December 29, 2014December 29, 2014 by birdmeister

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Always a highlight for every trip. This Gyrfalcon posed for me, but I was fumbling with my gear and got what I deserved … As backlit as it can get.

This Snowy Owl was found just 2.5mi north of Waterville. The sun had already set.

While listening to singing Townsend’s Solitaires and watching a smallish flock of Bohemian Waxwings at Palmer Lake, I noticed this Cassin’s Finch.

What bothered me about this bird was the abundant blurry streaking, more reminiscent of Purple Finch (I was shooting for a possible Eastern here). The bird’s back seemed very crisp in the field. What made this a Cassin’s for me are the following (please speak up if you disagree):

Eye arcs!
Long primary projection
Very conical bill (not that visible in the shot below)
Crest is behind the eye
Crisp streaking on the vent (Eastern Purple doesn’t have that, Western usually does)

This poor shot shows the streaking on the vent.

The bills shows here …

Can you say Gray Partridge? Easily the best looks I ever had of a noisy, almost stationary flock.

December 14, 2014 by birdmeister

Astoria Snow Bunting (12/13/2014)

The Snow Bunting at the Astoria Riverwalk was quickly located, with help from Andrew Mattingly.

I dipped on the Fultano Pizza TK, but found several sluggish Red Phalaropes at the South Jetty, my other target for the morning. Looking for something more substantial, a Peregrine Falcon nailed a White-winged Scoter which had landed in one of the small pools at the jetty. That’s quite a large pray for the falcon which he couldn’t lift up as the scoter weighs about twice as much as the falcon.

December 4, 2014December 14, 2014 by birdmeister

Testing the new Canon 7D Mark II on my recent AZ trip (11/27-12/01/2014)

Trip report is here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AQE905eBYnxRMIU7HMFXUTD-Rds6ZshXHq7wqznQ0o0/edit?usp=sharing

Can you id all these birds? Ok, most of them are easy …

Baltimore Oriole at Sweetwater Wetlands (one of the few rarities that I didn’t dip on)

Female Blue Grosbeak at the San Pedro House. Late, real late …

Brewer’s Sparrow

Bridled Titmouse

A poor shot of a Chipping Sparrow

Clark’s Grebe at the Bill Williams River NWR

This is a male Common Ground-Dove. The scaling is quite muddled on this pink. The bi-colored bill rules out Ruddy.

Both Common Ground-Doves (female on the left) together now

One of a few Costa’s Hummingbirds at the feeders at the Bill Williams River NWR visitor center. They are VERY reliable there.

This banded Curve-billed Thrasher was at the San Pedro House visitor center

An Eastern Meadowlark in the San Rafael Valley

Gila Woodpecker

Green Heron at Sweetwater Wetlands

This Green-tailed Towhee was at the San Pedro House visitor center. He was really close, but hard to get a picture of.

Hutton’s Vireo

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Lark Sparrow

Hard to believe, but this is a LeConte’s Thrasher at the Thrasher Spot at Baseline & Salome Hwy

Lesser Goldfinch (the dark-backed kind)

Hmmm, is the belly white or just gray? The outline of the ear coverts, throat and cheek suggests Eastern Bluebird.

There were a few Gray-headed Juncos around. This one is not clean as evidenced by the brown tones on the flank and on the crown. The bill is not bicolored, so Red-backed is out of the question.