Name That Bird Thread

[Mark1T]

I know what you're thinking: "This is so exciting!"

I can identify a lot of birds, so when I see a bird(s) I cannot identify, it bugs me.

I was at my lake house a couple weekends ago and about 12 birds flying high and they were very fast flyers. It was day time in early afternoon. They were white with what looked like fluffy feathers, with black stripes on the end of each wing parallel to the body. They had a shape like a falcon, but probably slightly larger than most falcons.

They were so fast, it was hard to get a pic of them. I have never seen them before. Not a water bird.

These two pics were the best I could do.

So, name that bird:

[eomrat]

Fred the Bird

[Mark1T]

Fred the Bird

Great guess. But - no.

[eomrat]

Great guess. But - no.

Weird. Looks exactly like Fred.

[mtpockets]

Ducks are my thing, this ain't a duck. That's all I got

[Mark1T]

Ducks are my thing, this ain't a duck. That's all I got

Ducks are beautiful.

[mtpockets]

Ducks are beautiful.

[Cass40]

Is it Jennifer?

[Cass40]

OH wait...nice subtle brag thread. I was at my lake house... nice try op.

[Mark1T]

Second is a Wood Duck. Gorgeous. What is the first?

Is it Jennifer?

That was my first thought, but it was too furry to be Jennifer. Jennifer doesn't have body hair, kind of like some other Viking lady I know

OH wait...nice subtle brag thread. I was at my lake house... nice try op.

Listen here, Ms. Sassy Pants, I am innocent. I thought everybody had a lake house.

You can't fool me with your psychological manipulation. Except for maybe a little. But, then I shake out of it

[mtpockets]

Second is a Wood Duck. Gorgeous. What is the first?

Harlequin

[Mark1T]

Harlequin

Very nice. I'm just glad you didn't say it's Jennifer.

[keyboardworkout]

Was it diving like really fuking fast?

Maybe a Peregrine falcon

[Mark1T]

Was it diving like really fuking fast?

Maybe a Peregrine falcon

Good guess, but not a falcon. Too white (no racist). It was flying with 10 to 12 others just like it and falcons don't do that.

[mtpockets]

Good guess, but not a falcon. Too white (no racist). It was flying with 10 to 12 others just like it and falcons don't do that.

I can't tell the size, is it a kite?

[Mark1T]

I can't tell the size, is it a kite?

Just looked up White-Tailed Kite and that is an excellent guess. It might be some kind of Kite, but I haven't found a picture with coloring like I saw. White-Tailed Kite is best guess.

[acrawlingchaos]

Really hard to tell from the photo, but going from the shape and your description perhaps osprey. They are solitary but sometimes form small flocks.

[Gabbar99]

What part of the world are you in?

[OldFartTom]

Some kind of seagull thing. The tail is gull not falcon?

Ermm.. I'll pick herring gull
https://www.birds-of-north-america.n...ring_Gull.html

but as you already realise I've got no ****** clue. I've a 1/28 chance I'm right https://www.birds-of-north-america.net/gulls.html

Next time shoot it, then post a pic when it's not flying away. That's what a real bird lover would do.

[Mark1T]

Really hard to tell from the photo, but going from the shape and your description perhaps osprey. They are solitary but sometimes form small flocks.

Yeah, it was so fast and using my iPhone, so the pic isn't the best. But, definately not an Osprey. We have Ospreys and they are 3X bigger and not nearly as fast and Ospreys don't fly in groups.

What part of the world are you in?

The US I have haters, so I keep my locale secret

Some kind of seagull thing. The tail is gull not falcon?

Ermm.. I'll pick herring gull
https://www.birds-of-north-america.n...ring_Gull.html

but as you already realise I've got no ****** clue. I've a 1/28 chance I'm right https://www.birds-of-north-america.net/gulls.html

Next time shoot it, then post a pic when it's not flying away. That's what a real bird lover would do.

Herring Gull is another excellent guess.

They were too fast and high to shoot. But, i wouldn't shoot them anyway. This is a Herring Gull pic that is somewhat close. But, still not sure.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...3013245%29.jpg

[champ07]

Dicky Bird?

[IronCharles]

I'm not sure what it is, but I know she must fly, or she will die.

