We have a new contributor today: Avi Burstein. His comments are indented. Most of the species are obvious, but I’ve put “ID?” for ones that readers can help identify.
Here are some photos I thought I’d share with you. There’s some variety of bluejay, woodpecker, wild turkey, hummingbird, turtle, hawk and some other small bird I don’t know the species of.
I live in the Catskills, NY, these are all taken by myself in that geographic region. There’s also a photo of myself in there, which you are welcome to use as a “reader photo”, if you’re in need of that. That isn’t my cockatiel in the photo: it was from a local event meetup of exotic bird owners I attended.
ID?
ID?
ID?
And heeeere’s Avi!
The third one looks like a female downy woodpecker.
Agree.
Given the relatively long beak compared to head size I’d vote for a hairy woodpecker. To be honest, unless you have them side by side it is very hard to tell them apart.
Ah right. Thank you very much.
The one before the turtle is a hawk. Coopers,i think.
That’s what I’d say, too. But there are some look-alikes out there.
The hawk is not a Cooper’s hawk but very likely a broad-winged hawk, a small buteo that breeds in forests in Eastern North America.
What are the clues that help you make the ID, Bruce?
Hairy Woodpecker (longer bill and lack of black spots in white outer tail feathers distinguishes it from Downy); Broad-winged Hawk; Painted Turtle.
Very good pictures! Welcome to WEIT RWP.
Thanks 🙂
To clarify, the “some other small bird” reference was to a picture that JAC chose not to include, being that it was a bit blurry.
Not a Cockatiel, a Cockatoo.
Yes, thanks! I always mix those up.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird (female) (Archilochus colubris). It’s the sole breeding hummer in the Eastern US.
Female ruby-throated hummingbird and the ‘some variety of bluejay’ is THE blue jay Cyanocitta cristata.
I would agree with Mark Shields about the woodpecker.
That’s a painted turtle, of the midland variety.
Chrysemys picta marginata
(The iconic Turtle of my youth.)
Loved your photos, Avi. Looking forward to seeing more.
A swell batch of RWP Avi. Great portrait of you with the Cockatoo. And I always enjoy turtle pics, and the painted fellow is especially pretty.
Agree with above ID’s, with additional comments.
It’s useful to include date of photo along with the location. Birds migrate.
THE Blue Jay (accept no substitutes). Out west they’re mostly Scrub Jays, but people call them Blue Jays anyway because they’re largely blue and they’ve heard the name. Not the same thing. That’s why many birders capitalize English bird names, to differentiate (e.g.) the Blue Jay from any ol’ blue jay (or bluejay).
Hairy Woodpecker female (no red on head). Downy has a very petite bill, usually black spots on white outer tail feathers, and less robust connection of black mustache to black shoulder.
Wild Turkey – I believe I recently read somewhere that nearly all wild turkeys have some domestic ancestry; i.e. they’re not truly “wild.” I don’t know how true that is.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird female. This is a very pristine example, with no dark throat or breast spots or rudimentary gorget. The only breeding hummer in the northeast. In the southeast, there are 4 other wintering / wandering / irruptive species to deal with. Ruby-throats are renowned for their their springtime migratory flights across the Gulf of Mexico from Yucatan to TX-LA-AL coast. When they encounter stiff headwinds, many don’t make it.
Broad-winged Hawk. A very good ID by Bruce. For me, the arrowhead-shaped rufous marks on breast & belly, lack of a dark crown, darkish mustache marks on sides of neck & brown wings will recommend Broad-winged over Cooper’s.
Cockatoo – There are many species of cockatoo in Australasia & Wallacea. The Sulphur-crested is the usual (perhaps only) domesticated (or captive) species. All cockatoos can be ear-splitting. The diminutive Cockatiel has a very nice, bell-like tinkling call. Don’t mess with the enormous, two-foot long Palm Cockatoo which probably could sever your arm, then go back to cracking open that palm nut.
I keep a pair of sulphur-crested cockatoos. The attitude of the one in Avi’s pic suggests to me that it is way, way out of it’s comfort zone. Also, the jet-black bill indicates a possibility of sub-optimum health due to a lack of powder-down. Cockatoos do not have an oil gland to protect their feathers, but instead rely on continuously shedding powder-down, which carries away dirt and rain. A healthy cocky tends to have a greyish bill from preening itself through powder-down covered feathers. But who knows, the owner may have given the cocky’s face a wash before he was presented to the public.