I might have been a little over the top with last week's bird because I even stumped some very good birders with that one. Even with the clues. The first hint "I have a similar diet to one of my relatives who lives on the opposite side of the continent", I was hopeful would help narrow things down to one of the two crow species who live on the coast. In the southeast we find Corvus ossifragus, the Fish Crow. But the snow in the photo, though possible in part of the Fish Crow's range, should have been something of a non-verbal clue.The second hint was a link to a recording of the subject species call, and much like down in Florida where my friends at Halifax River Audubon will be Christmas Bird Counting tomorrow, where the American Crow and Fish Crow overlap, voice is the only reliable clue for identifying Fish. That same thing, voice, is how you decide if you are looking at an American or last week's bird, Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) where they overlap. (I suppose, if they were perched side-by-side, you could use size as a clue as the Northwestern is smaller, but that is unlikely to happen very often - if at all.)
Hopefully this week's bird will be a little easier. They breed in the north, but have been reported in winter in most - if not all - of the lower 48 states, though you would more likely see them in a coastal region. Extra credit if you know the old name.
As always, good luck and great birding (next week will be the first quiz of 2009!). I've got to go dig out from the last 36 hours of snow . . .
We had one of these, though not in this plumage, at the Port Orange Bridge several years ago. Now called the Long-tailed Duck, its old name, Old Squaw, is thought to be somewhat racist or politically incorrect. I don't see it that way. To me, it's like Louisiana Heron. A more descriptive name with a certain panache. But a name from the bygone days of birding.