Juvenile Spotted Sandpipers masquerading as Solitary Sandpipers!

"Now I suppose you're going to tell me that juvenile spotted sandpipers don't have spots."

Well, yes; that is true. I know, fall shorebird identification is complex.

As a volunteer eBird reviewer I want to make sure birds reported into eBird in my local area are correct. Too many incorrect reports can really corrupt the data. Without this volunteer "cleaning" of the data, eventually every bird would be reported from every location. It becomes harder to find errors when birders are misidentifying birds that do occur in small numbers.

As reviewer I try to make these requests for more details a non-confrontational educational experience. [Oh-oh, the "E" word that my children used to dread!] It is my desire to create better birders submitting more accurate and complete lists of birds. When I go birding far away from home, it is not unusual for me to receive such "are you sure?" requests from other local reviewers asking about unusual species I may have reported. So don't take it personally.

For instance, when I see checklists with reports of Solitary Sandpipers (which do occur in small numbers in fall), but no reports of the abundant breeding Spotted Sandpiper, I ask the observer for more details for confirmation. [You can look up eBird fall reports of Solitary Sandpipers in your own county and check for this possible ID error yourself.]

Both Solitary Sandpipers and juvenile Spotted Sandpipers are medium small shorebirds with yellowish legs, a white eyering, and rather plain brown upper breasts. They are smaller than Lesser Yellowlegs, but barely so. Yellowlegs have a pale eyebrow stripe and longer, bright yellow legs.

Compare the following two photos taken at Fernhill Wetlands in Forest Grove, Oregon. Then we'll discuss them below. Initially they look much the same. Can you find 4 significant differences?

Don't let it fool you! This is a juvenile Spotted Sandpiper. Photo August 2, 2013 by Sandi Morey.

Solitary Sandpiper. Photo April 24, 2005 by Greg Gillson.

Did you find 4 differences in the above photos? Go ahead. Look again. I  have time...

OK, here they are.

1. Habitat. Empty mudflats on top, emergent weeds on the bottom. Yes, habitat is a key field mark for Solitary Sandpiper. Farm ponds, grassy edges. In contrast, the Spotted Sandpiper likes it a bit more open and often rocky--including rocky stream edges and lake shores.

2. Back and wing coverts. Both have brown upper parts. However, did you see the wavy black lines on the juvenile Spotted Sandpiper? What about the Solitary Sandpiper? It is lightly speckled with little white or pale cinnamon (western population juveniles) dots.

3. Breast. The upper breasts of both birds are rather smooth brown. However, the Solitary Sandpiper shows some streaking on lower breast.

4. Bill. The bill on Spotted Sandpiper is rather thick, especially compared to the needle thin bill of Solitary Sandpiper.

I hope this helps. The next time you record Solitary Sandpiper on your eBird list, go ahead and describe the habitat, wing coverts, breast, and bill in the comments section. Then anyone looking at your list will know that you didn't make this tricky identification error!

ID: brown swallows

A family of Northern Rough-winged Swallows, 19 July 2011, Forest Grove, Oregon by Greg Gillson.

The identification of swallows is generally considered a "beginning birder's" identification problem. As Kenn Kaufman explained in Advanced Birding, it is not so much that swallows are misidentified, rather many swallows go unidentified as they fly by overhead twisting and turning, swooping and diving. As an eBird reviewer, however, I think that some misidentification is happening with swallows--and not just by beginners, either. The ID problem I want to highlight is the 3 brown swallows. Yes, three. Northern Rough-winged, Bank, and Tree swallows. Wait--Tree Swallows? Yes indeed!

You see, the first set of juvenile feathers on Tree Swallows are brown. Then these 3 or 4 month old swallows go through another complete "preformative" molt in fall--basically into an adult-like plumage. However, many of the first-year females have a dull brown plumage. They keep these feathers until the next autumn, so some first-year females arrive on the breeding grounds in spring a rather drab brown color. Thus, at any time of year you may encounter brown Tree Swallows. 

