For Charlotte’s ‘Feathers on Friday’ challenge, I have a bird who came and perched on the rockery in our backyard. I usually only photograph the big water birds, but this cute little fellow posed so nicely for me and was very deserving of a photo. Now for the life of me, I can’t find out what he is. I’ve painstakingly searched on Google to no avail, and my bird guide is packed away in a box somewhere in the storage unit. Can any of you identify him?
I’m also linking this to Jude’s ‘March Wildlife in the Garden’ challenge.
Happy Friday to you all. Hope your Easter weekend is a really lovely one, whatever your plans are.
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Thank you for following, Elm Drive Images.
I always look forward to all the beautiful birds on your blog.
Thanks so much, Marylou. 🙂
beautiful bird! great capture, Sylvia! 🙂
Thanks so much, Lola. 🙂
Wow, this is gorgeous! ❤ No clue which bird it is though.
Thanks, Lucy. It’s a Northern Mockingbird, and it’s the National State Bird of Florida, How cool is that? 🙂
I had no idea! Thank you so much 🙂 They are so beautiful!
Lovely photo! I too immediately thought of a mockingbird, but that yellow was so wrong, so I wondered if it was some tropical species I’m not familiar with. But I like the pollen in the face solution! Not streaky enough for the Bahamas mockingbird. The wagtail? Now that’s really geographically unlikely, plus it doesn’t really look like the photos I’m seeing of them. I bet there’s loads of yummy yellow pollen around these days.
You should listen online to Mockingbird songs – there’s quite a lot of variation, but a common theme, and they’re fabulous. I hope you can listen to one soon!
Thanks for your observations, Lynn. Yes, I’ll find a recording and listen to it. 🙂
great photo. My knowledge on birds is limited, so I’ll go with it’s a bird 🙂
Very smart, Ruth. You couldn’t really go wrong with that answer. 🙂
This should be part of my mode of operandi, identifying my fellow birds, ha ha! Not a clue, Sylvia! Hugs, Robin xo
Thanks, Robin. I usually have my Florida Bird Guide handy, but at the moment it’s hiding in a packing case. 🙂
Things disappear when you move until you give up and buy a new one. Hope this doesn’t happen to you, Sylvia! Lol
I love to hear them sing.
Mine didn’t sing for me. 😕
The male builds nests, then sings (they mock other birds and neighborhood noises) from the rooftop, or utility pole, to attract a mate. He shows her the nests and if she likes one, they start s family. He sings loud and long, and I love it!
Imagine if our human males had the same sort of mating ritual! 😀 Unfortunately my hubby can’t sing a note, so maybe he’d still be single. 😕
LOL
At least what he lacks in the musicality department, he makes up for with his house renovating skills. 🙂
That’s a pretty good trade-off.
Yes, I’ll take it. 🙂
lovely bird, what ever it is, that is a graceful stance..
Thanks so much, Gerrie. It turned out to be a Mockingbird. 🙂
A Northern Mockingbird – interesting, it almost resembled a flycatcher. Lovely bird!
Thanks, Mary. I don’t know much about identifying the smaller birds. many of them look so similar. I just looked at pics of flycatchers and I definitely see the resemblance.
We have flycatchers around here – their mating dances are something else. One day it went on for a couple of hours!!
I’m afraid I can’t offer a suggestion, but he is very pretty!
We’ve solved to mystery. He’s a Northern Mockingbird, the National State Bird of Florida. I feel honoured to have had him visit. Would have rolled out the red carpet if I’d known. 🙂
I am pleased to meet him. Next time, perhaps he should give you advanced warning of his visit so that you can make appropriate arrangements befitting the visit of a state icon. 🙂
😄
Easter gives hope for tomorrow,
As after the winter comes Spring.
Our hearts can be filled with gladness
As hearts rejoice and sing.
Happy Easter
Thanks so much, Marko. 🙂
What a beauty another example of God’ s creation. 😀
Thanks so much for your visit and comment. 🙂
Awwww, this mockingbird is such a cutie Sylvia! Love those colours and you took such an excellent shot of it! 😀 ♥
He’s really lovely, Sonel. Thanks so much for the compliment. He was a great model. 🙂 xx
Happy Easter to you and yours.. The bird looks cute..
Thank you so much, YC.
What a beauty Sylvia. I never know the names, but I love shooting them 😉
Thanks, Kathy. Me too. 😃
Beautiful photo. I think it is a Northern Mockingbird! Hope you see it again!
Thanks, Sheila. Yes, it’s confirmed. 🙂
Well, Sylvia, I’m leaning more towards a Northern Mockingbird that has pollen on his face/neck. Two reasons: 1) the beak is thicker & has a slight curve on the top like a mockingbird; a wagtail beak is more straight and pointed; 2) the color of the eye looks to be a mockingbird, wagtails are solid dark/black. Sorry if I got you back to being confused again! And I am not an expert, so I could be wrong of course. Here’s another mockingbird with pollen on it’s face, although not as much…. http://www.terrichapmanphotography.com/Birds/Birds-of-Winter-20142015/i-rmBzhZd/ If it’s pollen, your bird sure was having a helluva time with it! 😉
Yes, your answer is confirmed by a comment from a bird expert on a North American Birds site. My blog friend Arkenaten put my photo out there and got a reply saying that it it’s the National State Bird of Florida. How cool is that? 🙂
Yea! We have ID! 🙂 He must have really liked that pollen!! lol
I’m reading all the comments to see what the answer is. Citrine Wagtail, huh? Who knew. But the photo is gorgeous, as is the ‘yellowish bright-eyed bird.’ 🙂
Thanks so much, Pam. I’m still not sure of the correct answer, but will get there eventually. 🙂
I’m clueless , but what a photo!
