Every bird watcher and nature observer has his or her "lists." Here are mine for Birds, Insects, Mammals, Plants, Reptiles, and Crustaceans, complete with pull down menus.
BIRDS
Categorized by genus/species, placed chronologically by common name
American Coot
American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Kestrel
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
American White Pelican
Bald Eagle
Baltimore Oriole
Barn Swallow
Belted Kingfisher
Black-Capped Chickadee
Black Vulture*
Blue Jay
Blue-Winged Teal
Bobwhite
Brown-Headed Cowbird
Brown Thrasher
Bufflehead
Canada Goose
Canvasback
Cedar Waxwing
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Common Goldeneye
Common Redpoll
Cooper's Hawk
Dark-Eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
Eastern Bluebird
Eastern Goldfinch - See American Goldfinch
Eastern Kingbird
Eastern Meadowlark
Eastern Phoebe
Eastern Towhee
Eurasian Coot*
European Starling
Fox Sparrow
Gray Catbird
Graylag Goose
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Hairy Woodpecker
Harlequin Duck
Hermit Thrush
Herring Gull
Horned Lark
House Finch
House Sparrow
House Wren
Indigo Bunting
Killdeer
Lesser Scaup
Lincoln's Sparrow
Mallard (Domestic)
Mallard (Wild)
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Northern Rough-Winged Swallow
Northern Shoveler
Orange-Crowned Warbler
Palm Warbler
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Red-Breasted Nuthatch
Red-Headed Woodpecker
Red-Tailed Hawk
Red-Winged Blackbird
Ring-Billed Gull
Ring-Necked Duck
Rock Pigeon
Ruby-Crowned Kinglet
Scarlet Tanager
Solitary Sandpiper
Song Sparrow
Spotted Sandpiper
Swamp Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
Turkey Vulture
White-Breasted Nuthatch
White-Crowned Sparrow
White-Throated Sparrow
Wild Turkey
Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker
Yellow-Rumped Warbler
INSECTS, ARACHNIDS, MYRIAPODS & GASTROPODS
Categorized by family, placed chronologically by common name
Ring-Billed Gull - Larus delawarensis - also known as Goéland à bec cerclé (French), Ringsnavelmeeuw (Dutch), Ringschnabelmöwe (German), Gavina americana (Italian), Gaviota de Delaware (Spanish), and Ringnäbbad mås (Swedish).
The first two pictures show the much darker 1st Winter Herring Gull set against a backdrop of Ring-Billed Gulls. Adult Herring Gulls have the gray back and black wing-tips like the adult Ring-Billed, but unlike the Ring-Billed Gulls, who have a black ring around their bill, adult Herring Gulls have a red spot on the bottom bill (bottom picture is all adult Ring-Billed Gulls, except the top right bird, which is an adult Herring Gull).
Young Herring Gulls and young Ring-Billed Gulls, however, differ in appearance - Herring Gulls are much darker. As for distinguishing between a 1st Winter Herring Gull and a 2nd Winter Herring Gull, well, the 1st winter has a more uniformly dark bill, especially at the tip, while the 2nd winter has more of a “ring” similar to the ring billed gull. Other than the bill, 1st and 2nd winter gulls can look relatively similarly.
Candid camera: in the first picture a Ring-Billed is squawking at me.
Photos taken with the Canon Digital Rebel XT / 350D and a Sigma 70-300mm Lens on February 2, 2008 at Leach Park in Bettendorf, Iowa.
Thanks for all the comments. They are definitely braving the cold!
February 27th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
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This blog is about: Iowa, Illinois, Midwest, United States, nature, wildlife, animals, birds, ornithology, insects, bugs, entomology, Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline, Quad, City, Cities
Moe, they look pretty cold! Thanks for the information- I’ll be on the lookout now for immature herring gulls here in Ohio.
February 24th, 2008 at 8:44 amAlways love finding gulls in Juv plumage! Well, not really! :)
February 24th, 2008 at 10:17 amGreat blog! I grew up in Iowa and am so happy to see these lovely images–they really resonate with me.
February 24th, 2008 at 1:38 pmKathryn
http://www.outwithari.blogspot.com
Nice photos, Moe. I like the wings spread and the open mouth in the first one. All those pretty shades of grey!
February 24th, 2008 at 2:18 pmMoe, I always learn so much visiting here. Great pics of the gulls, and love the contrast between the two species.
sandy
p.s.thanks for your visit.
February 24th, 2008 at 3:47 pmThanks for all the comments. They are definitely braving the cold!
February 27th, 2008 at 10:32 pm