Nicaragua (Granada, Mombacho, and Morgan's Rock) help with a few birds (1 Viewer)

[FantailFan]

Hi, I'm going through old photos trying to identify the birds in them, and I have a bunch I can't ID from Nicaragua in May 2016.

• The photo called "Granada" was in Granada near the Parque Central. I was some distance away, but I would guess the bird was about the size of a robin. Hoping the white marks on the back of the head will be distinctive enough for someone to ID it.
• In the Isletas de Granada:
  • Isletas1: looking for help IDing the birds on the rock in the center of the photo. I thought they were terns but couldn't get a clear enough photo. The bird on the right is a neotropic cormorant, yes?
  • Isletas2: I know it's a gull, but can anyone tell me what kind?
  • Isletas3: I thought this was a tree swallow, but eBird flagged it as rare, so I wanted to confirm what it is.
• At the Mombacho volcano reserve:
  • Mombacho1: I thought purple-throated mountain gem, but again, eBird is saying that's rare, so I'm looking for confirmation.
  • Mombacho2: no clue where to even start looking to ID this one. It was smaller than a robin, larger than a sparrow.
• At Morgan's Rock on the Pacific Coast a little north of San Juan del Sur:
  • MorgansRock1 was in a mudflat in a mangrove swamp, and the photo is overexposed because my camera was compensating for the shade. Some kind of thrush?
  • MorgansRock2 and 3 are the same bird -- some kind of hawk, but I wasn't sure what kind. I know the bird it's chasing is a white-throated magpie-jay. Location was sort of where mangrove swamp turns to jungle.

I appreciate any help! Thank you!

 

[Microtus]

#7 is a Spotted Sandpiper (bird on the mudflat)

 

[Butty]

1. Social flycatcher - quite likely.

 

[Butty]

8-9. Roadside hawk + white-throated magpie-jay.

 

[THE_FERN]

1. Social flycatcher - quite likely.

This looks much "heavier" to me. Since the wings seen uniform, I'd go with boat-billed flycatcher. If not that then great kiskadee.

 

[THE_FERN]

2. Best guess is common terns and Neotropical cormorant. For terns, note carpal pattern, facial pattern. For cormorant, tail length
3. Structure looks good for grey gull, as does uniform mantle and wing tips. But this should be out of range so I'm not sure
4. Mangrove swallow surely. Note pattern of white at neck and tail Vs wing length. We can't see any superloral in this pic
5. Looks ok for mountain gem

Edit: 2: just seen on large screen. I think they're better for American black terns. The head patterns on the centre and right hand birds especially seem better for that, as does relative size and proportions.

 

[THE_FERN]

Really struggling with 6. Tropical pewee might fit except for the apparently long tail. The largely orange bill is good for that species. Certainly some type of tyrant flycatcher.

 

[Butty]

This looks much "heavier" to me.

And I feel it looks quite dinky! I'll just sit here and wait for it to turn its head round... 😉

 

[njlarsen]

I could easily see a laughing gull in no 3 given the quality of the image. Am I certain - no.

For first image: Looking at Ebird, the three species mentioned are the ones that occur in the location. Isn't there a clue in the white line in the head looking as a(n almost) complete ring? I thought that was not going to be the case with Social Fly at least.
Niels

 

[FantailFan]

This looks much "heavier" to me. Since the wings seen uniform, I'd go with boat-billed flycatcher. If not that then great kiskadee.

I did see this bird nearby at the same time and initially thought it was a great kiskadee, but I revised to tropical kingbird. If you all think this is a kiskadee, then that might make a case for photo 1 being a kiskadee as well.

Wish I could have gotten better photos of the ones that you all are uncertain about. Thank you for taking a look!

 

[Butty]

I did see this bird nearby at the same time and initially thought it was a great kiskadee, but I revised to tropical kingbird.

You revised correctly. Or anyway it's a kingbird, and not unlike tropical kingbird.

If you all think this is a kiskadee, then that might make a case for photo 1 being a kiskadee as well.

Umm, no, it wouldn't - all the species mooted above tend to be pretty common.

 

[Indobirder]

I could easily see a laughing gull in no 3 given the quality of the image. Am I certain - no.

For first image: Looking at Ebird, the three species mentioned are the ones that occur in the location. Isn't there a clue in the white line in the head looking as a(n almost) complete ring? I thought that was not going to be the case with Social Fly at least.
Niels

Laughing Gull was my first thought.