Wisconsin birds (1 Viewer)

Victor Soares · May 1, 2019

Need some help with these ones taken this week in Wisconsin. Here is what I think they are:

01 - Is this a female MYRTLE (or Yellow-rumped Warbler)
02 - Think this is a SONG SPARROW but could it be Savannah?
03 - Pretty sure this is a hybrid but of what? Canada Goose and ....?
04 - Is this a COMMON TERN or maybe a FORSTER'S TERN ?
05 - Is this a PALM WARBLER ?

Thanks as always

aeshna5 · May 1, 2019

1 Yellow-rumped Warbler
2 Song Sparrow
3 Canada x ? hybrid
4 Forster's Tern
5 Palm Warbler

Seth Miller · May 1, 2019

#3 maybe Canada x Snow Goose

Microtus · May 1, 2019

1 Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler
2 Song Sparrow
4 Forster's Tern
5 Palm Warbler

njlarsen · May 1, 2019

Regarding Savannah sparrow: the front end of the supercilium would be yellow, compare: https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Savannah_Sparrow

Not necessarily the case everywhere, but in Wisconsin it is.

Niels

Victor Soares · May 6, 2019

njlarsen said:
Regarding Savannah sparrow: the front end of the supercilium would be yellow, compare: https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Savannah_Sparrow

Not necessarily the case everywhere, but in Wisconsin it is.

Niels

Thanks for the help everyone ... I have since seen a sparrow with a very distinct yellow supercillium in Chicago .. would that then definately be a Savannah Sparrow or are there others that it possible could also be - I haven't gone through those photos yet but will do so over the next few days - just fighting the molasses jet lag at the moment

birdmeister · May 6, 2019

Victor Soares said:
Thanks for the help everyone ... I have since seen a sparrow with a very distinct yellow supercillium in Chicago .. would that then definately be a Savannah Sparrow or are there others that it possible could also be - I haven't gone through those photos yet but will do so over the next few days - just fighting the molasses jet lag at the moment

Check out White-throated Sparrow. Different than Song and Savannah in several ways, but by far the most common sparrow with yellow in front of the eyes.

Habitat is also a clue. Savannah prefers grasslands, but will use smaller fields and even woods edges on migration. White-throated is more a bird of woodlands and suburban yards.

Victor Soares · May 6, 2019

Regarding the YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER ... how is this bird actually classified and why are there so many subspecies of the same bitd? Some of these have very obvious difference (eg. white throat vs yellow throat) yet they are all still y-r warblers? I have seen some bird classified differently based solely on the difference in a secondary or tertiary feather (the Cisticolas in AFrica) yet these are all the same:
Yellow-rumped Warbler [Audubon's]
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Black-fronted Warbler form)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Goldman's)
Yellow-rumped Warbler [Myrtle]

... just trying to understand the mentatility of the people who classify these birds ?!?

Victor Soares · May 6, 2019

birdmeister said:
Check out White-throated Sparrow. Different than Song and Savannah in several ways, but by far the most common sparrow with yellow in front of the eyes.

Habitat is also a clue. Savannah prefers grasslands, but will use smaller fields and even woods edges on migration. White-throated is more a bird of woodlands and suburban yards.

a-ha ... definately the White-throated that I photographed in Chicago. I wonder then if I have a photo of the Savanah Sparrow. It's difficult when you in a new location or country and you don't necessarily know the subtle differences between species and when you think ... "oh, I have seen that one before", you may actually not have seen it at all

... but it's all a part of the game

njlarsen · May 6, 2019

Victor Soares said:
a-ha ... definately the White-throated that I photographed in Chicago. I wonder then if I have a photo of the Savanah Sparrow. It's difficult when you in a new location or country and you don't necessarily know the subtle differences between species and when you think ... "oh, I have seen that one before", you may actually not have seen it at all

... but it's all a part of the game

I had great benefit of this book when I moved to the US many years ago. It contains a chapter on how to look at sparrows. https://www.amazon.com/ADVANCED-BIRDING-Peterson-Field-Guide/dp/0395535174

