The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge.
We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
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April 2020
Pacific Northwest
Sometimes identifying birds finds us looking at them at odd angles or moments that don’t necessarily correspond to how they look in ID books. But paying attention to those moments can teach us things about them.
Ducks have very different shapes for example, which can show up most clearly as they fly. See how narrow the mergansers are in comparison!
In action, like feeding for these Harlequins, we focus on what’s visible. If their heads are underwater, we have to go by other parts, or wait for those brief moments when they surface fully.
Perching birds are usually actively watching their surroundings, only sometimes showing their profiles.
Sometimes birds aren’t fully adult, as we usually see them in books. I got help on this recent duck. The three in the back are buffies of course (although the hens can be tricky without the drake nearby giving us the clue). But the immature duck in the foreground I was thinking was a Barrow’s Goldeneye based on the comma-shaped white cheek marking (which would be exciting to me as we rarely have them in my neighborhood). However helpful feedback from other birders directed my attention to the shape of its head, distinctively Common Goldeneye — see how pointed it is, like the peak of a roof, compared to the Buffleheads? And since immature birds have more variable plumage, the face markings can be ambiguous. I appreciate getting help on IDs, as all of us do who love nature and wildlife, and I learned something new.
The way we see birds “posing” in identification books can only show us a small picture of their many features. That’s one reason why it’s fun to stand and watch them for a while!
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Sunny today in the PNW. Drying out and warming up here in the PacificNorthwest.
What’s up in nature in your area today?
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