Photo Quiz #8 (Answer)

Photo credit: Joe Medley (I adjusted the exposure to make it brighter. Any loss in quality is my fault, not Joe's!)

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So, I didn't fool anyone with this quiz (at least anyone who responded)! My good friend, Joe Medley, took this photo of an adult dark morph Ferruginous Hawk near Merced, California in January 2009.

The diagnostic features that I noticed on this bird were the large gape extending below the eyes and the rufous wash on the upperwing coverts, nape and chest of this bird. A couple of you mentioned the feathered legs (tarsi). I would be cautious using that as an identification point when a bird is perched like this. It is hard to separate the leg feathers from the belly feathers. One of you thought the bird was a juvenile. Juvenile Ferruginous Hawks don't have the extensive rufous coloring that this adult shows.

Here are the respondents who answered correctly:

Will Burt
Karen Carlsen
Lucas Foerster
Jen McCabe
Joel Such
Marcel Such

And the final top five scores from the 2009 photo quiz are (drumroll please)*:

Joel Such 8
Marcel Such 8
Karen Carlsen 7
Deirdre Viel 6
Jessica Lux 5

*out of 8 possible.

Thanks for participating. I will start a new photo quiz in the next couple weeks. I think they will be a little more difficult in the next round.

Now, get off your computers and go birding!

Jeff
RMBO Photo Quizmaster

Photo Quiz #7 (Answer)

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It has been so cold in Fort Collins, lately! I thought maybe some of you could use a photo quiz from a warmer clime (but still in the United States).

Did I have any of you running to your field guides looking up the differences between Sooty and Bridled Terns? Did you notice that the white line above the eye (supercilium) on Bridled Terns extends well behind the eye and it doesn't on Sooty Terns? Also, did you notice the differences in contrast between the underwing coverts and the flight feathers of Sooty and Bridled Terns? It is fairly strong on Sooty Terns, not so much on Bridled Terns. So, our bird with a short supercilium and strongly contrasting underwing is a Sooty Tern.

I took this photo of a Sooty Tern in Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida in April 2009.

People who submitted correct answers were:

Karen Carlsen
Lucas Foerster
Joel Such
Marcel Such
Deirdre Viel


Thanks!

Jeff

Photo Quiz #6 (Answer)

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Thanks for participating! Here is the answer:

This quiz would have certainly been easier given a different angle on this bird. Some of the key marks were less obvious from the low angle the photo was taken at but it is still readily identified. The quiz bird does appear to have a dark line through the eye, a key feature for separating Chipping Sparrows from other Spizella sparrows. However, this bird does not belong to the genus Spizella, but rather Aimophila. A quick look at the rather largish bill hints at this, as does the lack of even faint wingbars. Even so, our bird does have the rufous cap in common with adult Chipping Sparrows, but an adult Chipping Sparrow would also show a white supercilium between its rufous cap and black eye-line where our bird clearly shows gray. The other Spizellas with a rufous cap, American Tree Sparrow and Field Sparrow, are separated by a central breast spot and strongly bi-colored bill, or by a pinkish to flesh-colored bill, respectively. One final field mark that adds to our certainty is the wide black lateral throat-stripe that contrasts with a pale malar. This, combined with a thin white eye-ring (only half visible here), a rufous cap, and a clean unmarked breast separate it from all other sparrows.

The Rufous-crowned Sparrow is often heard before it is seen as it gives its loud alarm call "deer deer deer" to announce the presence of a birder or other intruder. They are fairly common on open rocky slopes with shrubs and grass throughout the southwestern US and the higher foothills of the Mexican central plateau.

I took this photo of a Rufous-crowned Sparrow in Feb 2009 in Janos, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Here are the people who submitted correct answers:

Karen Carlsen
Lucas Foerster
Jessica Lux
Joel Such
Marcel Such
Andrew Tillinghast

Thanks for participating,
Greg

Photo Quiz #5 (Answer)

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Thanks for participating! Here is the answer:

So, why is this not a Western Bluebird? Well, the bird has a nice blue color on the head and upperpart of the wing. So, if this is a bluebird, then this blue suggests the bird is a male. However, male Western Bluebirds have mostly blue bellies. Also, you can see a white wing stripe on this bird which bluebirds don't have. The white belly and white wing stripe point to a breeding male Lazuli Bunting. These birds are fairly common in arid, brushy habitats such as desert canyons.

I took this photo (through my binoculars) of a Lazuli Bunting in May 2007 in Rabbit Valley, CO.

Here are the people who submitted correct answers:

Martin Gerra
Jessica Lux
Sarah Quinlivan
Joel Such
Marcel Such
Deirdre Viel
Harley Winfrey


Thanks,

Jeff

Photo Quiz #4 (Answer)

Thanks for participating! Here is the answer:

The fact that this bird is poking it's head out of a cavity makes me immediately think of a woodpecker. The red throat patch, large white supercilium (line above eye) and white malar stripe (line through "cheek") on a mostly black head points to only one bird: a male Williamson's Sapsucker. One more hint is that this bird is nesting in a Quaking Aspen... they love Aspen!

I took this photo of a male Williamson's Sapsucker in June 2008 in the Rio Grande National Forest.

Here are the people who submitted correct answers:


Karen Carlsen
Laurie Foss
Sajni Kallichanda
Joel Such
Marcel Such
Deirdre Viel
Eric Wood

Photo Quiz #3 (Answer)

Thanks for participating! Here is the answer:

These are good looking birds! The thinly-bordered dark mask and yellow tail tell you that this is a waxwing. The pale yellow belly, white undertail coverts and lack of prominent white markings on wing make this a Cedar Waxwing (not a Bohemian Waxwing). Keep an eye and an ear out for these birds this winter. They are common in the winter throughout most of the U.S., especially where fruits and berries are plentiful. The bird in the photo quiz was taking a break from it's feast of Russian Olives outside my apartment. Their drawn-out, high-pitched call is distinctive. Some of you longer-toothed quizzers may not be able to hear it because it is so high-pitched.

I took this photo of a Cedar Waxwing on December 7, 2008 in Fort Collins, CO.

Here are the people who submitted correct answers:

Adam Birek
Karen Carlsen
Eric DeFonso
Grant Gardner
Sajni Kallichanda
Jessica Lux
Jen McCabe
Mike Rader
Dana Starkey
Joel Such
Marcel Such
Christine Thody
Deirdre Viel
Eric Wood

Thanks,

Jeff

Photo Quiz #2 (Answer)

Thanks for participating! Here is the answer:

The photo shows a gray bird at the bottom of its wing flap. You can see the upperside of the wing displaying a very strong buff-colored stripe running down the middle of the wing. This wing stripe is a common feature in many thrush species; this bird is a thrush. Notice also that this bird has a white ring around its eye. These two features on a gray bird are fairly indicative of Townsend's Solitaire. I thought that the slightly forked tail on this individual was a little tough. This bird may be missing or molting its central tail feathers. In Colorado, these birds are altitudinal migrants moving down from the mountains into lower elevations during the winter. This is a great bird to learn its simple bell-like call note and its bubbly, finch-like song. You can hear their call all year round and their song for much of the year.

I took this photo of a Townsend's Solitaire on July 13, 2008 near the South San Juan Wilderness, Colorado.

Here are the people who submitted correct answers:

Lauren Burke
Karen Carlsen
Jacob Cooper
Grant Gardner
Scott Hartley
Heather Ishak
Jessica Lux
Sarah Quinlivan
Doug Shoffner
Mark Stackhouse
Joel Such
Marcel Such
Deirdre Viel
Heather Morris

Thanks,

Jeff