian Collared Dove? Any help would be appreciated! Cheers, and thanks!
  21. Gillian_M

    ID requested #1, Costa Rica, March 2010

    Thanks everyone!
  22. Gillian_M

    ID requested #2, Costa Rica, March 2010

    Thanks Motmot! So the consensus is Squirrel Cuckoo, Grey-headed Chachalaca, and Streak-backed Oriole? My mother is trying to determine how many lifers she got - it was her first trip to Costa Rica!
  23. Gillian_M

    ID requested #2, Costa Rica, March 2010

    Hello again, My mother says that the first and third birds were seen at her resort, north west Costa Rica near the town of Tamarindo, and the middle bird was at the rainforest near the Arenal Volcan. Does that help?
  24. Gillian_M

    ID requested #2, Costa Rica, March 2010

    Thanks for the replies. I've sent an email to my mom asking where these ones were taken and will post when I found out.
  25. Gillian_M

    ID requested #2, Costa Rica, March 2010

    Hello again, These are the other photos my mother sent me for identification. Can any of these be identified? I have no clue on any of these. Thanks very much!
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