Northern Rough-winged Swallow
Rather evenly brown above. The throat and upper chest are pale brownish merging into white belly. Long winged and graceful languid flight. Call is a rough flatulent-like sound "pbbbt." Nest in single or small groups of burrows in sandy or muddy bank.

Northern Rough-winged Swallow, 9 August 2010, Forest Grove, Oregon by Greg Gillson.

Bank Swallow
Brown back with contrastingly darker wings. Underparts, including throat, white. Dark, full brown neck collar, sometimes with a central "spike" going down the belly. A small swallow; wings shorter and more triangular. Flight more direct with rapid wing beats. Call is a rough buzz like electric line, "bzzzt," or "prit-prit." Nest in large colonies of burrows in sandy bank or cliff.

Bank Swallow, 29 May 2013, Malheur NWR, Oregon by Greg Gillson

Bank Swallow, 28 May 2013, Hines, Oregon by Greg Gillson.

Tree Swallow
Adult males have metallic steel-blue back and wing coverts, black mask, gleaming white underparts. Females are duller. Some first-year females are brownish rather than blue, but usually have some blue feathers on the bend of the wing, at least. Juveniles are brownish with white throat and an indistinct (usually) grayish breast band. In flight the breast band can be conspicuous, but not as strong as Bank Swallows. Rather long wings and graceful flight. Calls are a liquid twittering. Nest in tree cavity or nest box.

Tree Swallow, juvenile showing Bank Swallow-like breast band, 10 July 2013, Hillsboro, Oregon by Greg Gillson.

Tree Swallow, first year female, 17 April 2004, Forest Grove, Oregon by Greg Gillson.

Tree Swallow, male, 16 April 2010, Forest Grove, Oregon by Greg Gillson.

In 2008 Don Roberson wrote an article, Identification of brown swallows, on his Monterrey, California birding pages that provides additional ID tips.

Inside Birding: ID Videos

The Cornell Lab of Ornithology has a new feature. It is a series of videos for newer birders to learn bird identification.

Presently there are four videos on this page. The four videos are:

1. Size and Shape
2. Color Pattern
3. Behavior
4. Habitat

These 10-minute videos are really well-done. They accompany the Birding 1, 2, 3 section of the Cornell site teaching how to identify birds. Check these out!

Beginning Bird Identification

Back in January 2012 I discussed how birds that look alike aren't always placed in field guides next to each other (Field-friendly bird sequence: Part one). Instead, they are arranged by presumed relationships (taxonomic order)--and these constantly changing.

Next I looked at some previous attempts to organize birds by general external physical characters. I proposed a sequence that placed all North American birds into 13 categories (Field-friendly bird sequence: Part two). Beginners should be able to quickly place a bird they see into one of these categories, then search for the exact species more accurately than in field guides ordered in taxonomic sequence.

Over the subsequent year I discussed one of the 13 categories each month. It is now completed. I've gone back and updated Part two with links to each discussion. I repeat it below for your convenience.

Swimming Waterbirds
Flying Waterbirds
Wading Waterbirds
Chicken-like Birds
Raptors
Miscellaneous Landbirds
Aerial Landbirds
Flycatcher-like Birds
Thrush-like Songbirds
Chickadee and Wren-like Songbirds
Warbler-like Songbirds
Sparrow and Finch-like Songbirds
Blackbird-like Songbirds

What do you think? Do you find these categories useful for beginning birders?

No Swainson's Thrushes before May!

All Swainson's Thrushes reported before April 28 in the Pacific Northwest are probably misidentified.

There. I said it. It may not be absolutely true, but true enough that if you think you saw one before May you better make doubly sure. In fact, it is possible that many Swainson's Thrushes reported before May 8 are in error, too.

