|
Anyone have an idea of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home, ID
Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member
Member, North American Butterfly Association
|
|
|
Looks like at least some of them are red-winged blackbirds. Could be a mixed flock of several species of blackbirds. In the second photo, I think I’m seeing the red epaulets on some of the birds.
Anyone have an idea of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home, ID
Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member
Member, North American Butterfly Association
|
|
|
I just opened the images up on my 27 inch iMac and expanded zoomed in even closer. It appears to me that I can see the epaulets or Red-winged Blackbirds.
Looks like at least some of them are red-winged blackbirds. Could be a mixed flock of several species of blackbirds. In the second photo, I think I’m seeing the red epaulets on some of the birds. Anyone have an idea of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home, ID
Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member
Member, North American Butterfly Association
--
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
|
|
|
These are Rosy-finches not blackbirds. Looks like Black Rosy-finch. Note that those are not epaulets but wingbars. Also “fat-headed and stubby billed. Rosy’s move down out of the high country above timberline in large flocks like this in the winter. Zeke Watkins 208-731-1471 Instagram : @idahobirder
Not all those who wander are lost - J.R.R. Tolkien
Without the animals, Man would die of a great loneliness of the Spirit - Chief Seattle
An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only great curiosity but great fulfillment - Sir David Attenborough
On Jan 8, 2021, at 7:36 PM, Ken Miracle via groups.io <chukar28@...> wrote:
I just opened the images up on my 27 inch iMac and expanded zoomed in even closer. It appears to me that I can see the epaulets or Red-winged Blackbirds.
Looks like at least some of them are red-winged blackbirds. Could be a mixed flock of several species of blackbirds. In the second photo, I think I’m seeing the red epaulets on some of the birds. Anyone have an idea of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home, ID
Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member
Member, North American Butterfly Association
--
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
|
|
|
Zeke …. You could very well be correct … fat head and stubby bill and some appear to have a lighter crown and lighter under the wing than I would expect with a Blackbird flock. On the Rosy-finches I shot in flight in 2019 in better light I see the wing bars that could be mistaken for red-winged epaulets in the darker images. The lighting and exposure on Alan’s images could be making them look darker/blacker than they are.
Louisa and most others on IBLE are far more experienced birders than I am and I am not a Gray-crowned and Black Rosy-finch expert at all.
What makes you think Black Rosy-finch and not Gray-crowned or a mixed flock? It is hard for me to see all the ID marks I read about for them from the dark photos. The only Black Rosy-finches that I had photographed before the ones below were sitting not flying and I had to get some of the IBO biologists to help me sort out the Black from the Gray-crowned. And of course there are plummage variations in adults and with immature birds … just to drive me nuts :-)
Here is a large, what I Id’d as a mixed flock, with more Gray-crowned than Black. I photographed these in better light on 11-7-2019 near Succor Creek in Oregon and near the Idaho Border.
These are Rosy-finches not blackbirds. Looks like Black Rosy-finch. Note that those are not epaulets but wingbars. Also “fat-headed and stubby billed. Rosy’s move down out of the high country above timberline in large flocks like this in the winter. Zeke Watkins 208-731-1471 Instagram : @idahobirder
Not all those who wander are lost - J.R.R. Tolkien
Without the animals, Man would die of a great loneliness of the Spirit - Chief Seattle
An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only great curiosity but great fulfillment - Sir David Attenborough I just opened the images up on my 27 inch iMac and expanded zoomed in even closer. It appears to me that I can see the epaulets or Red-winged Blackbirds.
