Woodpeckers sure are wonderful, and they are fortunately pretty easy to identify. The trickiest two are the Downy and Hairy Woodpecker. If you see a woodpecker with a big white spot on its back, its definitely one of these two. From there you have to start looking at its size, bill size, and what its foraging on.
Its sure can be tricky to identify accipiters. But, it gets easier with time. Use this infographic to get an idea of what to look for in the field. One of the easiest field marks is actually their size. Cooper’s hawks are ALWAYS bigger than Sharpies. Females of both species are larger than males, but a female sharpie can be as big as, but not normally bigger than a male Cooper’s hawk.
Also, these guys are tricky! Its ok to not identify every single one. Sometimes its fine to just say you saw an accipiter and feel good about that.
Crows, ravens and jays! Oh my! Corvids are some of the most common neighborhood birds in the west coast, so it is definitely worth learning these smart birds. Also, we don’t have blue jays so stop calling them that!
Red-tailed Hawk Identification guide! Our most common hawk, but they are very tricky to ID due to their many different plumage variations. Use this infographic to learn what to look for in the field!
If you can’t find the sparrow that you are looking for, or would like to peruse the other sparrows 18 or so sparrow species commonly found in the Pacific northwest, check out my Instagram guide.
https://www.instagram.com/portlandbirder/guide/sparrows-of-the-pacific-northwest/17890287268952722/