By: Kristen Voglewede
Date: March 22, 2012
Location: Poquoson
Species name: Carolina Chickadee
Diagnostic: black cap and bib separated by stark white cheeks, the back, wings, and tail are soft gray
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Eastern Bluebird
Diagnostic:
Male Eastern Bluebirds are vivid, deep blue above and rusty or
brick-red on the throat and breast, females are grayish above with
bluish wings and tail, and a subdued orange-brown breast.
Location: Buckroe Beach
Species Name: Common Grackle
Diagnostic:
Common Grackles appear black from a distance, but up close their glossy
purple heads contrast with bronzy-iridescent bodies. A bright golden
eye gives grackles an intent expression. Females are slightly less
glossy than males. Young birds are dark brown with a dark eye.
Male:
Female:
Location: Buckroe Beach
Species Name: Ring-billed Gull
Diagnostic:
Adults are clean gray above, with a white head, body and tail; their
black wingtips are spotted with white. They have yellow legs and a
yellow bill with a black band around it.
Location: Buckroe Beach
Species Name: Rock Pigeon
Diagnostic:
Variable in color, but most birds are bluish gray with two black bands
on the wing and a black tip to the tail. Most birds have iridescent
throat feathers. Wing patterns may include two bars, dark spots, or can
be plain. The tail is usually dark tipped.
Location: Buckroe Beach
Species Name: Laughing Gull
Diagnostic:
medium gray above and white below. Summer adults have a crisp black
hood, white arcs around the eye, and a reddish bill. In winter, the hood
becomes a blurry gray mask on a white head. The legs are reddish black
to black.
Location: Buckroe Beach
Species Name: House Finch
Diagnostic:
Adult males are rosy red around the face and upper breast, with streaky
brown back, belly and tail. In flight, the red rump is conspicuous.
Adult females aren’t red; they are plain grayish-brown with thick,
blurry streaks and an indistinctly marked face.
Location: Buckroe Beach
Species Name: Mallard
Diagnostic:
Head iridescent dark green. Narrow white neck ring. Breast
chestnut-brown. Back and wings brownish gray. Underparts light grayish.
Rump and under tail black, with white area just in front along flanks.
Tail white on outside with black middle feathers. Central tail feathers
curled up toward back. Bill yellow to greenish, with black nail at tip.
Eyes dark. Feet red.
Location: Buckroe Beach
Species Name: European Starling
Diagnostic:
At a distance, starlings look black. In summer they are purplish-green
iridescent with yellow beaks; in fresh winter plumage they are brown,
covered in brilliant white spots.
Location: Buckroe Beach
Species Name: Northern Mockingbird
Diagnostic:
Mockingbirds are overall gray-brown, paler on the breast and belly,
with two white wingbars on each wing. A white patch in each wing is
often visible on perched birds, and in flight these become large white
flashes. The white outer tail feathers are also flashy in flight.
Location: Lynnhaven Mall
Species Name: House Sparrow
Diagnostic:
Male House Sparrows are brightly colored birds with gray heads, white
cheeks, a black bib, and rufous neck. Females are a plain buffy-brown
overall with dingy gray-brown underparts. Their backs are noticeably
striped with buff, black, and brown.
Location: Virginia Beach Trail
Species Name: Northern Bobwhite
Diagnostic:
Medium-sized quail. Runs on ground.Small round head with slight crest.
Round body with very short tail. Colored reddish and brown. Pale throat
and eyestripe white in male, buff in female.
Location: HRBT
Species Name: American Crow
Diagnostic: Completely black, larger than fish crow
Location: Oyster Point Road
Species Name: Red-winged Black Bird
Diagnostic:
Males have an even glossy black with red-and-yellow shoulder badges.
Females are crisply streaked and dark brownish overall, paler on the
breast and often show a whitish eyebrow.
Location: Langley Speedway
Species Name: Osprey
Diagnostic:
Ospreys are brown above and white below, and overall they are whiter
than most raptors. From below, the wings are mostly white with a
prominent dark patch at the wrists. The head is white with a broad brown
stripe through the eye.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Tufted Titmouse
Diagnostic:
Soft silvery gray above and white below, with a rusty or peach-colored
wash down the flanks. A black patch just above the bill makes the bird
look snub-nosed.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: White-throated Sparrow
Dignostic:
White-throated Sparrows are brown above and gray below with a striking
head pattern. The black-and-white-striped head is augmented by a bright
white throat and yellow between the eye and the bill, which is gray.
You’ll also see a less boldly marked form, known as “tan-striped,” with a
buff-on-brown face pattern instead of white-on-black.
March 31, 2012
Location: Norfolk
Species Name: Blue Jay
Diagnostic:
Large crested songbird with broad, rounded tail. Blue Jays are smaller
than crows, larger than robins.White or light gray underneath, various
shades of blue, black, and white above.
Location: Norfolk
Species Name: Song Sparrow
Diagnostic:
Song Sparrows are streaky and brown with thick streaks on a white chest
and flanks. On a closer look, the head is an attractive mix of warm
red-brown and slaty gray, though these shades, as well as the amount of
streaking, vary extensively across North America.