His visible wing is so beautifully captured ….!
Happy Easter to you,too, dear Sylvia!
Thanks so much, Anna. Happy Easter to you too. xx
He’s very pretty with that yellow chest. Interesting that he might be a wagtail. Our wagtails are completely different, small and black.
Yes he really is so pretty. I’m probably more confused than I was at the beginning, when I thought he might be a biggish sparrow. 😆
Nice photo.
Sheesh! These people know zip about birds.
It’s a chicken for goodness’ sake.
Thanks for your valued input, Ark. Always good for a giggle. 😆
I have posted the pic on a North American Birds site and asked for an ID.
If they get back to me I’ll give you a shout, okay?
Yay!! Great idea, Ark. Thanks so much. 😘
Here we go!
According to a Grant C. Nealon:
Common mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos) National state bird of Florida.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/795997537085036/permalink/1187309827953803/?comment_id=1187321994619253¬if_t=group_comment
Thanks so much, Ark. Yes, I do believe this is correct, and the orange on his face is just pollen, as a couple of other bloggers have mentioned. Talk about ‘a red herring’; that orange face really caused some confusion. 😳
My resident birder is thinking it’s a Bahama mockingbird. The yellow around the beak (that threw off one commenter) could possibly be pollen. Then again there’s the all-encompassing LBB (little black -or brown bird!) 😉
Happy Easter to you, too! I’m FINALLY getting over the nastiest cold in my lifetime. We’re headed south to see what Eric accomplished while I was lazing around being sick.
So happy to know you’re on the mend. It must have been a very evil strain that got up your nose. 😯 Thank your ‘resident birder’ so much for confusing me even more than I already was. I think I’ll settle for a Citrine warbling, mocking, wagtail feathered friend. 😀 Enjoy the ‘Big Reveal’. I’m sure you’re going to be impressed with Eric’s handiwork. 🙂 xx
I’d agree with the wagtail family, very pretty!
Thanks, Gilly. I’m tending to agree with you about the wagtail, after looking at dozens of photos of wagtails and warblers. 🙂
Lovely capture, Sylvia – a Wagtail sounds about right …. Have a lovely Easter 🐇🌾
Thanks, Sue. Yes I think Aletta is right about its being a Citrine Wagtail.
I’m clueless, Sylvia – nice photo though!
Thanks Tom. I’m still busy searching. 🙂
So pretty! I’d guess he’s a pine warbler ~ maybe. Have a wonderful weekend, Sylvia.
Thanks so much, Carol I think it’s a toss-up between the pine warbler and the citrine wagtail. We do have a lot of pine trees along the side of our lake. 🙂
We get a lot of pine warblers at our feeders. They’re one of my favorites!
Well it turned out to be a Northern Mockingbird with pollen on its face, according to a birding expert. The National State Bird of Florida. 😃
Well, the little dickens, wearing a mask! I never thought of that. Congratulations on drawing royalty to your back yard.
Hehehe He hoodwinked us all. 😀
I don’t know birds, but you will find out, I’m sure, and the next time we see him he will also have a cute nickname and a personality. He is a cutie. I thought of you when I tried to take a picture of a woodpecker who I thought was posing for me. Just as I had him focused ready to press the button, poof, off he went. 🙂
Naughty woodpecker! Did you ask his permission first though? 🙂
Can’t help with the name but he certainly looks grand.
Thanks, Colline. I think we have the answer. 🙂
He’s a beauty! I have a birds of the Carolinas book, but I don’t see him.
Maybe he’s a one-off.
Sjoe dis ‘n mooi foto
Thanks so much, Tina. 🙂
Yo Sylvia I sent him over to you!!! Gorgeous-Happy Easter! xx
Many thanks, Cheryl. All birds are gratefully received here. 🙂 x
LOL I knew you’d received him with open arms!!! What’s his name??? x
I think nowathome is right – a wagtail it is. We do not have the citrine one here, but a yellow wagtail. This one is not that yellow, so I believe she is right. Beautiful, beautiful capture, Sylvia! I wish you a lovely Easter weekend.
Thanks so much, Ann Christine. I also think so now I’ve looked at a few of the photos. Happy Easter to you and yours. 🙂
Or perhaps the pine warbler:
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/320/_/Pine_Warbler.aspx
Thanks Nancy. I’ll check these out when I get home.
Looks like a wagtail perhaps?
That seems be the most popular option. Thanks, Hariod. 🙂
Perhaps a yellow throated vireo:
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/575/overview/Yellow-throated_Vireo.aspx
Now I’m totally confused, as they all look so similar. 😕
By now that Mockingbird is mocking us all! 😛
nowathome seems to have identified it
It’s a good answer, Derrick. 🙂
What a beauty and what a great capture. At first I thought it’s a mockingbird but it has a yellow nape. I’ll attempt to check it out but maybe somebody already figured it out.
Thanks, Mona Liza.
Quite the regal tail on this one 🙂
Certainly has, Andy. 🙂
Not a clue what name or species, but whatever name of whatever bird family he/she is beautiful.
Thanks so much. 😃
Sylvia it might be a Citrine wagtail.
Thanks, Aletta. I checked a few photos of the wagtail, and it’s a distinct possibility. Thanks so much for your help. 🙂
You’re welcome!
Sylvia it’s a beauty but I am no birder. I know enough to tell you it’s not a robin or a duck, nor goose or eagle. Helpful right? 🙂
Yes, by process of elimination, I’m sure to arrive at the correct answer, Sue. Thanks for your help. 😀