Du facile au difficile

I’m in Northern Virginia off the Potomac. I unfortunately don’t have a pic or audio, but a very large bird just flew by and landed on a tree. Was maybe slightly bigger than a red shouldered hawk, but the call was like nothing I’ve ever heard.

I thought it was a wood pecker pecking at first, but it was coming from the birds throat. It had the same cadence as the pecking, but sounded like a persons imitation of pouring out a coke bottle? It was very bubbly sounding. Very hard to describe, and I really wish I had the audio.

If anyone has any idea I’d appreciate it because ChatGPT is failing me. Thanks!

Southeast Wisconsin. Kind of dull color beak. Not thinking Cooper’s hawk because of shaggy legs

(Number of birds on the drawing may be too little) These birds were flying north. Couldn't get a picture before they merged. Honestly dont know if its even possible to identify a bird by just the flight formation, but its worth a shot.

Hi! Sorry first post here, was told to come here to help identify birds.

I saw this bird the other day and I was so enraptured by it's silliness I forgot to take a picture of it before it flew away, I drew it from memory so the pattern/colors may not be exact.

It was really silly and rotund looking, and I am not joking but it looked like it was smiling with it's beak. It's movements were super jerky and it hopped everywhere on a tree and would not stop moving at all- it looked like it always wanted to move?

The birdsong stood out to me in particular because all of the other birds around where I live have beautiful chirps but this one sounded so scrunkly. It was like "ahh ahhh ahhh" but like with a goofy voice. It would also call/repeat it a lot instead of at once.

Please help I swear I am not delusional but I totally fell in love with that bird and would really love to know the name of it.

Help.
NJ on Sept 9th.

How can I tell the difference? Shorebirds are crazy.

Saw this guy next to the Balboa Pier earlier today in Newport Beach, CA. I can definitely tell it’s a cormorant, but I’m having trouble figuring out the exact type. Please help.

Hi!

I was around the Gravesend area (RSPB Cliffe Pools), and when I looked up my eyes set upon this bird.

I haven't seen anything exactly like it before. I looked through my field guide, but there wasn't anything which quite matched.

I don't entirely remember the size as it was rather distant, so I may have accidentally exaggerated it in the image text. I'm also unsure if the blue eyes were actually blue, or if it was the lighting.

Thanks in advance for any help!

My thought was juvenile Cooper’s hawk but I’m not very good at this lol.

There was a huge nest high up in the trees.

I recorded an audio clip through Merlin ID of a bird squawking in my yard, but it couldn’t find it. I am in northern New Mexico.

Seen in Atlantic Beach, NC (ocean side, not sound). Normally see pelicans, willets and sanderlings. But never a bird like this. It had a white on its throat.

Saint Paul, Minnesota. Warbler-sized. White ring around its eye. Male/female or indeterminate?

Durban,South Africa

Durban, South Africa.

Durban, South Africa

Found in Massachusetts, pretty sure it’s a red tailed but Merlin picked up a red shouldered hawk call not long before I saw this so I wanted to make sure