through my window: UFFs

It's been quite awhile since I've noticed any unusual characters through my window, but yesterday brought three Unidentified Feathered Friends that challenged my bird-ID skills...

 
Purely by accident, I discovered that this distinctive guy is a Green-tailed Towhee. Several bird folks had told me they'd seen these migrants in the area recently, so I looked them up just for curiosity and solved yesterday's biggest puzzler. (My guess was this was some sort of flycatcher, but it's actually a large sparrow.)

Frankly I'd expected its tail to be a bit greener, but bird color is apparently more subtle than paint color. 

 
My best guess is that this second bird is a Hutton's Vireo. It spent awhile flitting about in the back bougainvillea, and was very hard to isolate for a photo. Although we're located within its normal range, I don't think I've seen this bird before. It's a delicate looking tiny bird, very pretty.

  
Finally, here's a Black-headed Grosbeak, which came and went within seconds, just after I saw the vireo. Somehow even that quickly, I could tell it wasn't the similarly colored Bullock's Oriole we've seen around recently. I think we're in the migration zone for this species, although they do breed in many parts of Arizona.

Seeing these three unusual birds yesterday made me realize how rewarding it can be to really look through my window every now and again!

 

Comments

[susan m hinckley]

Wow -- good spotting! You must wear that camera around your neck all day long, LuAnne. I would too, if I could take pictures like you can. Your yard must be so beautiful. *sigh

[luanne]

Thanks! Our house is very conducive to birdwatching because it's just one story, no basement, and the main living space is an open L-shaped family/kitchen/office room where you can see out the windows front & back.

My camera isn't on my neck here (well hardly ever) but always either on my desk or the kitchen counter. So luckily I can grab it quickly -- though not always quickly enough! -- when something interesting shows up outside. We have a patio, not a deck, and our yard is fairly small, so it's pretty easy to spot any visitors.