Looks like at least some of them are red-winged blackbirds. Could be a mixed flock of several species of blackbirds. In the second photo, I think I’m seeing the red epaulets on some of the birds. Anyone have an idea of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home, ID
Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member
Member, North American Butterfly Association
--
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
|
|
|
Looks like there are a few Grey-crowned mixed in. I see a few in the upper picture. Rosy’s are winter residents at a few locations here in The Wood River valley, specifically up at the old mining town of Triumph northeast of Hailey; and up in Elkhorn village area. I’ve spent a lot of time up there in the winter watching them. Often times we only see them flying around in flocks and have to try and distinguish the two species against bright winter overcast skies. Grey-crowned’s are lighter on the belly than Black’s. You can see some rose coloration on the flanks of a few of the birds at extreme magnification in the photos. The wing bars also show some of that coloration as well. Zeke Watkins 208-731-1471 Instagram : @idahobirder
Not all those who wander are lost - J.R.R. Tolkien
Without the animals, Man would die of a great loneliness of the Spirit - Chief Seattle
An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only great curiosity but great fulfillment - Sir David Attenborough
On Jan 8, 2021, at 11:35 PM, Ken Miracle via groups.io <chukar28@...> wrote:
Zeke …. You could very well be correct … fat head and stubby bill and some appear to have a lighter crown and lighter under the wing than I would expect with a Blackbird flock. On the Rosy-finches I shot in flight in 2019 in better light I see the wing bars that could be mistaken for red-winged epaulets in the darker images. The lighting and exposure on Alan’s images could be making them look darker/blacker than they are.
Louisa and most others on IBLE are far more experienced birders than I am and I am not a Gray-crowned and Black Rosy-finch expert at all.
What makes you think Black Rosy-finch and not Gray-crowned or a mixed flock? It is hard for me to see all the ID marks I read about for them from the dark photos. The only Black Rosy-finches that I had photographed before the ones below were sitting not flying and I had to get some of the IBO biologists to help me sort out the Black from the Gray-crowned. And of course there are plummage variations in adults and with immature birds … just to drive me nuts :-)
Here is a large, what I Id’d as a mixed flock, with more Gray-crowned than Black. I photographed these in better light on 11-7-2019 near Succor Creek in Oregon and near the Idaho Border.
<_KMM2720.jpg>
These are Rosy-finches not blackbirds. Looks like Black Rosy-finch. Note that those are not epaulets but wingbars. Also “fat-headed and stubby billed. Rosy’s move down out of the high country above timberline in large flocks like this in the winter. Zeke Watkins 208-731-1471 Instagram : @idahobirder
Not all those who wander are lost - J.R.R. Tolkien
Without the animals, Man would die of a great loneliness of the Spirit - Chief Seattle
An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only great curiosity but great fulfillment - Sir David Attenborough I just opened the images up on my 27 inch iMac and expanded zoomed in even closer. It appears to me that I can see the epaulets or Red-winged Blackbirds.
Looks like at least some of them are red-winged blackbirds. Could be a mixed flock of several species of blackbirds. In the second photo, I think I’m seeing the red epaulets on some of the birds. Anyone have an idea of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home, ID
Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member
Member, North American Butterfly Association
--
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
|
|
|
There has been a mixed flock that winters in the Hammer Flats area and roosts in the black cliffs near Lucky Peak State Park Discovery Unit.
My brother-in-law lives on the lower end of East Fork I have heard about the flocks up at Triumph but have not encountered them.
Thanks for the info.
That flock of Rosy-finches that swirled around me when I was out chukar hunting with some friends was exciting. My friends had a pretty good day with their shotguns on chukars but I bagged more birds with my camera :-)
Looks like there are a few Grey-crowned mixed in. I see a few in the upper picture. Rosy’s are winter residents at a few locations here in The Wood River valley, specifically up at the old mining town of Triumph northeast of Hailey; and up in Elkhorn village area. I’ve spent a lot of time up there in the winter watching them. Often times we only see them flying around in flocks and have to try and distinguish the two species against bright winter overcast skies. Grey-crowned’s are lighter on the belly than Black’s. You can see some rose coloration on the flanks of a few of the birds at extreme magnification in the photos. The wing bars also show some of that coloration as well. Zeke Watkins 208-731-1471 Instagram : @idahobirder
Not all those who wander are lost - J.R.R. Tolkien
Without the animals, Man would die of a great loneliness of the Spirit - Chief Seattle
An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only great curiosity but great fulfillment - Sir David Attenborough Zeke …. You could very well be correct … fat head and stubby bill and some appear to have a lighter crown and lighter under the wing than I would expect with a Blackbird flock. On the Rosy-finches I shot in flight in 2019 in better light I see the wing bars that could be mistaken for red-winged epaulets in the darker images. The lighting and exposure on Alan’s images could be making them look darker/blacker than they are.
