Ring-necked Duck And An Odd Lesser Scaup
Seven days ago I found a Ring-necked Duck and an odd Lesser Scaup drake at my local pond. The scaup puzzled me and I wondered if he might be a hybrid.
Eared And Horned Grebe Nonbreeding Plumage Comparison
This morning, I wanted to share an Eared and Horned Grebe nonbreeding plumage comparison. Why? Because, at this time of year, I can see both species.
Least Sandpiper In Kamas Valley
The most surprising and wonderful bird I saw and photographed on Thursday with my friend, April Olson, was a migrating Least Sandpiper in the Kamas Valley.
Winter California And Herring Gull Comparison In Utah
Since I frequently get asked which is which I thought this would be a good time to do a winter California and Herring Gull comparison and ID feature post.
Request For Grasshopper Identification
I have struggled for the past four days trying to identify a bright green grasshopper nymph that I found on a Common Mullein up in the Wasatch Mountains.
One Wary Dusky Flycatcher
There is a story behind these Dusky Flycatcher photos that I took earlier this week while I sat in my Jeep next to a creek in the Wasatch Mountains.
Bird Identification From A Partial View
There are times I take cruddy photos on purpose when I know that my view of the entire bird is obstructed and that I might only have a partial view of the bird.
Nashville And MacGillivray’s Warblers – A Visual Comparison
In late summer I see Nashville and MacGillivray’s Warblers in the same locations and habitats foraging for the same food, aphids.
Flocks of Phalaropes In Flight – But Which Species?
It is the season of phalarope migration here in the Great Basin hub of the Pacific Flyway and one of the best places to view these shorebirds is along the causeway to Antelope Island State Park.
Why Do These Drake Common Goldeneyes Look Different?
Both of these drake Common Goldeneyes were photographed on January 7, 2018, but they don't look quite the same.
Gray Flycatcher Perched In Fragrant Sumac
As it turns out this flycatcher gave me a wonderful behavioral clue that made identifying it a little easier for me because I watched it wag its tail slowly up and down repeatedly while perched which Gray Flycatchers are known to do.
Calling Willow Flycatcher – Hearing FITZ-bew Clinched The ID
Because of a two part call, FITZ-bew, I had no trouble identifying a flycatcher that I saw, photographed and heard yesterday morning in the Wasatch Mountains as a Willow Flycatcher.
How I Know That This A Vesper Sparrow
The first ID features I noticed yesterday with this Vesper Sparrow were the bright, white eyerings and the rufous lesser coverts and I could make my ID from just those two features.
Fritillary Butterfly – Other Things With Wings
I'm going to ask for help later on today from bugguide.net with the identification of this fritillary butterfly. I don't normally have to ask for identification assistance but I need it for this other thing with wings.
Side By Side Prairie and Peregrine Falcon Comparison
There are other differences in plumage between Prairie and Peregrine Falcons that show in my photos but by using just their heads it is possible to make a quick ID in the field.
Female Red-winged Blackbirds – Frequency in Misidentification
Female Red-winged Blackbirds seem to be the birds that are most often misidentified probably because they look so different from the males. Red-winged Blackbirds are sexually dimorphic .
Comparing Adult Ring-billed and California Gulls
For most of the year Ring-billed and California Gulls are some of the most common gulls here in northern Utah and for some people it might be challenging to tell them apart.
American Bittern – Juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron Comparison
To the untrained eye American Bitterns and Black-crowned Night Herons can be confused so I thought I'd visually compare the two species with other keys to aid in their identification.
Comparing American White Pelicans to Brown Pelicans
The recent arrival of American White Pelicans to the Salt Lake Valley started me thinking about the differences between Brown Pelicans and American White Pelicans.
Mountain Plovers – Comparing two similar looking species
There are a few similar species that occur in Utah and surrounding states that could be confused with Mountain Plovers.
Ruddy Turnstones in breeding and nonbreeding plumage
Ruddy Turnstones in breeding and nonbreeding plumage can appear to be two different species to novice birders and bird photographers as can several other bird species.