Identifying a Bird in Western Washington: Unusual Behavior.

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around identifying a bird observed in Western Washington, characterized by its thrush-sized, nondescript brown-grey appearance and unusual feeding behavior. Participants explore various hypotheses regarding the bird's identity based on its size, color, and behavior, which resembles that of a dragonfly.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant describes the bird as thrush-sized (~15 cm) and brown-grey, noting its peculiar behavior of perching and flying out about a meter before returning, suggesting it might be feeding.
  • Another participant proposes it could be a song sparrow, referencing its appearance but acknowledging that the behavior does not match typical song sparrow habits.
  • A different participant suggests the possibility of a female Martin, though they express uncertainty based on their experience with martins in the UK.
  • One participant mentions the Spotted Flycatcher as a potential match, drawing parallels to similar US species.
  • Another participant shares their own bird observation experience, describing a different bird with a pointed tail and a lighter underbody, seeking identification for that bird as well.
  • Several participants propose the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher and the Gray Catbird as possible identifications for the bird in question, but there is no consensus on the correct identification.
  • One participant humorously notes that the community is adept at identifying what a bird is not, rather than what it is.
  • Another participant mentions a Prairie Falcon observed in their area, suggesting it could be a Sharp-Shinned Hawk based on behavioral observations.
  • One participant shares an interesting observation about Kites, noting their unique hovering ability.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views regarding the identity of the bird, with no consensus reached on a definitive identification. The discussion remains unresolved with various hypotheses presented.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific behaviors and characteristics of birds, but there is a lack of consensus on definitions and identification criteria, leading to uncertainty in the proposed identifications.

lisab
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We used to have a bird thread here a long time ago, but it went dormant - maybe it's time for a new one?

I need help identifying a bird. It's thrush-sized (~15 cm), nondescript brown-grey.

I noticed it had unusual behavior: It perches on a branch, then flies out about a meter, does a quick turn and goes back to where it was perched. It does this about once every 15 seconds, over and over. I'm pretty sure it's feeding. The behavior reminds my very much of a dragonfly!

I live in Western Washington State. Any ideas?

(Sorry, can't get a photo of it, it's through a screen window and all I have is my cell phone camera.)
 
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Based on appearance, it could be a song sparrow. But that can be said of most little brown birds :biggrin:!

It's the behavior that doesn't fit, though. It really looked like it was feeding exactly as a dragonfly does.
 
Wouldn't be a female Martin would it?

http://www.welcomewildlife.com/site/content/pages/IMAGES/Birds/Purple%20Martin.jpg

Image compliment of www.welcomewildlife.com
 
Last edited by a moderator:
lisab said:
We used to have a bird thread here a long time ago, but it went dormant - maybe it's time for a new one?

I need help identifying a bird. It's thrush-sized (~15 cm), nondescript brown-grey.

I noticed it had unusual behavior: It perches on a branch, then flies out about a meter, does a quick turn and goes back to where it was perched. It does this about once every 15 seconds, over and over. I'm pretty sure it's feeding. The behavior reminds my very much of a dragonfly!

I live in Western Washington State. Any ideas?

(Sorry, can't get a photo of it, it's through a screen window and all I have is my cell phone camera.)

I always thought that when a bird made a repetitive sound or motion it was looking for a mate.:confused: In the human world that type of behavior is called OCD.:devil:
 
I do have a bird mystery of my own. Last month I saw a little nest , about 10 cm wide , up in a mesquite tree so I got my camera and a step ladder (not a good combination for me). I got up to the next to the top step and still had to hold the camera up above my head and take a few wild shots.

I finally got the picture below which is fairly good considering that the wind was blowing. The bird/birds had actually woven a piece of string around the limb that the nest was on.

e7lzpk.jpg


Not satisfied with this tip of the tail bit, I moved the ladder and climbed up to the top step. I still had to hold the camera above my head. The limb the nest was on hung out over the street so I was also standing on the top step of a ladder that was about three feet out into the street. There was great danger here, if my wife had seen me she would have killed me.

The bird was gone but I did get this shot.

2i8dd2u.jpg


To make a long story even longer, a few days ago I was kneeling down beside a patch of aloe vera and a bird landed very close to me. It was a little bird with that same pointed up tail. It kept pecking at something on the aloe. A minute later a second bird flew down. The birds were identical so I thought perhaps that it may be the mother and an offspring from the nest.

So far I haven't found any Arizona bird that looks like those birdies do? They are blue gray on top from head to tail with a lighter underbody and are about 10 to 11 cm long.

I am done now thanks for your time.
 
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  • #12
edward said:
The birds were not that thick in the middle.

Maybe they were dieting...
 
  • #13
  • #14
To this day, the infamous NotAGoshawk has not been indentified.
 
  • #15
Evo said:
To this day, the infamous NotAGoshawk has not been indentified.

I think PFers are especially good at figuring out what a bird isn't.
 
  • #16
A bird is the one without the dick dick.
 
  • #17
wolram said:
A bird is the one without the dick dick.

I'm sure you mean these?
 
  • #18
Falcon

I took the attached image this morning.

I think it's a prairie falcon. This afternoon, I found a similar one (same species) feeding on some prey in a nearby tree. There are at least two in the area, because I found this one by following its call, but I could hear a second falcon nearby. The may be nesting in another tree near my office.

It looks similar to this falcon.
http://www.falconphotos.com/Birds-of-Prey/Falcons/Prairie-Falcons/i-cTFxmFv/A
 

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  • #19
Nice bird! Alternatively, it could be a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. If you see a marked decline in all other birds in your vicinity, it's even more likely it's a Sharpie!
 
  • #20
The most interesting birds in my area are Kites, which despite being the size of a small hawk, can hover pretty much at a fixed position in the air, wind or no wind, since they focus on a spot on the ground. Link to video and youtube video:

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/video/white-tailed-kite-elanus-leucurus/adult-hovering


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhsWRFTJDQI​
 

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