Today, after multiple visits and many hours of waiting at the Foothills Feeders, I finally got the Streak-backed Oriole.
The owner said the bird had been easy to get until a few days ago, when for some reason its visits became less frequent and more erratic.
Anyway, I got it, not the best photos due to poor light but they are OK. For what it is worth, this species puts my ABA area (North American
north of Mexico) life list at 569.
Similar to a young male Hooded Oriole but the streaking is diagnostic. The black bib is also smaller. This is an adult female.
I never got a great angle for the streaking on the back, but it is visible.
Another good way to separate Streak-backed from Hooded is the bill shape. The Streak-backed Oriole has a
thicker based bill while the more slender bill of a female Hooded Oriole is shown below.
Last night I took more images of the Elf Owls. I think this one is a male and one below a female, but not sure.
The one below did go back into the next hole while the one above stayed outside and called.
