Bird Migration and Misc Birding Thread

Kinch

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Peak migration at Lacey Keosauqua. My Merlin app picked up a number of new birds for the first time on my app. One is the Acadian Flycatcher. This is about as far west as it goes.
Not my image
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Chitowncy

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Jan 14, 2009
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I saw the weirdest bird I've ever seen at our feeder this morning in central Iowa. I wish I would have snapped a photo, but it was gone before I could. I've spent 10 minutes searching the internet for images, and the best way I could describe it was a mix of a Groove-Billed Ani with a Brown Thrasher. Just the most unique looking bird I've seen before in Iowa and I've been watching birds for years. It had the beak structure of a Groove-billed Ani and very similar body structure, but more similar to the Brown Thrasher tail structure. It was not a Brown Thrasher though. Also, not the same color as a Brown Thrasher, nor the black of the Groove-billed Ani. I am perplexed.

Wish I would have gotten a photo. Any ideas what it could be?
 

CascadeClone

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Oct 24, 2009
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We had a couple goldfinches (m&f) at the feeder this am, only notable because we almost never see them where we are in town. Saw 4 of them at the folks a couple weekends ago.
 
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Kinch

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Sep 19, 2021
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I saw the weirdest bird I've ever seen at our feeder this morning in central Iowa. I wish I would have snapped a photo, but it was gone before I could. I've spent 10 minutes searching the internet for images, and the best way I could describe it was a mix of a Groove-Billed Ani with a Brown Thrasher. Just the most unique looking bird I've seen before in Iowa and I've been watching birds for years. It had the beak structure of a Groove-billed Ani and very similar body structure, but more similar to the Brown Thrasher tail structure. It was not a Brown Thrasher though. Also, not the same color as a Brown Thrasher, nor the black of the Groove-billed Ani. I am perplexed.

Wish I would have gotten a photo. Any ideas what it could be?
Two guesses. An immature rose breasted grosbeak female or I wonder is someone in your neighborhood had it for a pet and it is on the lamb.
 
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MTCyclone43

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Feb 22, 2016
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Northwest Montana
I saw a red-headed woodpecker underneath our feeder yesterday here in Wisconsin. Then an Oriole was checking out the humming bird feeder. Rose breasted grosbeak has become a regular at the feeder, too.
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Not my images. There is just something about orange and black together to make up the Oriole. What a stout beak on the Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
 

Chitowncy

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Two guesses. An immature rose breasted grosbeak female or I wonder is someone in your neighborhood had it for a pet and it is on the lamb.

My guess was a female rose-breasted grosbeak as well. Big, chunky beak and same color scheme as a brown thrasher.

I think you might be right. I should have Google searched a female rose-breasted grosbeak. Thanks for the suggestion!
 
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GrindingAway

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Jumping into this thread as a new official birder. We'll see how long the hobby lasts (I tend to jump full into hobbies and some fizzle), but over the last couple of weeks have been a big birder. Merlin, ebird, searching camera lenses you name it.

A few pics from the weekend the grosbeak isn't great quality - it was before I removed the screen from that window for better photos.

Was traveling some this weekend so hit my parents backyard in NW Iowa, some around Black Hawk Lake, Neal Smith wildlife refugee and then back home in SE Iowa. Have several varieties of woodpeckers nesting in the backyard but haven't got a good picture yet. Saw a Red Eyed Vireo and Blackpoll Warbler but the picture quality wasn't great.

Even grabbed several species (don't have pictures) while on a work trip to France a couple weeks back.

We'll see if it's a long term thing or not but fun so far.


TM.PNG Cardinal.PNG GB.PNG YW.PNG BT.PNG
 

Kinch

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My first priority in birding is my species count of my home county of Scott in Minnesota. I found this second county record of yellow throated warbler this morning at nearby park. First siting in this county since 1985
View attachment 149347
Awesome sighting. I thought it strange that those are not common birds in Minnesota until I saw their range, good job.
 
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VeloClone

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Jan 19, 2010
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Not my images. There is just something about orange and black together to make up the Oriole. What a stout beak on the Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
I refreshed the jelly in my oriole feeder and Saturday and just before noon Sunday Mrs. Velo spotted an oriole. I got there just in time to snap a truly terrible photo where you can see the coloration and watch him fly away in the live photo but when I text it to people they can maybe make out that there is a bird there - or a barkless branch. Relatively sure it was a male Baltimore. I was in my basement in my home office this morning and heard the call so I went upstairs in time to see him again but not quick enough to get the phone camera settings for a better pic. Hopefully he makes regular stops going forward.

EDIT: This is our first season with an oriole feeder. Glad we got it. They are spectacular!
 

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