I regularly get some questions or photos sent to me for help in identifying a bird.

There are some birds that offer a real challenge to identify. I’ll highlight a few that can be confusing.

I think the following birds challenge some of the Times News readers the most: house finches and purple finches; downy woodpeckers and hairy woodpeckers; crows and ravens; turkey vultures and black vultures; Cooper’s hawks and sharp-shinned hawks; red-bellied and red-headed woodpeckers; and a few others.

I’ll attempt to highlight some characteristics of these oft-confused birds to make ID a bit easier.

Our church choir begins practicing for our Christmas cantata about five months before the date. The more we practice the numerous songs, the better and better it sounds. We’re not perfect, but the adage “practice makes perfect” is pretty accurate.

Well, with birding, the more you get to observe our local birds the better you get at identifying them. My weakest area of identification would be the shore birds; in particular, the various sandpiper and plover species. The reason? I only occasionally get to the coastal areas where they are more common. However, put me somewhere in Franklin, Towamensing or Penn Forest townships, and I probably can identify any birds that I may find there.

With about 65 years of searching and studying the locals, it gets easier, but still fun. So, when I always prompt you to get out there, it’s a reminder that it is the best way to keep those birds fresh in your mind.

I, and my Carbon County birding friends, can probably identify many of the birds when they fly across the street in front of us, are perched on a utility line 50 yards away or soaring high above.

I’m not boasting, but it is really time on task and practice, practice, practice. If you really get into birding, you soon will be able to recognize many birds before you see them, just by hearing them sing.

Anyway, I hope these photos will help you with a few of the confusing ones.

Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: The 2025 hawk count at Bake Oven Knob concluded Friday, Nov. 28. Interns and volunteers have manned the ridge top lookouts since Aug. 15. It was a banner year, with 21,791 raptors seen. Broad-winged hawks dominated the count, with an amazing 14,831 birds passing the ridge on their way to South America. Some species’ numbers are still down, and these are the species of concern: Northern harrier, red-shouldered hawk and American kestrel.

Multiple guess: Twenty years ago (2005), 174 bald eagles were tallied at the Knob. This year ____ bald eagles were recorded by the Lehigh Gap Nature Center spotters. A. 240; B. 320; C. 686; D. 980.

Last Week’s Trivia Answer: Ed Knittle reminded me that on a warm winter day, some bees will emerge from the hive to remove excess excrement. A great social order is present in a bee colony.

Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com