There is a related book that is not really a new edition, and which I have never looked at: https://www.amazon.com/Kaufman-Field-Advanced-Birding-Guides/dp/0547248326

Niels

njlarsen · May 6, 2019

Victor Soares said:
Regarding the YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER ... how is this bird actually classified and why are there so many subspecies of the same bitd? Some of these have very obvious difference (eg. white throat vs yellow throat) yet they are all still y-r warblers? I have seen some bird classified differently based solely on the difference in a secondary or tertiary feather (the Cisticolas in AFrica) yet these are all the same:
Yellow-rumped Warbler [Audubon's]
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Black-fronted Warbler form)
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Goldman's)
Yellow-rumped Warbler [Myrtle]

... just trying to understand the mentatility of the people who classify these birds ?!?

The American authorities consider these the same species while IOC has split some of them I believe. Within the US, you are only likely to see the first and the last in your list. One argument for keeping them together in one species is the hybrid zone between these two. Take a look at https://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=149871

Niels

Victor Soares · May 6, 2019

All, thanks for the help so far ... I have a few more please. As always, I will tell you what I think they are but I could use the help to confirm:
1 - I think this is a BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER or maybe a flycatcher of sorts
2 - From what I have read there are two very similar woodpeckers in the USA but I am thinking this is a HAIRY WOODPECKER ... (long bill and no spots on rump/tail ??)
3 - Not sure what this is ... if I had to guess, I would say a grassbird of sorts ??
4 - Pretty sure this is a WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH ... it's a bad photo but can you confirm please?
5 - again, like #3 I am not sure what this is but maybe a grassbird of sorts ... if I had to guess I would say that it's a female RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD but I don't remember seeing any with a yellow throat like this

Thanks for all the help

Victor

fugl · May 6, 2019

1. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
2. Downy Woodpecker
3. Brown-headed Cowbird
4. White-breasted Nuthatch
5. Red-winged Blackbird

birdmeister · May 6, 2019

#1. BG Gnatcatcher indeed
#2. Downy Woodpecker (Hairy has a still longer bill and is larger in the field)
#3. female Brown-headed Cowbird
#4. correct
#5. Correct, they can show yellowish-buff on the face, but good to notice heavy streaking throughout and longer, sharper bill than sparrows.

Victor Soares · May 7, 2019

Thanks for the feedback everyone ....

Looking at a comparison of the Downy and Hairy woodpeckers now, it is actually pretty easy to see the difference between the two.

5 more if you don't meind and then I will stop bombarding the forum with these

06: There were so many very interesting sparrows .. I think this is a CHIPPING SPARROW is that correct?
07: I am almost 100% sure this is a RED-TAILED HAWK but there were two of them that circled each other that looked slightly different. This one shows a very pale underside which the books I have don't tend to show
08: I think this is a YELLOWLEGS but not sure if Lesser or Greater
09: I think this is either a GODWIT or a DOWITCHER but again not sure
10: Almost 100% sure this is a PECTORAL SANDPIPER but it could be something else?

All photos were taken in Wisconsin, USA around the Madisson area (within about 30 miles)

fugl · May 7, 2019

Chipping Sparrow, Red-tailed Hawk, Greater Yellowlegs, dowitcher sps, Pectoral Sandpiper

Microtus · May 7, 2019

I agree with fugl.

Victor Soares · May 7, 2019

Microtus said:
I agree with fugl.

fugl said:
Chipping Sparrow, Red-tailed Hawk, Greater Yellowlegs, dowitcher sps, Pectoral Sandpiper

Thanks guys ... what Dowitcher though?

Victor Soares · Sep 12, 2019

Can anyone assist with which Dowitcher this is please ... see below

njlarsen · Sep 12, 2019

Are we still talking April? If so, I will go out on a limb and say long-billed. it is quite difficult to separate from central form of short-billed, though.

Niels

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