[Mark1T]

I'm not sure what it is, but I know she must fly, or she will die.

Excellent song choice for the thread, Charles.

The lovely Cassie Sassie sends her diva approval and everybody knows how high that hill is to climb. She always uses her servants like me to post

[ElrondHubbard]

Yeah, it was so fast and using my iPhone, so the pic isn't the best. But, definately not an Osprey. We have Ospreys and they are 3X bigger and not nearly as fast and Ospreys don't fly in groups.



The US I have haters, so I keep my locale secret



Herring Gull is another excellent guess.

They were too fast and high to shoot. But, i wouldn't shoot them anyway. This is a Herring Gull pic that is somewhat close. But, still not sure.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...3013245%29.jpg

i was going to guess some kind of gull as well. Possibly a Franklin's?

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/..._Gull/overview

[Mark1T]

i was going to guess some kind of gull as well. Possibly a Franklin's?

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/..._Gull/overview

Wow, I am impressed, Elrond. The Breeding Adult of the Franklin's Gull to the right looks just like it and I was thinking it had a black head, as well.

Maybe it's my mind playing tricks, but when I think of 'Gull,' I don't think of a very fast bird. But, the shape of the wings are made for speed so makes sense.

Very good. Thanks.

[IronCharles]

i was going to guess some kind of gull as well.

It might be a Wingull. Use a Razz Berry and an Ultra Ball to catch it.

[ElrondHubbard]

Wow, I am impressed, Elrond. The Breeding Adult of the Franklin's Gull to the right looks just like it and I was thinking it had a black head, as well.

Maybe it's my mind playing tricks, but when I think of 'Gull,' I don't think of a very fast bird. But, the shape of the wings are made for speed so makes sense.

Very good. Thanks.

Thanks! I kind of grew up with gulls, and the shape is etched into my brain. And the picture you posted does have a black head, even though it's hard to make out. The main question was where you were when you saw it, but if you're inland that's probably the most likely gull to encounter.

(My son-in-law works at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, he really likes discussing this stuff!)

[Mark1T]

Thanks! I kind of grew up with gulls, and the shape is etched into my brain. And the picture you posted does have a black head, even though it's hard to make out. The main question was where you were when you saw it, but if you're inland that's probably the most likely gull to encounter.

(My son-in-law works at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, he really likes discussing this stuff!)

Inland and you are correct, from what I read when searching, too. So, I do believe we have it.

In my area, all my life I had never seen a Blue Bird. But, after a hurricane, I could tell that some new bird species were around and I thought that they may have been displaced. In the Spring now there have been only a few Blue Birds, but that is more than ever.

[ElrondHubbard]

Inland and you are correct, from what I read when searching, too. So, I do believe we have it.

In my area, all my life I had never seen a Blue Bird. But, after a hurricane, I could tell that some new bird species were around and I thought that they may have been displaced. In the Spring now there have been only a few Blue Birds, but that is more than ever.

Living out here in the desert we expect to only see desert birds. But there's a true oasis about 15 miles away from us, with springs, creeks, and a couple of medium-sized reservoirs, and it attracts migrating waterfowl, which sometimes find their way into our area. A couple of years ago we had a couple of very large white snowy egrets land in our backyard. They were spectacular. A couple of years before that, a snow goose, of all things, spent the winter nearby.

Some of it's just random occurrences. But with climate change and lots of ecological and habitat changes that human development causes, the need for species to adapt or die is leading them into some new behaviors at times, it seems. Sometimes, though, there have been some truly breathtaking encounters that I will carry with me the rest of my life.

[Mark1T]

Living out here in the desert we expect to only see desert birds. But there's a true oasis about 15 miles away from us, with springs, creeks, and a couple of medium-sized reservoirs, and it attracts migrating waterfowl, which sometimes find their way into our area. A couple of years ago we had a couple of very large white snowy egrets land in our backyard. They were spectacular. A couple of years before that, a snow goose, of all things, spent the winter nearby.

Some of it's just random occurrences. But with climate change and lots of ecological and habitat changes that human development causes, the need for species to adapt or die is leading them into some new behaviors at times, it seems. Sometimes, though, there have been some truly breathtaking encounters that I will carry with me the rest of my life.

Thanks for sharing. Very interesting.