[Deb335077]

Help need for these taken in the utah area this week, I bought a field guide, but does not include alot of these.
thanks
Debbie

[fugl]

1. Western Wood Pewee
2. Red-tailed Hawk?
3. Lark Sparrow
4. California Gull (the bird that "saved Utah" all those years ago)

[J. Moore]

1. Contopus sp.; almost certainly Western Wood Pewee based on range.
2. Tough photo, but I'd go with light morph Swainson's Hawk (looks very long-winged). Breast appears white, but some have a "split bib".
3. Both birds are Lark Sparrows.
4. California Gull--note greenish legs.

Best,
Jim

[Deb335077]

Thanks chaps

[J. Moore]

I'm going to qualify my statement on the Flycatcher. I'm not sure what it is. Probably Pewee, but might also be an Olive-sided Flycatcher with low-contrast plumage. Seems large, with a vest, prominent crest, and long bill.

Best,
Jim

[Larry Lade]

1. Greater Pewee (maybe, albeit at little north of normal range)
2. Red-tailed Hawk
3. Left bird, Lark Sparrow (the bird on right probably another Lark Sparrow)
4. California Gull

[J. Moore]

Originally Posted by Larry Lade

1. Greater Pewee (maybe, albeit at little north of normal range)

That was my first thought, but Greater Pewee has never been recorded in Utah--at least it's not on the state's checklist or on eBird. And it's a difficult call to make from an isolated photo.

Best,
Jim

[Peter C.]

I agree with Jim that pic #2 appears too long-winged for a Red-tail - also the bill looks very slight, to me. On the other hand, are Swainson's ever that entirely pale underneath? It seems to lack any colour in the breast....

Perhaps the wing length is illusory?

[prattw]

I'd go with Western Wood-pewee for No 1. Ignoring color, which might be off in this particular photo, though it doesn't look it, the wing-bars are a bit on the bright side even for the WEWP, let alone the OSFL and the throat is very dull for OSFL while about usual for a WEWP.

The crest is nowhere near pointed enough for Greater Pewee, even though clearly at full erection, the wingbars again are too contrasted, though not so strikingly as for the OSFL, and the mandible is clearly at least mostly dark, where the GRPE is yellow-orange, and the beak is clearly smaller than any GRPE I've seen. Not to mention that the area is one to several hundreds of miles north of any record in an area that's rather thoroughly birded.

Will