Although I don’t have experience with rosy finches, I do have a lot of experience with House Sparrows. It looks to me like most of the birds in the original flock shots from Mr. Gregory are House Sparrows, with a few female Red-winged Blackbirds and one or two Dark-eyed Juncos mixed in. House Sparrows, especially the males, do have a prominent white wing bar that is exposed when they fly, as is shown by this photo. I see those wing bars and the black breast of a House Sparrow on many of the birds in those two photos, in addition to the other field marks of House Sparrows.
I hope this helps with the identification of these birds!
My daily bike ride can produce a wide range of birds, including raptors. While I don’t have any photos of the birds I see, I thought I would share a particularly great finish to my ride.
I didn‘t see my first raptor until I was on my way home today, about 8 miles into the ride. The first was a Red Tail (of the “normal” variety) perched along the Boise River. I think he was checking out the menu. The second raptor was also a Red Tail, further along and not in close proximity to the river. Third, fourth, and fifth raptors were all American Kestrels, at Willow Lane, Veterans Park, and Esther Simplot.
But it got really interesting when got close to my house and realized there was an accipiter in the tree across the alley. After viewing it from various angles, I decided it was a good-sized Sharp-shinned Hawk, watching my feeders, so also looking at what was on the menu.
Later, after “she” left (I figure “she” because of size), I went back out into the yard and noticed a different raptor in a different tree across the alley. This one was even tougher because I don’t get to see immature Peregrine Falcons very often. I t was obviously a falcon (thank you Heidi for teaching me what to look for) but too big to be a Merlin or a Kestrel (relatively common on my rides) and too light to be a Prairie. He was heavily streaked down the front, and he hung out for a long time. This gave me time to consult iBird Pro, Crossley’s guide, and my old Sibley’s. Quite a treat for the North End of Boise. 😉
Final tally was 39 species in 12 miles, but the Peregrine was the crowning treat.
The only photos I see here are House Sparrows and female Red-winged Blackbirds … is there a missing large flock photo?
On Jan 10, 2021, at 3:42 PM, M Gregory <alanclarkg@…> wrote:
I am disappointed with my photos and I clicked off dozens. I think there are some Black Rosy-Finches mixed in the large flock with Gray-crowned. Was 32 and breezy at the time I revisited the site in Elmore County this morning. There were Horned Larks feeding in a plowed field across Beet Dump Road from the finches.
Alan Gregory
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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
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Alan C Gregory Lt. Col., USAF, Ret. Mountain Home, ID Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member Member, North American Butterfly Association
<1-IMG_6901.JPG><1-IMG_6902.JPG>
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
He was nice enough to hold up his leg for you and show you his bare lower shin 🙂
Yes they come in a huge range of colors within 50 miles of Boise I have seen some so dark they border on black and some so light they are almost white.
I saw that Cliff Weisse in his reply called this one an intermediate morph and why.
On Jan 10, 2021, at 7:12 PM, M Gregory <alanclarkg@…> wrote:
ok. thank you for the correction. Every time I go out looking, I see different color phases of red-tails. And they are all very different than the redtails I saw over 25 years in Pennsylvania and Vermont.
On Jan 10, 2021, at 7:06 PM, M Gregory <alanclarkg@…> wrote:
I think I attached the wrong pics to my earlier note about raptors. Here are two pics of the dark, red-phase Ferruginous Hawk I found perched on a utility pole today.
alan
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Alan C Gregory Lt. Col., USAF, Ret. Mountain Home, ID Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member Member, North American Butterfly Association
<1-IMG_7149.JPG><1-IMG_7152.JPG>
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
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
ok. thank you for the correction. Every time I go out looking, I see different color phases of red-tails. And they are all very different than the redtails I saw over 25 years in Pennsylvania and Vermont.
On Jan 10, 2021, at 7:06 PM, M Gregory <alanclarkg@…> wrote:
I think I attached the wrong pics to my earlier note about raptors. Here are two pics of the dark, red-phase Ferruginous Hawk I found perched on a utility pole today.
alan
—
Alan C Gregory Lt. Col., USAF, Ret. Mountain Home, ID Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member Member, North American Butterfly Association
<1-IMG_7149.JPG><1-IMG_7152.JPG>
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 think I attached the wrong pics to my earlier note about raptors. Here are two pics of the dark, red-phase Ferruginous Hawk I found perched on a utility pole today.
alan
—
Alan C Gregory Lt. Col., USAF, Ret. Mountain Home, ID Air Force Public Affairs Alumni Association, life member Member, North American Butterfly Association
The only photos I see here are House Sparrows and female Red-winged Blackbirds … is there a missing large flock photo?
On Jan 10, 2021, at 3:42 PM, M Gregory <alanclarkg@…> wrote:
I am disappointed with my photos and I clicked off dozens. I think there are some Black Rosy-Finches mixed in the large flock with Gray-crowned. Was 32 and breezy at the time I revisited the site in Elmore County this morning. There were Horned Larks feeding in a plowed field across Beet Dump Road from the finches.
Alan Gregory
—
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