Location: Hampton
Species Name: Barn Owl
Diagnostic:
Medium-sized owl. White or mostly white underside. Heart-shaped, white
face. Back tawny, marked with black and white spots. Long legs. Eyes
dark. Round head without ear tufts.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Dark-Eyed Junco
Diagnostic:
slate gray, hooded sparrow-shaped bird that has wither outer tail
feathers that flash conspicuouslt as it flies away. Bill and beely are
whitish. Male has dark gray or blackish hood.
NOTE:
My camera makes it look blue due a reflection of the ball in the
picture. I know it was a junco because of its white outer tail feathers
when it flew away.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Eastern Phoebe
Diagnostic:
The Eastern Phoebe is brownish-gray above and off-white below, with a
dusky wash to the sides of the breast. The head is typically the
darkest part of the upperparts. Birds in fresh fall plumage show faint
yellow on the belly and whitish edging on the folded wing feathers.
Location: Carrolton
Species Name: Great Blue Heron
Diagnostic:
Great Blue Herons appear blue-gray from a distance, with a wide black
stripe over the eye. In flight, the upper side of the wing is two-toned:
pale on the forewing and darker on the flight feathers.
Location: Norfolk
Species Name: Mourning Dove
I know we already have credit for this bird, but I really enjoyed taking this picture! A little bundle of joy!
Location: Norfolk
Species Name: Peacock
Diagnostic:
Colorful bird with long tail feathers used for display, Blue chest and
neck, and colorful crowned head, white streak above and below eye.
Location: Newport News
Species Name: Northern Flicker
Diagnostic:
Flickers appear brownish overall with a white rump patch that’s
conspicuous in flight and often visible when perched. The undersides of
the wing and tail feathers are bright yellow, for eastern birds, or red,
in western birds. With a closer look you’ll see the brown plumage is
richly patterned with black spots, bars, and crescents.
Date: 4/1/12
Location: Newport News
Species Name: Embden Goose
Diagnostic: Common large goose used for commercial reasons. White body and orange beak and feet with orange eye ring.
Location: Yorktown
Species Name: Black Vulture
Diagnostic:
Large soaring bird. Broad wings with large whitish patch at tip.
Short, square tail. Body black. Dark gray head unfeathered and
wrinkled. Frequently flaps while soaring.
Location: Carrolton
Species Name: Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Diagnostic:
Often appears pale overall, even the boldly black-and-white striped
back, with flashing red cap and nape. Look for white patches near the
wingtips as this bird flies.
Location: Carrolton
Species Name: Chipping Sparrow
Diagnostic:
Summer Chipping Sparrows look clean and crisp, with frosty underparts,
pale face, black line through the eye, topped off with a bright rusty
crown. In winter, Chipping Sparrows are subdued, buff brown, with darkly
streaked upperparts. The black line through the eye is still visible,
and the cap is a warm but more subdued reddish brown.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Bobolink Female
Diagnostic:
Underparts yellowish buff. Black streaks on back and under tail. Black
stripe behind eyes and on top of head. Buff stripe above eyes and in
center of crown. Throat white. Tail and wings brownish. Bill pale.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Summer Tanager
Diagnostic: Entirely bright red. Wings slightly darker or more gray, especially in winter (Basic Plumage).
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: American Goldfinch
Diagnostic:
Adult males in spring and early summer are bright yellow with black
forehead, black wings with white markings, and white patches both above
and beneath the tail. Adult females are duller yellow beneath, olive
above. Winter birds are drab, unstreaked brown, with blackish wings and
two pale wingbars.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Turkey Vulture
Diagnostic:
Turkey Vultures appear black from a distance but up close are dark
brown with a featherless red head and pale bill. While most of their
body and forewing are dark, the undersides of the flight feathers (along
the trailing edge and wingtips) are paler, giving a two-toned
appearance.
Date: 4/15/12
Location: Carrolton
Species Name: Common Raven
Diagnostic:
Large bird with a thick neck, shaggy throat feathers, and a Bowie knife
of a beak. In flight, ravens have long, wedge-shaped tails. They're
more slender than crows, with longer, narrower wings, and longer,
thinner “fingers” at the wingtips.
This
bird was absolutely huge and had a different call than both the
American Crow and Fish crow. It was eating something far away in a tree,
this is the best shot I got.
Location: Lion's Bridge
Species Name: Double-Crested Dormorant
Diagnostic: Large, dark water bird. Long body and long neck. Medium-sized bill is blunt or hooked at tip.
Location: Lion's Bridge
Species Name: Greylag Goose
Diagnostic: orange beak, white throat and underside, grey back
Location: Lion's Bridge
Species Name: Chimney Swift
Diagnostic: Small bird. Colored uniformly dark. Body cylindrical. Wings long, pointed, and swept back.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: White-Breasted Nuthatch
Diagnostic:
gray-blue on the back, with a frosty white face and underparts. The
black or gray cap and neck frame the face and make it look like this
bird is wearing a hood. The lower belly and under the tail are often
chestnut.
location: Poquoson
Species Name: pine Warbler
Diagnostic: yellow chest with white underside, dark wings, white wing bars
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Marsh Wren
Diagnostic:
Small brown bird with thin bill. Tail often held upright. Dark cap.
