[birding] ID help, please.

[Joel Geier]

Hi Sandy and all,

My first guess from your description is a juvenile Horned Lark, if it
was foraging on the ground. They do tend to look a little more rounded
than the adults. The apparent size can be a matter of whether they have
their feathers fluffed out or not.

This is also the time of year to watch out for juvenile starlings,
juvenile cowbirds, and other juvenile birds in general. Juvenal plumages
are more variable than most field guides show, as the youngsters are in
a constant state of change.

April might be the cruelest month, but July is surely the most confusing
month to be a birder in the mid-Valley, due to all of the wacky-looking
juveniles that are out and about.

Happy summer birding,
Joel

On Wed, 2009-07-08 at 21:18 -0400, sampan at aol.com wrote:
> Listers - 
> 
> I'm hoping someone can help me pin down the ID of a bird I saw today
> at Finley:  
> 
> Approximate size & posture of a horned lark, but "rounder" in shape.
> Brownish tones overall.   Pale, clear, breast with a dark band of
> speckly streaks (or streaky speckles) high across the breast.  It gave
> the impression of a shawl pulled across the shoulders and held
> together at the front.  Face was plain, eye was dark, no eye ring.  No
> strong face pattern.  Beak was short and mostly dark - although it may
> have been yellowish at the tip or on the bottom.
> 
> Back was a scaly patterned brown, wings were less patterned and had 2
> pale wing bars.  Perhaps a more golden-y brown patch just at the
> shoulder. Legs and tail were "dark" but I did not see them distinctly.
> 
> No vocalization.
> 
> I was watching a horned lark in the field on the south side of Bruce
> road and this bird flew in.  My first impression was that it was
> another lark, but clearly not once I focused on it.  The bird struck
> me as being slightly larger than the lark - but that could be because
> it was closer in, or because it was a rounder bird.  It wasn't
> smaller.   It foraged in the higher scrubby plants without covering a
> lot of ground in the field for a short time - most of the looks I had
> were the bird looking at me face-on.  It then flew off towards the
> gully that flows from the road, and I lost it.  Time was @11:00.  
> 
> I got such clear looks I figured I would find it amongst the peeps
> without a problem - but I'm not finding it in my field guides.  If
> anyone can help steer me in the right direction, I'd appreciate it.
> 
> Sandy P.
> North Albany
> 
> 
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