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#88001
Thanks but I think not. I've checked my birding guides.. It seems closer to a jay or a flycatcher but that the beak is short and black. There is no eyebrow or eye-ring and the colour is that tawny to gray.. There were 2 of them .. I assume male and female. I couldn't get the wings though.. There were some markings on the very edges of the wing, but not very visible from this photograph, sorry.
#88004
Hi Hawkman.. I looked at images of the Cowbird and the beak is wrong (IMO).. Could this not be a Gray Jay?
Hawkman1234 wrote: May 12 12:45 pm This bird way to big in size and beak size to be any type of flycatcher in Victoria.The only Jay we get is Stellars Jay and nope not close for that.This is 100% a female Brown Headed Cowbird.It confuses a lot of new birders as yourself.😊👍
#88011
Nope.Never been a Gray Jay reported as far as I know at swan lake and been birding there for over 25 years.Gray Jays 99 % of the time are only seen at much higher elevations.I will give you some advice.99% of what you see when birding are going to be common birds.Most are there all year round.In the spring and fall there is a greater chance of something rare.But that still does not happen very often.Your Black - headed Grosbeak for instance would be very rare in middle of winter but this time of year they are there every year so not rare.Really need to study your guides and pics on line as this bird is way off for gray jay.Your I’d skills will improve in time keep at it but again don’t try to hard to turn a bird into something it’s not .First instinct is usually right.😊👍
#88015
Hi Hawkman.. I went to Swan Lake today.. And we checked the book, and yup it's a Brown-headed cowbird.. I confused it with the picture (beak) of a bronze-headed cowbird. I'm a muddle-headed senior citizen.

BTW: the Grosbeak I posted was a Grosbeak, was it not? I got a very nice shot of a bushtit today that looks quite similar (in my mind) to what I posted the other day; only the bushtit is smaller. I will post that later and you can correct me!! ;)

Hawkman1234 wrote: May 12 2:47 pm Nope.Never been a Gray Jay reported as far as I know at swan lake and been birding there for over 25 years.Gray Jays 99 % of the time are only seen at much higher elevations.I will give you some advice.99% of what you see when birding are going to be common birds.Most are there all year round.In the spring and fall there is a greater chance of something rare.But that still does not happen very often.Your Black - headed Grosbeak for instance would be very rare in middle of winter but this time of year they are there every year so not rare.Really need to study your guides and pics on line as this bird is way off for gray jay.Your I’d skills will improve in time keep at it but again don’t try to hard to turn a bird into something it’s not .First instinct is usually right.😊👍
#88028
Thanks zwest... I usually to up to recent sightings and then check ebird hotspots and who saw what where and when.. That's how I knew to go to esquimalt lagoon for the Godwit and the Victoria Golf Course for the Whimbrel etc.

I have been reading about birds and consulting bird guides for many many years..

I'm hard of hearing so I don't ear bird.. And I find a lot of the "plainer" birds confusing..

Anyways: thanks for the help!

zwest wrote: May 13 7:16 am I’d also recommend looking at the eBird data for the area to get a good idea of what to expect at different times of the year.

https://ebird.org/hotspot/L348441/media?yr=all&m=

Check the “Recent Visits” section - often there will be postings from the same day/time you were there, which can help to solve the mysteries.

Cheers
#88030
Hello Hawkman: here are 2 photos of what might be a bushtit and a photo of a male brown-headed. The bushtit was close to the Nature House.. The original bird was on the other side of the lake, as was the male brown-headed, and to be honest the original unknown bird looks sort of like the same to me as the bushtit, but I'm old and scheduled for cataract surgery.. Funny though that a lot of photos of the female brown-headed cowbird in guides and online show it with a finchlike beak, and not the sharp beak like on the male brown-headed I just posted. I also note the slight curve to the beak on what may be a bushtit.

Image

Image

Image
#88031
accordionboy wrote: May 13 9:25 am Thanks zwest... I usually to up to recent sightings and then check ebird hotspots and who saw what where and when.. That's how I knew to go to esquimalt lagoon for the Godwit and the Victoria Golf Course for the Whimbrel etc.

I have been reading about birds and consulting bird guides for many many years..

I'm hard of hearing so I don't ear bird.. And I find a lot of the "plainer" birds confusing..
I can certainly relate! I couldn’t hear any birds either until about a month ago when I spent a large sum of money to hear them :P

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