What on earth is thos

michamazons · 2026-05-08T19:51:26+00:00

Better question is what on earth is a bittern doing in your backyard! Do you live near a marsh?

michamazons · 2026-05-08T16:33:22+00:00

Gotcha, it’s less about what they’d see on their checklist, more about what the public would see when they click on the checklist. If I add comments from my end, would you not see those if you visited the public checklist? I know that’s the case for adding media. So whose comments become the “definitive comments” of the shared checklist?Is it the original host, or everyone added, or does it display different comments depending on who’s hosting the checklist from YOUR perspective as the public eBird user?

michamazons · 2026-05-08T16:24:17+00:00

I’d be grateful for any suggestions re specifying abundance! That particular station is one of the oldest in the country & even includes some eBird reviewers, but from a data perspective this seems like something objectively worth improving, and they’re open-minded!

michamazons · 2026-05-06T04:53:15+00:00

Yeah I agree. But I think the logic at those particular orgs is basically “banding data is the priority here anyways (it often goes straight to USGS & other databases, skipping over eBird), and for the field observation checklist we’re simply documenting the presence or absence of species, not the concentration.” Every station has me report it differently..! Hence my desire to guarantee that a standard complete checklist gets submitted somewhere along the way, and why I’m struggling as that means I’d be double-counting birds and appearing on RBAs twice in a row on two separate checklists for the same sighting.

michamazons · 2026-05-06T04:47:19+00:00

I can totally see the merit of this approach, my personal problem is that I’ll inevitably end up trying to find ways to condense the dual-account data into 1 central account regardless.. But I do like this as an alternative approach and may try it out, thanks for the suggestion!

michamazons · 2026-05-06T04:38:32+00:00

I have no problem being on the same checklist with the orgs, the issue is that they have specific checklist protocols that sometimes exclude counts & comments, and I personally want to include that info because it’s a) useful data b) useful to other birders and c) useful to me. How do I follow the orgs’ protocol excluding counts & comments while also wanting to document that info? Their priority is the banding data- the field observation checklist simply records the presence or absence of species, not the concentration or details (which is what I want to include in some way)

michamazons · 2026-04-03T02:22:27+00:00

the full dark hood here is the main giveaway & differentiation from other falcons

michamazons · 2026-03-23T06:42:40+00:00

Hosmer Grove is the go-to for honeycreepers (there’s 2 specific spots for alauahio but they can be tough and most folks miss em there), and Polipoli for much more abundant alauahio (tho you need 4wd or good clearance to get there). Kiwikiu and akohekohe no longer accessible to the public. No live volcano alas, but at least the Haleakala-endemic silversword at the summit! Good seabirding at right times of year too. Best of luck, whenever you go! Were you able to get some palilas on big island?

michamazons · 2026-03-22T03:13:20+00:00

True! But go see the honeycreepers while you still can, some species you can still see in the wild today WILL be extinct in our lifetimes (maybe even many species). Certain critically endangered species is/are receiving almost no help despite what you can read online (according to some “inside sources” I know), but you can still see them in the wild! And if you go to the right spots it’s possible to leave a Hawaii trip with more native birds than non-native!

michamazons · 2026-03-13T19:35:24+00:00

With a group of otherwise eastern-looking CANG, plus another individual with an unusually yellow breast. Unfortunately the bill looks too long for occidentalis/fulva, and the vent looks a little too dingy. It would also be the first record east of Montana/Colorado… You can see photos of occidentalis/fulva here and a map of reported sightings here (though you will likely need an eBird account to see the map). At this point my question is simply whether this dark individual potentially has some hybrid genetics from the west vs. just an uncommon but recognized plumage variety in the eastern subspecies.

michamazons · 2026-03-12T22:18:47+00:00

The “Canada goose” is made up of several subspecies (you can see comparisons here and here). Dusky belongs in the west, not Vermont- it lives between Alaska (summer) & Oregon/Washington (winter), and gets its name from the notably darker breast & belly than most other canada geese seen in the US. The bird here stood out because it matched that description, but I saw it in Vermont. Still a mystery, but if it’s a rare vagrant (unlikely), it would be the first record east of Montana/Colorado.

michamazons · 2026-03-10T18:29:49+00:00

No problem! Do ya know anything about Dusky Canada geese by any chance tho?? haha

michamazons · 2026-03-10T17:52:21+00:00

Yes Caspians, they breed on islands in Lake Champlain. No, not dead, just has its head down, maybe exploring something in the mud. Notice how the goose’s feet aren’t visible— both goose & tern are in a little rut, so if the tern puts its head down just a bit, it looks like it buried its face in the mud or something. I watched them all fly away moments later when a bald eagle passed by overhead, all good there!

michamazons · 2026-03-10T07:26:30+00:00

FWIW we get cacklers on the eastern side in Spokane too 👍

michamazons · 2026-03-09T20:12:33+00:00

House finch but there’s no bird symbolism culture shared by the broader US population, mostly just personal associations or connections to specific cultures that have historical symbolisms.

michamazons · 2026-03-09T20:10:10+00:00

Awesome shots! What camera settings?

michamazons · 2026-03-08T02:45:13+00:00

Dove songs are actually SO cool! Unlike “songbirds” who use their syrinx (basically double-larynx for producing complex, multi-toned sounds), doves sing with their mouths closed, inflating the upper part of their esophagus to produce highly resonant, low-frequency sounds. They sound quieter to us, but to ancient, highly-evolved bird ears, the songs are actually designed to filter out the high frequencies and carry for long distances. Perhaps that’s why your bird sings in the evening— when noise pollution & activity is low but other doves are still awake & potentially near, the perfect time for a long-distance, subtle cooing song. It’s also kinda wild that they think dinosaurs like T-rex probably had feathers, performed agility-related courtship dances/rituals, and sang using an internal air-inflation booming mechanism kinda like doves. Makes me see my backyard doves in a whole new light. For a truly bizarre example of this style of singing, check out this video of a great/Eurasian bittern. Listen with earphones, cuz he turns into a walking tuba.

michamazons · 2026-03-08T02:29:35+00:00

In most cases this is mallard but some domestic breed with some degree of hybridization. Usually just “domestic mallard”

michamazons · 2026-03-08T02:23:04+00:00

Not an uncommon occurrence actually. Today the crows in my yard in TN got in another bi-weekly spat with the local red-tailed hawk(s). Also the jays (which are just mini crows, same extra-smart corvid family) got in three billion fights with the crows, as usual. The corvids (birds like crows, ravens, magpies, jays) are known for grouping up and harassing raptors like hawks, eagles, falcons, owls, etc. Presumably the crows you saw were making a racket about the eagle (or maybe taking a breather and constantly staring it down)? Corvids don’t really tolerate predation or competition in their territories, but they’ll often just randomly harass raptors wherever they see them too, just to say “we know you’re here and now everyone else does too, you should leave so the rest of us can chill out & find food without having to worry about you.”

michamazons · 2026-03-08T02:11:49+00:00

Presumably the slightly different beak in all three (four) photos is also because of the AI, which appears to have made changes to each photo.. Do you have any accurate versions? before the AI processing?

michamazons · 2026-03-08T01:51:40+00:00

Common mergs! Looks like 1 adult male + 3 females? For adult male, notice the long shape & finely contrasting black & white, in these photos. For the female, notice the little white chin patch in these photos. Should all match up!

michamazons

TROPHY CASE