Goodness, I haven’t posted a bird quiz since March. In case you’ve been missing the fun, here is one for June. Can you identify this duck? The photo was taken at the end of December on South Padre Island in southern Texas. My answer will appear next Monday.
If you missed last Monday’s Part 1, be sure to read that post first. Now I’ll continue with my identification checklist.
What does it look like?
This is the obvious one, but even here there are often too many details to take them all in at once. I usually start with color, and “general impression of size and shape” (GISS). Are there any obvious marks that might narrow things down?
If the bird is still posing for me, I move to the details. What color is the eye, and is there an eye-ring? What about the beak? Long or short, pointed (for bug-catching) or wedge-shaped (for seed-cracking), curving or straight? On a sitting bird, do the wings protrude past the tail? What color are the legs and feet? Is there anything else that stands out?
What in the world is that bird? Birding someplace new is fun and exciting, but it’s also a challenge. How do you make a trip list if you can’t identify the birds you are seeing?
I normally post a bird ID quiz on the first Monday of the month. Today and next week, I thought I’d share about the mental checklist I go through when I’m trying to ID a bird I don’t immediately recognize.
I get to travel a bit. In addition to field trips here in Colorado, I’ve been birding in southern Texas, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, and the west coast. I was really excited when we went to Puerto Rico several years ago. We stayed at a friend’s time share ideally situated between a wildlife refuge and a bird sanctuary. I was having so much fun, I almost didn’t notice the 99° temperatures or the 99% humidity. Almost.
(Make sure you also see the previous months’ Bird Quizzes!)
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken during March in California. My answer will appear next Monday.
To refresh your memory, here is the photo from February’s Bird Quiz. It was taken in Texas during the month of January. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
(Make sure you also see the previous months’ Bird Quizzes!)
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken during January in Texas. My answer will appear next Monday.
To refresh your memory, here is the photo from January’s Bird Quiz. It was taken in southeast Colorado during the month of January. Don’t read any further if you want one last chance to identify this bird.
(Make sure you also see the previous months’ Bird Quizzes!)
Once again I’ve put together some birds to identify. As with the birds last year, these won’t be super hard. I’ll show you most, if not all, of the bird, and you should be able to find it in your field guide without too much trouble. Maybe I’m just too chicken to post the pictures that have me stumped!
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken during January in Colorado. My answer will appear next Monday.
(Make sure you also see the previous months’ Bird Quizzes!)
Can you identify these birds? The top photo was taken in Puerto Rico in May. The bottom photo was taken in California in February. My answer will appear next Monday.
(Make sure you also see the previous months’ Bird Quizzes!)
Can you identify this bird? The photo was taken in Oregon in September. My answer will appear next Monday.
Mountain Plover 