Louisa and most others on IBLE are far more experienced birders than I am and I am not a Gray-crowned and Black Rosy-finch expert at all.
What makes you think Black Rosy-finch and not Gray-crowned or a mixed flock? It is hard for me to see all the ID marks I read about for them from the dark photos. The only Black Rosy-finches that I had photographed before the ones below were sitting not flying and I had to get some of the IBO biologists to help me sort out the Black from the Gray-crowned. And of course there are plummage variations in adults and with immature birds … just to drive me nuts :-)
Here is a large, what I Id’d as a mixed flock, with more Gray-crowned than Black. I photographed these in better light on 11-7-2019 near Succor Creek in Oregon and near the Idaho Border.
<_KMM2720.jpg>
These are Rosy-finches not blackbirds. Looks like Black Rosy-finch. Note that those are not epaulets but wingbars. Also “fat-headed and stubby billed. Rosy’s move down out of the high country above timberline in large flocks like this in the winter. Zeke Watkins 208-731-1471 Instagram : @idahobirder
Not all those who wander are lost - J.R.R. Tolkien
Without the animals, Man would die of a great loneliness of the Spirit - Chief Seattle
An understanding of the natural world and what's in it is a source of not only great curiosity but great fulfillment - Sir David Attenborough I just opened the images up on my 27 inch iMac and expanded zoomed in even closer. It appears to me that I can see the epaulets or Red-winged Blackbirds.
Looks like at least some of them are red-winged blackbirds. Could be a mixed flock of several species of blackbirds. In the second photo, I think I’m seeing the red epaulets on some of the birds. Anyone have an idea of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home, ID
Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member
Member, North American Butterfly Association
--
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
|
|
|
I figured it out by going back out there this morning. The birds are Horned Larks and they are feeding on farmland that has been tilled straight across the road from where I photographed them yesterday. The backlighting was strong yesterday and again today, making photography difficult. Alan Gregory
Anyone have an idea of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home, ID
Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member
Member, North American Butterfly Association
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home, ID
Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member
Member, North American Butterfly Association
|
|
|
There may have been Horned Larks there today but the birds in
your photos from yesterday are not Horned Larks. Thick based
bills, pot bellied look, and pale bar on wing coverts are on
consistent with Horned Lark. I think Zeke has it right, they are
Rosy Finches but I'm not going to attempt to identify them to
species.
Cliff
On 1/9/21 11:20 AM, M Gregory wrote:
I figured it out by going back
out there this morning. The birds are Horned Larks and they
are feeding on farmland that has been tilled straight across
the road from where I photographed them yesterday. The
backlighting was strong yesterday and again today, making
photography difficult.
Alan Gregory
Anyone have an idea
of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock
over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore
County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking
in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in
this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain
Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col.,
USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home,
ID
Air Force
Public Affairs
Alumni
Association,
life member
Member, North
American
Butterfly
Association
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col.,
USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home,
ID
Air Force
Public Affairs
Alumni
Association,
life member
Member, North
American
Butterfly
Association
--
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@...
|
|
|
From my experience with flocks of Horned Larks in flight they show a lot of white even in backlight situations. I would still agree with Zeke that the birds in Alan’s photographs are most probably Black and Gray-crowned Rosy Finches and I really do not see horned lark field marks but as I said before I am not the experienced birder many others on IBLE like Cliff and others are.
