Help with Summer Tanager vs Orchard Oriole female

[Tammie Rogers]

Last evening we took a little jaunt around our farm and I saw some birds that I would like some help identifying.

First, we saw what I thought might be a female Summer Tanager. 1000 feet away, we encountered a male Orchard Oriole. That made me think that the female bird, although quite far away, might be a OO instead. I would appreciate some help making that determination.

I also saw what I suspect was a juvenile E Meadowlark, but would like someone to let me know what they think - since the bird had not evidence of yellow on its head.

Then, when it was too late to really take photos for lack of light, I took pics of what I think is either a Wood Thrush or a Brown Thrasher, and a small bird that was perched near a nest box on a fence that I could use some expert eyes to confirm the identify.

https://tammierogers.wordpress.com/2020/06/08/a-sunday-drive/

Thank you so much for any assistance you might offer. Last year I had both my shoulders replaced. Until then I was in extreme pain and couldn't turn the wheel of a golf cart or handle a bumpy ride (even in a car.) So, I'm very excited (and pain free) to be out seeing all the wonderful wild life again.

Tammie Rogers
Brownstown, IL
Fayette CO




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[marilyn bell]

To: Tammie Rogers <tam...@darnfar.com>

Sent: Sunday, June 7, 2020, 04:35:48 PM CDT

Subject: Re: [IBET] Help with Summer Tanager vs Orchard Oriole female

Tammie,

Your pictures are wonderful, a delightful ride around your farm.

I'm far from an expert but, just for fun and because I'm bored, I'm going to take a shot at I.D.ing your birds and will wait expectantly for others' opinions and corrections.

1. I'm going to go with Orchard Oriole, but because of the very dark upper bill of this bird, I'm wondering if it could be a first year male that hasn't gotten it's black bib feathers yet. The bill is not thick enough to be a tanager.

2. The second bird I believe is a female Red-Winged Blackbird. They frequently have a little yellow or orange color around their bill looking like they had spaghetti for supper.

3. The long tail and hint of wing bars tells me this is a Brown Thrasher.

4. This bird is a wren, I believe. The pictures show a barred tail. I don't see enough color to make it a Carolina Wren, but the long supercilium (eyebrow) sure makes me think that. A young one maybe?

Marilyn Bell

Warrenville

DuPage County

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[marilyn bell]

4. Or maybe you have a Bewick's Wren, Tammie.

And, BTW, so glad your shoulders now work without pain!!

Marilyn Bell

Warrenville IL

DuPage County

On Sunday, June 7, 2020, 03:44:22 PM CDT, Tammie Rogers <tam...@darnfar.com> wrote:

[Tammie Rogers]

Hi Marilyn,

 

Thank you.

Thank you for your suggestions about the final little poor-quality-image of a bird on the fence.

 

And, to the other list members who also wrote to me – thank you very much for taking the time to help me with my bird identification.

 

I have received enough consistent feedback about the female Orchard Oriole, the red-winged blackbird and the Brown Thrasher to feel confident about those replies.

 

However, the little bird on the fence has drawn:

House Wren  (I hear them sing, and we have a pair in a nest box in the front yard)

Carolina Wren  (I hear them singing here, too)

And your second guess Bewick’s Wren (It would be rare, since we don’t live in the range – but I see there’s a small population in southern IL – which is a few hundred miles from here.)

 

I also received the suggestion that it is a very young E Bluebird.  To be honest, that makes the most sense because we had chicks fledge from a box about 50 feet from where this bird is sitting in the photo and I have seen a LOT of Bluebird activity in the stand of mature trees that is about 30 feet in the other direction.  II believe the parents feeding their chicks in that stand of trees while still hunting in our yard (where they did when feeding the nestlings) and in the newly mowed hay fields adjacent to the yard. 

 

What do folks think about the E Bluebird baby option????

 

 

Tammie Rogers

Brownstown, IL

Fayette Co

 

From: 'marilyn bell' via IBET - Illinois Birders Exchanging Thoughts [mailto:ilb...@googlegroups.com]
Sent: Sunday, June 07, 2020 4:56 PM
To: Tammie Rogers
Cc: ilb...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [IBET] Help with Summer Tanager vs Orchard Oriole female

 

4. Or maybe you have a Bewick's Wren, Tammie.

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[Vinod Babu]

The first bird is indeed a female Orchard oriole. You can see the similarity in the bicolor nature of the bill to that of the male. Icterid blackbirds like orioles and Red-winged Blackbird have very broad-based bills that come to a sharp point, which to me is a good clue. Even grackles show an elongated version of this.

The second bird is a female red-winged blackbird. Again, the icterid bill is seen, and they have that combination of orange and black on the face that's useful to ID. The eyebrow is a useful clue as well. 

The third bird is a Brown Thrasher, whose long tail separates it from Wood Thrush.

The final bird is a House Wren, it's probably nesting in that nest box. It's not at all a bluebird; you can see its barred tail, and a juvenile bluebird would show speckling on the breast and an eyering. 

Your property looks beautiful and that "canopy" looks magical! Osage orange is a very interesting tree! Its fruit are not dispersed by any native North American mammals or birds. The likely dispersers, such as giant sloths, are extinct now, so the tree has no natural way to spread. Interestingly, humans are responsible for its spread, due to its use as a hedge tree. The "hedges" were planted to combat the dust bowl, I believe. It's a hardy, hard-working tree, and the "oranges" can be used to repel insects in cabinets and cupboards. 

Great blogging, and hope you really get to enjoy the birds this season! 

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