Penultimate day of our January Challenge, version 2025! I finished part two of yesterday's sketch, and it's a bird with a funny name, I mean, it's named for a feature it does NOT have. Meet the Spotless Starling, Sturnus unicolor, found throughout Spain and into nearby areas, including Morocco. This bird was a real target of mine - for the name alone! It really is this shaggy, and usually appears black, with green and bronzy-purple iridescence.

Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor
Granada Spain, September 7, 2024

Starlings, with and without spots
European Starling and Spotless Starling

New birds have been a challenge to find again, as cold and windy days have returned to Connecticut (after a few pleasant days). Today Jorge brings you our feisty Black-capped Chickadee, year-round resident and a familiar visitor to backyard feeders.

Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapillus
on a branch of Staghorn Sumac, Rhus typhina

 A new family theme today, the Paridae, tits, titmice, chickadees - they're found throughout the world. Today's sketch features the Bridled Titmouse which we observed on Mount Lemmon near Tucson in April 2024 and the Tufted Titmouse and Black-capped Chickadee which are year-round visitors to our feeders in Connecticut.

Bridled Titmouse, Baeolophus wollweberi
Tufted Titmouse, Baeolophus bicolor
Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapillus

Jorge's pick for today is a Common Merganser. This is the female, up from a successful hunting trip.

Common Merganser, Mergus merganser