In February I wrote a blog post for Birding is Fun! titled: Ten most-misidentified birds in the Pacific Northwest. The number one identification problem mentioned by a group of knowledgeable birders was the misidentification of Hermit Thrushes as Swainson's Thrushes.

Swainson's Thrushes vacate North America in late fall and do not come back until late spring. Nevertheless, numerous beginning birders every year report Swainson's Thrushes in April and even March. Hermit Thrushes are abundant early spring migrants and winter in good numbers in wooded areas west of the Cascades. Swainson's Thrushes nest in lowlands, Coast Range, and lower mountain slopes with deciduous or mixed woods. Hermit Thrushes in the Pacific NW nest in high elevation evergreen forests from the Cascade crest eastward (also in higher Olympic Mountains of Washington).

Take a look at the photos below. Do you see why many people have trouble telling these apart?

Swainson's Thrush. 28 June 2008. Timber, Oregon by Greg Gillson.

Hermit Thrush. 17 December 2010. Hagg Lake, Oregon by Greg Gillson.

If you happen to have the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6th Edition (2011), the Stokes Field Guide to the Birds of North America (2010), or the New Stokes Guide: Western region (2013) compare the Pacific coast (ustulatus) form of Swainson's Thrush and the western lowland (guttatus) form of Hermit Thrush. These are the two forms found most commonly west of the Cascades and look most alike.

Hermit Thrushes have slightly darker, rounder breast spots, and a reddish rump. Swainson's Thrushes have a pale supraloral area (the lores is the area between eye and bill, supraloral is above that). It makes the Swainson's Thrush look like it is wearing spectacles. Trouble is, this isn't that distinctive (see above photos). It doesn't help that these birds are shy and hide in the thick, shaded, understory shrubs.

East of the Cascades the subspecies look slightly less similar, but the Swainson's Thrushes east of the Cascades migrate even later in spring than those west of the Cascades.

Calls and songs are different. But Starlings and other birds can imitate the Swainson's Thrush's mellow whistled "whit" call. Hermit Thrushes give a blackbird-like chuck call.

Swainson's Thrushes reports in eBird for the Willamette Valley of western Oregon.

Notice the eBird history for Willamette Valley, 1900-2013 (above). Only a very few Swainson's Thrushes show up the first week of May; most arrive later in May. Earlier reports are either exceptionally early birds or (probably) misidentifications.

Let's look at just the last 5 years for all of Oregon.

eBird graph of Swainson's Thrushes in Oregon, 2008-2012.

There are a couple of things to note here.

1) The reports in March and early April are probably misidentified. Even if some are correct, they make up less than 1% of checklist frequency. Consider it data "noise."

2) Ignoring the early noise, the first birds for the year didn't arrive until the first week of May in 4 of 5 years. In 2008, perhaps due to weather conditions, Swainson's Thrushes arrived in western Oregon some time during the fourth week of April (April 22-30th; see the label on the above graph).

3) Notice the peak frequencies in the fourth week of May (migration) and the third week of June (territorial singing). Then notice more detections as they migrate south in September and are heard by birders at night as they fly over calling "weet."

4) A single bird with injured wing photographed in Portland in December 2008. Healthy birds are highly unlikely in winter anywhere in North America.

So that's it. Question the correctness of your identification of Swainson's Thrushes before mid-May. Try to really study both these rather common woodland and forest birds this summer and learn their calls, songs, behavior, and habitat. It's always fun to be the first one on your block (I mean, listserv) to report the arrival of a new spring migrant. It's better, though, to actually be correct.

Field-friendly bird sequenceBlackbird-like Songbirds

Brown-headed Cowbird, Hines, Oregon, May 24, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

The 13 categories of North American birds listed in the Field-friendly bird sequence: Part II are:

Swimming Waterbirds
Flying Waterbirds
Wading Waterbirds
Chicken-like Birds
Raptors
Miscellaneous Landbirds
Aerial Landbirds
Flycatcher-like Birds
Thrush-like Songbirds
Chickadee and Wren-like Songbirds
Warbler-like Songbirds
Sparrow and Finch-like Songbirds
Blackbird-like Songbirds

A beginner should be able to quickly place a bird they see into one of these categories.

