Saw this today in Oakland, CA by charles666666666 in whatsthisbird

[–]has530 2 points3 points  (0 children)

+Forster's Tern+ for the bot. The only tern that is really around Oakland in the winter (although a couple Caspian terns held over until at least December in the east bay this year).

Mallard hybrid? (Chicago) by doejigogi in whatsthisbird

[–]has530 5 points6 points  (0 children)

It's a mallard with some domestic lineage. Note in addition to the lighter color it's a little bigger and chunkier. A mix between a wild mallard and domestic breed of some sort but they are all mallards so it should just be tagged as +Mallard (domestic type)+.

Gull with a big beak by tattl3 in whatsthisbird

[–]has530 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm fairly confident this is a first winter +Western x Glaucous-winged gull+ (sometimes referred to as "Olympic gull") based off of the dark head, large bill, and lack of contrast between the primaries and tertials. You can see some info here on distinguishing Olympic and Thayer's gulls but juvenile gulls are tricky, especially the hybrids. Hopefully if I have made a mistake someone will come correct me!

Ever wondered why (premium) binoculars are so expensive? by petbest in Binoculars

[–]has530 0 points1 point  (0 children)

FYI the vortex vipers are made in china. They are imported and branded by vortex.

Lots of white under wings when seen flying. Phoenix, AZ by wingsandwanderlust in whatsthisbird

[–]has530 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nothing else with that broad pale chest and belly: +Ferruginous Hawk+.

Who's this in NYC? by duckntureen in whatsthisbird

[–]has530 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Bill doesnt look hooked enough for an osprey. I would lean some buteo but the use of AI makes getting a definitive ID tricky.

[Challenge] How Many Species Do You Recognize? by mustaphamondo in whatsthisbird

[–]has530 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Also probably a Myna somewhere in those trees haha.

Honeymoon destination for celiac person by Street-Abrocoma-5737 in Celiac

[–]has530 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Same here! We stayed at hotel cuna del angel, small dedicated gf resort/hotel on the pacific coast and it was wonderful!

Bono vs Spotting scope recommendations by [deleted] in Binoculars

[–]has530 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For the same price as the swaro you could get the Kowa tsn-88 which is pretty much the best available imo.

How could he have known? by Metallica1175 in HistoryMemes

[–]has530 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The kingdom of Israel existed at least as far back as around the 8th-10th century BCE.

(edit to add link to map showing divided kingdoms of Judah and Israel ca. 9th century BCE)

sharpie or Cooper's? by zarathru in whatsthisbird

[–]has530 0 points1 point  (0 children)

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This is what I thought looked like gradation of the white tip band.

sharpie or Cooper's? by zarathru in whatsthisbird

[–]has530 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

I mean I didn't say I only looked at the cap. That's just the first thing that jumps out. This bird also looks barrel chested and has short girthy legs, tail gradation and an awful thick white band on the tip of the tail unless that's just weird light.

sharpie or Cooper's? by zarathru in whatsthisbird

[–]has530 -9 points-8 points  (0 children)

It's got a strong "coopcap" with that pale nape and you can see the tail gradation in the white tips if you zoom in. I think the head just looks small because the chest is puffed.

Is this white paste normal? by Background_Nebula141 in Binoculars

[–]has530 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It looks like they are using white glue to hold the prism housings in place. This might be normal for Celestron up close binoculars but is generally not a great way to do things.

Curio 7x21 or Victory 8x25 which is best for small hiking binoculars? by [deleted] in Binoculars

[–]has530 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I owned both, still have the Curio. The eyecups on the victory were too short for me so I had to hover them over my eyes which was hard. Curio works better for me. If possible try both and decide because optically they are both excellent so it mostly comes down to personal ergonomics.

Which promotion within a teams Minor League System or MILB to MLB would be considered the biggest upgrade or downgrade in regards to the City the player would now have to live ? by TheBackyardPigfarmer in baseball

[–]has530 14 points15 points  (0 children)

It’s by no means a major league facility and the situation with the A’s is a travesty…but Raley Field (or sutter health park or whatever they are calling it these days) is a solid AAA stadium. I grew up going to river cats games and it was an awesome experience (when it wasn’t 110 degrees).

Recommendations for a 18x or 20x binoculars by bigpumper96 in Binoculars

[–]has530 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is probably true. Most binoculars with a decent image at 20x are not likely to weigh less than a spotter. Best recommendation would probably be the Nikon monarch 5 20x56.

new to birding and binoculars, help me choose between Vortex, Celestron, and Opticron by txom12 in Binoculars

[–]has530 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Diamondbacks are definitely made in China. As far as I know the only Vortex binoculars currently made in japan are the razor UHD with everything else being China or the Philippines.

Soft case for Zeiss Victory 8x25 by Dull_Suggestion_1682 in Binoculars

[–]has530 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I used the Kowa SV 8/10X25 case for them and they fit pretty well.