and a bonus photo of a lifer burrowing owl :) we have a very small breeding population locally that conservation groups keep fenced off to protect

it's remarkable how similar they are to ruby-crowned kinglets, but the slight absence of solid white around the eyes makes them cuter🫶

thank you! wishing you luck with seeing one🤞🤞

she was so stunning, i love their underwing patterns compared to the males :)!!

very interesting! since the white-shield is only a visual variation with no clear way to separate them from red-shielded counterparts, I think I'll hold off on reporting this sighting as anything conclusive. thank you for the help!

that's great! thank you very much

yes, that would be lovely!

for clarification: I worded this poorly, I'm asking whether this american coot is white-shielded or not!

also photographed in much worse quality, my actual targets for today: chipping and clay-colored sparrows :)!!

I'm pretty sure both are american herring gulls, but I'm not the most knowledgeable about hybrids yet!