Smaller than crows, blackbirds, starlings, and cowbirds are primarily black in color.

 Red-winged Blackbird, Sherwood, Oregon, May 9, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

 Great-tailed Grackle, Hines, Oregon, May 23, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

European Starling, Forest Grove, Oregon, April 11, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Field-friendly bird sequenceSparrow and Finch-like Songbirds

Sage Sparrow, Malheur NWR, Oregon, May 26, 2007 by Greg Gillson.

The 13 categories of North American birds listed in the Field-friendly bird sequence: Part II are:

Swimming Waterbirds
Flying Waterbirds
Wading Waterbirds
Chicken-like Birds
Raptors
Miscellaneous Landbirds
Aerial Landbirds
Flycatcher-like Birds
Thrush-like Songbirds
Chickadee and Wren-like Songbirds
Warbler-like Songbirds
Sparrow and Finch-like Songbirds
Blackbird-like Songbirds

A beginner should be able to quickly place a bird they see into one of these categories.

There are many sparrow and finch-like birds. Many grosbeaks, finches, and buntings are quite colorful. Some of the females, however, are streaky and brown--as are many of the sparrows. All share a thicker conical beak for eating seeds. Many are familiar backyard and feeder birds.

Longspurs, sparrows, weavers, finches, buntings, juncos, and others make up this varied group.

Lapland Longspur, Newport, Oregon, September 14, 2008 by Greg Gillson.

Black-headed Grosbeak, Forest Grove, Oregon, August 12, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Lazuli Bunting, Hillsboro, Oregon, July 6, 2007 by Greg Gillson.

Spotted Towhee, Beaverton, Oregon, February 19, 2011 by Greg Gillson.

House Finch, Bend, Oregon, June 13, 2008 by Greg Gillson.

American Goldfinch, Forest Grove, May 2, 2012 by Greg Gillson.

House Sparrow, Beaverton, Oregon, February 16, 2011 by Greg Gillson.

Most misidentified birds?

What would you guess are the most misidentified birds in the Pacific Northwest?

That's a question I tackled on the Birding is Fun! blog last week. There I present 10 birds or bird-pairs or trios that give beginners trouble.

Two weeks ago I presented information on one toughie--the reddish form of Song Sparrow in the Pacific Northwest in "Song Sparrow or Fox Sparrow?"

In the future I'll be writing ID articles for these ID's that give many problems--not because they are rare, but actually common. Check it out: "10 most misidentified birds in the Pacific Northwest."

Field-friendly bird sequenceWarbler-like Songbirds

MacGillivray's Warbler, Hayward, Oregon, May 16, 2008 by Greg Gillson.

The 13 categories of North American birds listed in the Field-friendly bird sequence: Part II are:

Swimming Waterbirds
Flying Waterbirds
Wading Waterbirds
Chicken-like Birds
Raptors
Miscellaneous Landbirds
Aerial Landbirds
Flycatcher-like Birds
Thrush-like Songbirds
Chickadee and Wren-like Songbirds
Warbler-like Songbirds
Sparrow and Finch-like Songbirds
Blackbird-like Songbirds

A beginner should be able to quickly place a bird they see into one of these categories.

Kinglets, vireos, and warblers are included in this group of birds that are small with short thin bills. They are often found in trees seeking out insects. They are primarily colored in yellow, greens, black, gray, and white.

Warbling Vireo, Malheur NWR, Oregon, May 25, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler, Forest Grove, Oregon, April 29, 2011 by Greg Gillson.

Golden-crowned Kinglet, Beaverton, Oregon, October 13, 2011 by Greg Gillson.

Song Sparrow or Fox Sparrow?

