Phriday photo, photo quiz answer, & bird ID CORRECTION

Winter wall, Yosemite Falls.

1. 'Cause I just want to look at something else.

2. The photo quiz (shot in Joshua Tree NP):

male

female

They are phainopeplas.

Here were the guesses:

(p.s. ANYONE who guesses

gets props for being brave.)

On da blog:

Johnny Nutcase: "Ohhh. You lucky! I know it but won't say it :) You diggin' the new lens??" So polite! She IS a ringer, a professional biologist who takes amazing bird shots every day of her life. =)

Sprout: "No birding quiz is easy when you live on the other side of the Rockies from the bird..." A most excellent point. =) Right coast birding quizzes for me = mostly hopeless unless it's a VERY widespread pup.

Cindy: "wow, funky. I have no idea." Have I ever mentioned I REALLY like when people say things like that? A completely unselfconscious "no idea" makes me love a person. BTW, Cindy's been featuring Yellowstone shots, lately, so that's tasty stuff.

Mia McPherson: "I know but won't say so I don't ruin anyone else's fun! They are gorgeous birds." =) If you've not seen HER bird photos, woah, and any other thing she shoots. =) Another pro (like Johnny Nutcase/Jill)

Anonymous: "A bit easier to ID for me (they live in my backyard), but correctly spelling their name, another story. Love these birds. You will find them in mistletoe infested mesquite, since they happily consume the berries." See, everyone is so polite, I barely got any actual guesses.

From Facebook (where I shamelessly begged for more guesses):

Jill Wussow (a.k.a. Johnny Nutcase) coyly hinted, "starts with a p, ends with an a..." =)   DING!

"Molly Moose": "Phainopepla, but they look smaller and chubbier than ours." DING!

3. CORRECTION re: bird ID. My post of the small hawk that nailed a bird which then shot through the other side of the fence, so the hawk danced and danced?

NOT a Sharp-shinned hawk.*

Way more likely a Cooper's hawk.

Got the word from Steve of Burbon, Bastards, & Birds bloginess.

He also gave me one, no, two good links to

the Cornell site re: distinguishing between them.

Steve is the man. We all know that.

k. The layout looks weird right now,

but I've got stuff to do, so I'll just save,

post, and think happy thoughts.

Hope y'all have a great weekend!

xoxobb

*Post script: just got another comment on the original post re: that hawk, and that person is pretty convinced it's a sharp-shinned. I had thought the breast streaks looked a little thick for coopers, but I've SO little experience w/this, I don't know how variable such things are, etc. Perhaps I'll just conclude that I'm not sure, and it's a tough nut to crack. And, 'course, my photos are not amazing, and the sun hadn't even hit the garden yet, so wasn't exactly bright & crisp. Regardless, THANK YOU to my bird ID coaches--I REALLY appreciate your input. =)