Whitish eyeline. Bold black-and-white streaks on back. Buffy flanks,
whitish chest.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: House Wren
Diagnostic:
Subdued brown overall with darker barring on the wings and tail. The
pale eyebrow that is characteristic of so many wren species is much
fainter in House Wrens.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Carolina Wren
Diagnostic:
Both males and females are a bright, unpatterned reddish-brown above
and warm buffy-orange below, with a long white eyebrow stripe, dark
bill, and white chin and throat.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher
Diagnostic:
Tiny bird. Long tail. Bluish gray back. White underside. White eyering.
White outer tail feathers. Small, thin bill. No wingbars.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Brown-headed Cowbird
Diagnostic:
Male Brown-headed Cowbirds have glossy black plumage and a rich brown
head that often looks black in poor lighting or at distance. Female
Brown-headed Cowbirds are plain brown birds, lightest on the head and
underparts, with fine streaking on the belly and a dark eye.
Date: 4/15/12
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Forster's Tern
Diagnostic:
A medium-sized tern. White with black cap. Tail long and deeply forked.
Wings very white in most plumages.Legs orange and relatively long.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Herring Gull
Diagnostic:
Adults have light-gray backs, black wingtips, and white heads and
underparts. In winter, dusky streaks mark their heads. Herring Gulls
take four years to reach adult plumage. Juveniles are mottled brown;
second-year birds are brown but show gray on the back. Third-years have
more gray on the back and more white on the head and underparts. The
legs are dull pink at all ages.
Location: Poquoson
Species name: Royal Tern
Diagnostic:
Large tern. Slender orange bill (from yellow to reddish). Short, forked
tail. Black in a narrow, shaggy band around back of head; forehead
white. (Complete black cap held only briefly during breeding.) Mostly
white all over
Location: Poquoson
Species name: Black-throated blue warbler
Diagnostic:
Small songbird. Short, thin bill. Small white spot on edge of folded
wing. Male deep slate blue above with black face, throat, and flanks.
Female dull and nondescript.
Location: Poquoson
Species name: Seaside Sparrow
Diagnostic:
Small, stocky songbird. Dark, olive-gray all over. Yellow spot in front
of eyes. White throat. Black whisker mark. No wingbars.
Location: Poquoson
Species name: White-crowned sparrow
Diagnostic: plain gray to brown sparrow with distinct white and black head stripes
This
is not a chipping sparrow because it had a second black head band and
NO brown cap. it also lacked a white throat patch as seen in the
white-throated sparrow
Location: NN park
Species name: Peking Duck
Diagnostic: White duck with orange feet and yellow bill
Location: NN park
Species name: Bald Eagle
Diagnostic: Brown body with white head and tail
Location: NN park
Species Name:golden-crowned kinglet
Diagnostic:Tiny
bird. Dull, olive-green on back. Whitish below. Wingbars. Black stripe
through eyes, white eyebrow. Crown yellow, orange centered in male
(often hidden), bordered in black. Short tail. In constant motion,
continually flicking its wings
Location: NN park
Species Name:black-throated green warbler
Diagnostic: Small songbird. Black in throat, extending as stripes down sides of chest. Yellow face. Crown and back olive green. Two white wingbars. Belly white.
Location: NN park
Species Name: Ruby-crowned kinglet female
Diagnostic: Dull, olive-green. Wingbars. Eyering. Short tail.
Location:NN park
Species Name: Yellow-rumped Warbler
Diagnostic:In
summer, both sexes are a smart gray with flashes of white in the wings
and yellow on the face, sides, and rump. Males are very strikingly
shaded; females are duller and may show some brown. Winter birds are
paler brown, with bright yellow rump and usually some yellow on the
sides.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Fish Crow
Diagnostic: black crow smaller than american crow
Location: Yorktown
Species Name: Northern Gannet
Diagnostic:
Large waterbird. White with black wingtips. Long pointed bill. Long
pointed tail. Long pointed wings. Immatures range from all dark to
mostly white
I was able to tell it was the northern gannet by watching it dive due it its distinct diving pattern.
Location: James River Bridge
Species Name: Great Black-Backed Gull
Diagnostic: large gull with completely black back and white underparts.
4/17/12
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: Eastern Wood-pewee
Diagnostic:
Medium-sized flycatcher. Grayish olive above. Pale below, with darker
wash on breast and sides. Whitish wingbars. No eyering or only a faint
one.
I could see the wingbars as it flew away. Too small to be a northern mockingbird.
Location: Poquoson
Species Name: common yellowthroat
Diagnostic:
Small songbird. Plain olive green back, wings, and tail. Yellow throat
and upper chest, white below. Male has distinctive black mask.
Birds that were HEARD. I recorded them and then played them back to make sure:
Cooper's
Hawk, hooded warbler, Sharp-shinned hawk, great horned owl, indigo
bunting, belted kingfisher, eastern screech owl, gray catbird, american
redstart, purple martin, black-and-white warbler, yellow warbler, broad-winged hawk
