Just getting into the bird business and these little brown birds are the bane of my existence. Could someone please let me know if my opinions are correct? Thanks!!!

The first three were spotted at Beaver Lake in Stanley Park June 9th.

I think this one is a female red winged black bird.


I think this one is a song sparrow.


Could this be a juvenile starling?


On May 27th saw these dowitchers at the sanctuary in Ladner but have no idea if they are long or short billed.


Thanks for any help you can provide and I apologize if the images are not so clear. Thanks!!!!

I think you got them all, except the 3rd one is a female Brown-headed Cowbird.

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Deon van der Heever
Maple Ridge, BC

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deonvanderheever/

Thanks for your help Deon.

But can anyone tell if those dowitchers are long or short billed?

You can never be 100% certain with dowitchers if photos are the only available cue. Calls are diagnostic for identifying dowitcher species. If I were to guess I would say Long-billed but that's only a guess from the gut. Also, Long-billed arrive later than Short-billed and are more common on freshwater habitats. While there is much overlap in habitat type, migration period and anatomical features, you still need call to be positive. Luckily, juveniles during Fall migration, are much easier to discriminate than adults.

Hope this helps as a future reference,

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Steven Roias