Ornithology 2 Summary (Spring & Fall 2013)

If you miss a class, please check this page and study the listed topics in your field guide. Click here for last semester's calendar.

Note: Please park in the Hayes Street Parking lot. All spaces are available except disabled and reserved drop off for the child care center. If the lot is full and you park in the Grove Street lot you will likely get a parking ticket unless you put a large note on your dash saying "Ornithology Student - 7-9:30 PM - Room 218 - Please do not ticket!" Alternately you can get a one-day parking pass from the office before 7:30pm or talk to the security guard.

Note: Revised field trip schedule is here.

Class notes by Elisabeth Koster are here. (Plumage and molt terminology here. )
Please register at eBird and email me your eBird ID. I can then offer to share field trip lists with you.

Click here for a summary of bird name changes from the 53rd AOU supplement.

We plan to complete and review the finches on page 524.

Click here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here for Common Redpoll photos and here for a Hoary Redpoll.
Click here for my Pine Sisking photo. Click here for a scan of the paper I coauthored on green morph Pine Siskins.

We completed and reviewed the goldfinches on page 522.

Click here for discussion and comparison photos of female American and Lawrence's Goldfinch.
American Goldfinch photos are here and here.
Click here for my notes and photo of a Lesser Goldfinch in Arizona. Photo from California is here.
My notes and photos of juvenile Lawrence's Golfdinches in the Presideo are here.

This was be the last class of the semester. We will resume in Fall 2013. Class details are here.

We completed and reviewed the crossbills and grosbeak on page 520

Click here for a readable description of the proposed new South Hills Crossbill. Click here for more information. Click here for a photo I took of a type 2 male Red Crossbill in California along with a link to the site with crossbill types and vocalizations. Female Red Crossbill photo is here. My Red Crossbill photos from Skyline College are here, here and here.
Click here for a juvenile White-winged Crossbill and here for a Pine Grosbeak from Alaska. Click here for an excellent photo of a Pine Grosbeak from Kern County.

We completed and reviewed the finches on page 518.

My Purple Finch photo is here.
Photos of a Common Rosefinch from the Farallons are here.

We completed and reviewed the rosy-finches on page 516.

Click here for a photo of a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch from Alaska. Click here for photos of a Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch originally thought to be a possible Brown-capped Rosy-Finch from Aspendell, CA. Click here for the reasons why it was not a Brown-capped. Note that these reasons contradict what Sibly says about differences in bill size between the two.
A Black Rosy-Finch photo is here. Illustrated ID article on Black vs. Brown Rosy-Finch is here.

Free online version of North American Birds with Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch on the cover is here.

We completed and reviewed the the orioles on pages 512 and 514.

My Altamira Oriole photos are here, here and here (note unusual tail molt).
Click here and here for my photos of Audubon's Oriole. An immature male Audubon's Oriole with analysis is here.
My Baltimore Oriole photos are here (male in Ohio), here and here (female in Texas). Additional Baltimore Oriole photos are here, here, here, and here..
My Bullock's Oriole photos are here and here. Click here for a photo and analysis of an immature male Bullock's Oriole.
Scott's Oriole is here.
Details on a Black-backed Oriole in San Diego (now thought to be an escaped captive) are here.

Check out Steve's Howell's thoughts on Oriole taxonomy and systematics.

We completed and reviewed the cowbirds on page 508 and the orioles on page 510.

Click here for my photo of male and female Shiny Cowbirds in Puerto Rico. My photos of male Shiny Cowbird from Trinidad are here and here.
My photo of a Brown-headed Cowbird trap is here.
Click here and here for my photos of a Bronzed Cowbird in Louisiana.

My photos of Orchard Orioles at Middle Lake are here. Additional Orchard Oriole photos from California are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here. Click here for a discussion and photo of a mystery oriole from Kansas which is probably an Orchard Oriole.
A Hooded Oriole photo and discussion is here. A Hooded Oriole originally misidentified as an Orchard Oriole is here. My photos of a winter male Hooded Oriole in Texas are here and here. A Hooded Oriole in Oregon is here.
Click here for a Streak-backed Oriole photo.

We completed and reviewed the grackles on page 504.

My photo of Common Grackle from Ohio is here. Another Common Grackle photo is here. My descriptions of three Common Grackles in Long beach are here and one from Guerneville is here.
Photos and analysis of an apparent Brewer's Blackbird X Great-tailed Grackle hybrid is here.
My photo of a Boat-tailed Grackle from Louisiana and discussion are here.
Analysis and photo of a dark-eyed female Great-tailed Grackle is here.

We completed and reviewed the blackbirds on page 504.

My photo of an adult male Yellow-headed Blackbird is here. Click here for my photo of a Yellow-headed Blackbird at Rodeo Lagoon. Additional Yellow-headed Blackbird images are here and here.
Photos of two controversial "rusty morph" Brewer's Blackbirds from Bodega Bay are here. The lower bird was accepted by the CBRC as a Rusty Blackbird but without my vote. Here is an unidentified blackbird which I believe is an immature male Brewer's Blackbird.
My description and photos of a Rusty Blackbird at Coyote Point are here (larger images here, here and here). Additional Rusty Blackbird photos are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

We completed and reviewed the blackbirds on page 502.

My Bobolink photos with notes are here, here and here. Additional Bobolink photos are here, here, here and here.
My Red-winged Blackbird photos with notes are here and here, Click here for photo and discussion of a female Red-winged Blackbird. Click here for my photo of a male Red-winged Blackbird in Ohio.
Notes by Unitt on Tricolored Blackbird identification are here. A very detailed article on the subject is here with photos here.

We completed and reviewed the meadowlarks on page 500 and started the Bobolink and blackbirds on page 502.

My Western Meadowlark photo with text is here. An additional Western Meadowlark photo is here.

We completed and reviewed the buntings on page 498 and started the meadowlarks on page 500.

My Varied Bunting photo with text is here. Click here for a female Varied Bunting in California.
Click here for my photo of a female Indigo Bunting in Belize with notes on identification. Click here for a male Indigo Bunting in San Francisco. Click here for detailed analysis of a photo of a controversial female bunting in Santa Barbara.

We completed and reviewed the grosbeaks on page 494 and buntings on page 496.

The text of an article I wrote on grosbeak identification is here.
My Rose-breasted Grosbeak photos with text are here, here and here. Additional Rose-breasted Grosbeak photos are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
My photos of a hybrid Rose-breasted X Black-headed Grosbeak with text are here. Additional photo here.
My photos of male and female Black-headed Grosbeaks with text are here. Another photo of a male with comments is here.
Photos of California's Yellow Grosbeak are here. This record was not accepted because of questionable natural occurrence. A Yellow Grosbeak photo from Sonora, Mexico is here.
Click here for my photo of male Blue Bunting in Belize.
My photo of Blue Grosbeak with text is here.
My Painted Bunting photo with text is here. Click here, here, here, here and here for additional Painted Bunting photos.

We completed and reviewed the cardinals and allies on page 492 and started the grosbeaks on page 494.

My Northern Cardinal photo with text is here.
Click here for my detailed account of a Pyrrhuloxia in Orange County. Dickcissel photos are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

We completed and reviewed the buntings on page 486 and the tanagers on pages 488-490.

Click here for a photo of Little Bunting from the Farallons.
Click here for Hepatic Tanager photo.
My photos and notes on Summer Tanager are here, here, here and here. Additional Summer Tanager photos are here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.
My photos and notes on Scarlet Tanager are here and here. Additional Scarlet Tanager photos are here, here, here and here.
Click here for a photo of a Western Tanager with ID discussion.