Song Sparrow ("Rusty" form), Beaverton, Oregon. 21 January, 2013 by Greg Gillson.

The following discussion pertains to separating the Rusty Song Sparrow found west of the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest from the Sooty Fox Sparrow, a wintering species that breeds in coastal Alaska and southward through western British Columbia, sparsely to the Olympic Peninsula of Washington.

This discussion is less apt for Song Sparrows east of the Cascades, and does not apply to summer breeding Fox Sparrows--Thick-billed Fox Sparrows in the Oregon Cascades and southward into SW Oregon and NW California, nor the Slate-colored Fox Sparrow of the Washington Cascades, Great Basin ranges, and Rocky Mountains. [See footnote.]

Both Song Sparrow and Fox Sparrow are found across the North American continent and are highly variable. Beginners are often confused by sparrows, in general. Even experienced visitors from out of the region are frequently confused, as our Song and Fox Sparrows look quite different from these species elsewhere.

The identification of sparrows requires paying special attention to and learning the names of the feather tracts on the head. [See "Advanced birding means learning the basics."]

Fox Sparrow ("Sooty" form), Forest Grove, Oregon. 8 December 2007 by Greg Gillson.

These are the two darkest and rusty-brown colored streak-breasted sparrows in the Pacific Northwest. Here's a quick-glance way of separating them. The head of Song Sparrow (photo below) is gray with rusty brown stripes. The bill is dark gray. This is in contrast to the evenly chocolate brown head of Fox Sparrow (photo above) that only shows a hint of stripes, if any. The lower mandible is bright yellow, in contrast to the dark upper half of the bill. The Fox Sparrow is large with ample square tail, towhee-sized; the Song Sparrow is smaller with rounded tail.

There are other field marks, but the marks just mentioned are easy to remember to get you started.

Song Sparrow ("Rusty" form), Forest Grove, Oregon. 27 November 2008 by Greg Gillson.

For practice in naming the markings of the Song Sparrow's head above, we'll start at the top of the head and work down through the eye to the throat. Here goes. The very center of the crown has a thin gray stripe from the bill over the top of the head. See it? That's the median crown stripe. It goes right over the middle (median) of the crown. Next is a wide brown lateral crown stripe. Lateral is "on the side" and above the broad gray eyebrow stripe. Actually most of the face is gray. There is brown eyestripe through the eye back over the top of the ear coverts. The ear coverts (behind and below the eye) are gray, the lower border of the ear coverts is brown. That's the mustache line and it starts from the gape of the bill ("corner of the mouth"). The submustachial stripe ("below the mustache") is white. There is a broad flaring brown lateral throat stripe.The throat is white. These terms are illustrated in the introduction to most field guides.

Across the continent, despite large variations in darkness or paleness of plumage and overall size, all Song Sparrows have the same basic face pattern.

If you compare with the Fox Sparrow photo above, you'll see that you can't easily see any patterns that you can name. The whole head is rather dark gray brown. The crown (general top of the head) is more dark brown and the sides of the head are more gray. There is some white mixed with brown on the throat, and brown and white unpatterned streaks on the lower face and ear coverts. But, again, nothing that you could name with the clear facial markings terms like in the Song Sparrow.

Both sparrows are found in dense blackberry tangles and brush. The Song Sparrow also likes wetlands and marshes; the Fox Sparrow is more common in clearcuts in the foothills, but there is complete overlap. The Rusty Song Sparrows are resident west of Cascades, though other paler forms may occur in winter. Other, slightly paler and grayer Song Sparrows breed east of the Cascades. The main bulk of wintering Sooty Fox Sparrows in the Pacific Northwest arrive in October and remain until April.