Photographing birds in a backlight situation is always difficult. Just in case anyone is interested …. the fastest way I know to adjust quickly is using exposure value compensation EV …. when I remember and do not get lazy about it … I just push the button and turn the wheel to add 1 to 2 stops of exposure compensation. Since I am shooting in manual mode with auto ISO that usually results in higher ISO and but let’s me have less if any lightening to do on the computer and easier to see field marks and I need all the help I can get with ID.
There may have been Horned Larks there today but the birds in
your photos from yesterday are not Horned Larks. Thick based
bills, pot bellied look, and pale bar on wing coverts are on
consistent with Horned Lark. I think Zeke has it right, they are
Rosy Finches but I'm not going to attempt to identify them to
species. Cliff
On 1/9/21 11:20 AM, M Gregory wrote:
I figured it out by going back
out there this morning. The birds are Horned Larks and they
are feeding on farmland that has been tilled straight across
the road from where I photographed them yesterday. The
backlighting was strong yesterday and again today, making
photography difficult.
Alan Gregory
Anyone have an idea
of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock
over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore
County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking
in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in
this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain
Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col.,
USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home,
ID
Air Force
Public Affairs
Alumni
Association,
life member
Member, North
American
Butterfly
Association
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col.,
USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home,
ID
Air Force
Public Affairs
Alumni
Association,
life member
Member, North
American
Butterfly
Association
--
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@...
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
|
|
|
Thank you for your insight on the sp. and photography. I am going back over therein a bit with my big telephoto lens. The pale, translucent flight feathers of rosy finches stand out to me now. Alan Gregory
From my experience with flocks of Horned Larks in flight they show a lot of white even in backlight situations. I would still agree with Zeke that the birds in Alan’s photographs are most probably Black and Gray-crowned Rosy Finches and I really do not see horned lark field marks but as I said before I am not the experienced birder many others on IBLE like Cliff and others are.
Photographing birds in a backlight situation is always difficult. Just in case anyone is interested …. the fastest way I know to adjust quickly is using exposure value compensation EV …. when I remember and do not get lazy about it … I just push the button and turn the wheel to add 1 to 2 stops of exposure compensation. Since I am shooting in manual mode with auto ISO that usually results in higher ISO and but let’s me have less if any lightening to do on the computer and easier to see field marks and I need all the help I can get with ID.
There may have been Horned Larks there today but the birds in
your photos from yesterday are not Horned Larks. Thick based
bills, pot bellied look, and pale bar on wing coverts are on
consistent with Horned Lark. I think Zeke has it right, they are
Rosy Finches but I'm not going to attempt to identify them to
species. Cliff
On 1/9/21 11:20 AM, M Gregory wrote:
I figured it out by going back
out there this morning. The birds are Horned Larks and they
are feeding on farmland that has been tilled straight across
the road from where I photographed them yesterday. The
backlighting was strong yesterday and again today, making
photography difficult.
Alan Gregory
Anyone have an idea
of what species these birds are? I photographed the flock
over sage flats a mile or so from Old Highway 30 in Elmore
County this afternoon. When I think of songbirds flocking
in winter, I think of House Sparrows. No human activity in
this area. Just sagebrush
Alan in Mountain
Home
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col.,
USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home,
ID
Air Force
Public Affairs
Alumni
Association,
life member
Member, North
American
Butterfly
Association
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col.,
USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home,
ID
Air Force
Public Affairs
Alumni
Association,
life member
Member, North
American
Butterfly
Association
--
Cliff and Lisa Weisse
Island Park, Idaho
cliffandlisa@...
Ken Miracle chukar28@...208-570-2780 "Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God" 2COR 3:5
--
Alan C Gregory
Lt. Col., USAF, Ret.
Mountain Home, ID
Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member
Member, North American Butterfly Association
|
|
|
