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Di, I could not have said it any better than Cliff regarding color, structure and behavior. These are definitely Bushtits.? While Mountain Bluebirds can be found in the greater Sacramento area in winter, they are actually very uncommon at Cosumnes River Preserve. Two were seen on a fence line in 2018 but the only other reports on eBird were in 1995 and 1991. So for 20 to show up it would be very unusual. Regardless, the structure of the bird is wrong. For one thing, the length of the wings on the bushtit are much shorter than the wings vs tail of a mountain bluebird.? Merlin probably couldn¡¯t ID because the color didn¡¯t match the structure. I would trust Cliff, an experienced birder, over Merlin any day. I have tested Merlin on several occasions, and while it is a good resource, it has sometimes been wrong or unhelpful regarding common birds. I always recommend using several resources when trying to identify an unfamiliar bird: apps are good, but so are books like Sibley, National Geographic, photos, and of course the advice of an experienced birder. I would never discourage returning to form your own opinions about the birds, and definitely continuing to observe birds regularly to get used to their behaviors and structure. For me, when I was first learning, I found that it was easy to get caught up in plumage markers when structure and behavior were just as important. This is especially because our perception can be influenced by light, distance, and any number of other factors. I hope this is helpful! I am always learning myself, and it is such a good idea to ask for advice on this forum! My best, Sarah Newton-Scott Sacramento, CA On Sun, Jan 10, 2021 at 4:19 PM Di <2curiousdi@...> wrote: Thanks, Cliff! It¡¯s just so weird that Merlin did not identify the bird when it looks exactly like one of the photos on their site of a mountain bluebird! Audubon said mountain bluebirds are very common in this area in the winter but as you say, you do have to take into account their behavior as well as their appearance- being in a flock and foraging upside down like that. We will just have to go out and get a better look at them in the daylight and see if they still look sky blue! Thanks to all for your input! |