Song Sparrows respond immediately and excitedly to pishing. [For more on pishing, see "The secret to my birding success."] They fly right up to you, out in the open, often responding with their squeaky "chimp" call note. They stay with you as long as you keep pishing. Fox Sparrows, on the other hand, take a bit more coaxing. They take a while to respond. However, if you whistle a pygmy owl imitation or imitate their harsh "check" call note they usually come out into the open to respond with the same call. Again, they tend to stay in the open once they finally respond.

[Footnote: The Thick-billed and Slate-colored Fox Sparrows that summer in the Pacific NW tend to have almost entirely pale gray heads with brown marks on the ear coverts. Their wings and tail are redder than the Sooty Fox Sparrows. They arrive in April and depart in September. Their call notes are a sharp metalic "chink," similar to White-crowned Sparrow or California Towhee. Thick-billed Fox Sparrows like ceanothus and manzanita scrub among regrowing pine seedlings 5-10 years after a clearcut. Slate-colored Fox Sparrows tend to be found in damp mountain seeps and creek bottoms. Song Sparrows east of the Cascades are paler gray and brown, but the head pattern is same as the Song Sparrow described above.]

Field-friendly bird sequenceChickadee and Wren-like Songbirds

Black-capped Chickadee, Hillsboro, Oregon February 1, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

The 13 categories of North American birds listed in the Field-friendly bird sequence: Part II are:

Swimming Waterbirds
Flying Waterbirds
Wading Waterbirds
Chicken-like Birds
Raptors
Miscellaneous Landbirds
Aerial Landbirds
Flycatcher-like Birds
Thrush-like Songbirds
Chickadee and Wren-like Songbirds
Warbler-like Songbirds
Sparrow and Finch-like Songbirds
Blackbird-like Songbirds

A beginner should be able to quickly place a bird they see into one of these categories.

Chickadees, nuthatches, bushtit, creeper, wrentit, wrens, and gnatcatchers make up this grouping of small, plump, active birds found in wooded and brushy habitats. Chickadees and nuthatches frequent bird feeders.

White-breasted Nuthatch. Hillsboro, Oregon. March 13, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Brown Creeper. Hillsboro, Oregon. March 13, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Bewick's Wren. Hayward, Oregon. May 16, 2008 by Greg Gillson.

Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. San Diego, California. October 31, 2008 by Greg Gillson.

Wrentit. Lincoln City, Oregon, July 30, 2011 by Greg Gillson.

Bushtit. Hillsboro, Oregon. September 1, 2008 by Greg Gillson.

Field-friendly bird sequenceThrush-like Songbirds

Hermit Thrush, Lava Lake, Oregon June 12, 2008 by Greg Gillson.

The 13 categories of North American birds listed in the Field-friendly bird sequence: Part II are:

Swimming Waterbirds
Flying Waterbirds
Wading Waterbirds
Chicken-like Birds
Raptors
Miscellaneous Landbirds
Aerial Landbirds
Flycatcher-like Birds
Thrush-like Songbirds
Chickadee and Wren-like Songbirds
Warbler-like Songbirds
Sparrow and Finch-like Songbirds
Blackbird-like Songbirds

A beginner should be able to quickly place a bird they see into one of these categories.

Included in the Thrush-like Songbirds are shrikes, thrashers and mockingbirds, thrushes and bluebirds, dipper, pipits, larks, tanagers, orioles, meadowlarks.

Medium-sized land birds with generally plump bodies and long tails. The American Robin, Mockingbird, and Meadowlark are familiar representatives of this taxonomically diverse group that have a similar body shape.

Northern Mockingbird. San Diego, California. March 7, 2008  by Greg Gillson.

Western Meadowlark. Malheur NWR, Oregon. May 29, 2010 by Greg Gillson.

American Robin. Hillsboro, Oregon. May 11, 2008 by Greg Gillson.

Western Bluebird. Beaverton, Oregon. March 19, 2011 by Greg Gillson.

Western Tanager. Malheur NWR, Oregon. May 29, 2010 by Greg Gillson.

American Dipper. Klamath County, Oregon. February 17, 2012 by Greg Gillson.

