Over the past few days I have found some neat birds, but they are all juveniles. Ugh. Identification can be difficult. What is a birder to do?! First year birds often look nothing like their parents, male or female. While two bird species were somewhat easy to identify, the experts can not agree on my plover … “black bellied” or “American golden” … only its hairdresser knows! (actually asked some experts from the local college … no agreement on the plover)

American Golden or Black Bellied Plover (juvenile)

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Red-Bellied Woodpecker (juvenile)

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Hooded Mergansers (juvenile)

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Oh yes … I’m still out photographing the Northern Lights. Two photos from Saturday night on Boulder Lake, one during moonrise.