Bullock's Oriole. Malheur NWR, Oregon. May 24, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Western Sandpiper or Dunlin? Winter ID challenge

Dunlin, October 3, 2004. Forest Grove, Oregon by Greg Gillson.

Both Western Sandpipers and Dunlins can be abundant at times in the Pacific Northwest. In breeding plumage you would never mistake one for the other. From late fall through early spring, however, when both species are in drab non-breeding plumage, with long drooping bill and black legs, many birders have trouble separating them.

A very general statement of status in the Pacific NW follows. Western Sandpipers are abundant spring and early fall migrants throughout, with a few wintering along the immediate coastline and Puget Sound. Dunlins are abundant spring and late fall migrants, and common winter visitors wherever there is open water and wetland shores coastally or inland.

The problem with mistaken identification occurs from November through March when primarily only Dunlin are expected inland. Even in larger bays on the coast and the shores of Puget Sound, where a few Western Sandpipers may be found in winter, Dunlin are far more numerous than Western Sandpipers, November through March. Reports of large flocks of Western Sandpipers inland during the winter are likely in error, though singles do occur from time to time, west of the Cascades. There are going to be occasional exceptions to the status stated, but this warning is one to follow: be careful identifying Western Sandpipers after early October (and until early April) in the Pacific Northwest--they are much more likely to be Dunlin.

Western Sandpiper, September 6, 2008. Forest Grove, Oregon by Greg Gillson.

The accompanying photos show juvenile Dunlin and Western Sandpiper mostly molted into their nonbreeding plumage. Now Dunlin are bigger, 8-1/2 inches long compared to 6-1/2 for Westerns, but that's not always apparent if there is nothing to compare with. Least Sandpipers are barely smaller than Westerns, and may be found more regularly in late fall and winter. So if there are any of those present, Dunlin will look much larger. Killdeer should appear approximately twice the size of Western Sandpipers, while Dunlins should be about 2/3 the size of a Killdeer.

Dunlin appear rather smooth brownish-gray throughout, including the head and across the breast. They appear almost hooded.

Western Sandpipers are paler gray and a bit more streaky and contrasty on the crown and back, with white throat and breast with perhaps a few streaks coming down from the shoulder. The pale eyebrow and face contrasts with darker ear coverts.

In flight both are similar in appearance with thin white wing stripe on the tips of the greater secondary coverts, and drooping bill. The voices aren't so different that you'd notice right away and remember. So pay special attention to the throat and breast. And remember... Dunlin are more likely in winter than Western Sandpipers, especially inland.

Field-friendly bird sequenceFlycatcher-like Birds

Western Kingbird, Hines, Oregon May 24, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

The 13 categories of North American birds listed in the Field-friendly bird sequence: Part II are:

Swimming Waterbirds
Flying Waterbirds
Wading Waterbirds
Chicken-like Birds
Raptors
Miscellaneous Landbirds
Aerial Landbirds
Flycatcher-like Birds
Thrush-like Songbirds
Chickadee and Wren-like Songbirds
Warbler-like Songbirds
Sparrow and Finch-like Songbirds
Blackbird-like Songbirds

A beginner should be able to quickly place a bird they see into one of these categories.

The tyrant flycatchers of the Americas are the largest family of birds in the world with over 400 species. They perch upright, have an ample tail, and a rather large head with wide, flat bill. They are mostly colored in greens, yellows, grays, and browns, the Vermilion Flycatcher being one notable exception. They often remain motionless for extended periods of times and then sally forth to snap up flying insects and return to the same or nearby perch.

The Phainopepla of the Southwest deserts is blackish with a crest. Waxwings also are similar in general shape and behavior to flycatchers, also with a crest.

Cedar Waxwing, Forest Grove, Oregon, August 1, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Cooper Mountain Nature Park, Beaverton, Oregon, May 8, 2012 by Greg Gillson.