# identification (blogs) — RSS Amplifier Recent posts from the 4 feeds in the RSS Amplifier directory that cover identification. Page: Feed: --- ## [Antillean nighthawk sighting](https://antoniosantos.io/birdex/antillean-nighthawk/sightings/7/) _2026-08-14 · Antonio Santos_ I documented a Antillean nighthawk ( Chordeiles gundlachii ) on August 13, 2026 in Toa Baja, PR. I received an email from an expert identifying this bird as an Antillean nighthawk. I first saw it on 8-10-2026, but I returned today and found it roosting in the exact same branch as I did on Monday. Today, I could observe the wind ruffling its feathers. Identification: Certain · Expert confirmed… ## [Bananaquit sighting](https://antoniosantos.io/birdex/bananaquit/sightings/6/) _2026-08-14 · Antonio Santos_ I documented a Bananaquit ( Coereba flaveola ) on August 13, 2026 in Toa Baja, PR. Also known as "Reinita" in Puerto Rico. Very common bird and loud. Still haven't snapped a photo as sharp as I'd like. Identification: High · Unverified Photos: 3 Photos © Antonio Santos · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 View the complete sighting in Birdex → ## [Greater Antillean Grackle sighting](https://antoniosantos.io/birdex/greater-antillean-grackle/sightings/5/) _2026-08-14 · Antonio Santos_ I documented a Greater Antillean Grackle ( Quiscalus niger ) on August 10, 2026 in Toa Baja, PR. I don't know what bird I see more of: grackles or pigeons. Identification: Certain · Unverified Photos: 1 Photos © Antonio Santos · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 View the complete sighting in Birdex → ## [North American Truffles: Identification & Edibility](https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/north-american-truffles-id-edibility.html) _2026-08-13 · Jenny · Mushroom Appreciation_ Most people think of Italy when they think of a truffle, but there are quite a few incredible edible truffle species in North America, too. Truffles aren't much to look at, they're like small lumpy potatoes buried in the dirt. But these aromatic little fungi balls are literal forest treasures. They can be hard to find because they're always underground, but with some training and the help of a… ## [August 13, 2026 at 2:19 PM](https://antoniosantos.io/notes/note-2026-08-13-1419/) _2026-08-13 · Antonio Santos_ The main feed now includes bird sightings! I'll be writing a post up soon but I started a Birdex , a place to log all of my bird sightings. If you don't want these in your feed and only want posts, please update your RSS feed. The links are on my site. If anyone wants a feed that's posts + notes only, let me know and I'll set it up. ## [Yellow-crowned Night Heron sighting](https://antoniosantos.io/birdex/yellow-crowned-night-heron/sightings/3/) _2026-08-13 · Antonio Santos_ I documented a Yellow-crowned Night Heron ( Nyctanassa violacea ) on August 13, 2026 in Toa Baja, PR. When I spotted this bird for the first time, I gasped. It just struck me as something incredibly beautiful. I couldn't believe what I had seen. Identification: High · Unverified Photos: 1 Photos © Antonio Santos · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 View the complete sighting in Birdex → ## [Antillean nighthawk sighting](https://antoniosantos.io/birdex/antillean-nighthawk/sightings/2/) _2026-08-13 · Antonio Santos_ I documented a Antillean nighthawk ( Chordeiles gundlachii ) on August 10, 2026 in Toa Baja, PR. Was really excited when I first spotted this bird. Confused it with an owl and a nightjar but an expert confirmed that it is an Antillean nighthawk. Identification: Certain · Expert confirmed Photos: 2 Photos © Antonio Santos · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 View the complete sighting in Birdex → ## [Gray Kingbird sighting](https://antoniosantos.io/birdex/gray-kingbird/sightings/1/) _2026-08-12 · Antonio Santos_ I documented a Gray Kingbird ( Tyrannus dominicensis ) on August 10, 2026 in Toa Baja, PR. This is one of the birds I see most near my house. I love seeing them in flocks and they're the loudest of the bunch out of all the birds in my area. Identification: Certain · Unverified Photos: 2 Photos © Antonio Santos · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 View the complete sighting in Birdex → ## [August 12, 2026 at 12:24 PM](https://antoniosantos.io/notes/note-2026-08-12-1224/) _2026-08-12 · Antonio Santos_ Working on something completely new for my site! The only thing I’ll say from now is it’ll be called the Birdex. You can probably infer from the name what it’s all about. ## [Amethyst Deceiver: Identification, Lookalikes, and Edibility](https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/amethyst-deceiver-id.html) _2026-08-11 · Jenny · Mushroom Appreciation_ Finding the amethyst deceiver (Laccaria amethystina "complex") when it is young and bright purple is a treat. Unfortunately, it doesn't stay that vivid color as it gets older and is often overlooked because it is rather pale and bland-looking. Seeing a young one and an old one side by side, it is hard to believe they are the same mushroom. ## [PixelRift — Platforming with Level Editor (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/xruBfYU8SArn) _2026-08-11 · **Sponsored**_ Includes a built-in level editor, campaign with elemental heroes, and boss encounters. ## [Bird photography is like real-life Pokémon](https://antoniosantos.io/bird-photography-is-like-real-life-pokemon/) _2026-08-10 · Antonio Santos_ I’m just starting out with bird photography, and I’ve compiled a short-list of birds I want to take photos of, to have some sort of goal when I’m out there and what to look out for. It also helps if I have a few birds I’ve looked up to be able to say “oh cool, that’s a gray kingbird!” I went on my first outing today dedicated to bird photography and after a few shots I realized it was the same… ## [August 7, 2026 at 8:33 PM](https://antoniosantos.io/notes/note-2026-08-07-2033/) _2026-08-08 · Antonio Santos_ A reader pointed out that my RSS feed was publishing the post summaries instead of the full post content. This probably regressed when I added a dedicated post feed. It’s been fixed now so you should see my full post content on your RSS feeds moving forward. ## [The small, almost invisible, really important things](https://antoniosantos.io/the-small-almost-invisible-really-important-things/) _2026-08-07 · Antonio Santos_ I recently wrote about the most important thing I own: my glasses , and that has gotten me thinking about all the small, almost invisible, really important things in our lives that we don’t notice until they’re gone or not working properly. One example is if you’re the type of person who consistently purchases the same roll of toilet paper, you’ll immediately notice if it’s not the same one. Or… ## [August 5, 2026 at 4:08 PM](https://antoniosantos.io/notes/note-2026-08-05-1608/) _2026-08-05 · Antonio Santos_ Happy with how my blog looks. I always want to change the colors, but layout-wise, content with where I’ve landed. I’ve resisted updating the theme, but I already have a new color palette saved. In case you missed it, I added a new links section with some blogs and posts worth checking out. ## [Finding My Way Back to Photography](https://antoniosantos.io/finding-my-way-back-to-photography/) _2026-08-05 · Antonio Santos_ When my Nikon D780 and 24-70mm f/2.8 lens broke after a fall, I thought that was a good moment to switch to mirrorless cameras. Since my two most expensive pieces of gear broke, switching wouldn’t be as hard (although I lost the opportunity to sell my used gear). Ever since then, I’d stopped enjoying photography as much. For a long time, I thought the problem was the system. I was used to Nikon’s… ## [Grief](https://antoniosantos.io/grief/) _2026-08-04 · Antonio Santos_ My wife’s grandfather passed away last Thursday, and we’ve been going through the motions. Today was the burial. I've never lost anyone as close to me as my wife's grandfather was to her. I can’t imagine going through something like that. ## [Mycoremediation: Can Fungi Be Used to Clean Up Pollution](https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/mycoremediation-fungi-clean-pollution.html) _2026-07-29 · Jenny · Mushroom Appreciation_ Mycoremediation is the use of fungi to break down or remove pollution from soil, water, and air. It is being developed to use on petroleum, pesticides, industrial dyes, heavy metals, and a long list of other contaminants. Researchers have found that many wood-decaying fungi have the right chemical tools to break down pollutants. They work because a lot of industrial pollutants have a chemical… ## [I couldn’t live without my glasses](https://antoniosantos.io/i-couldnt-live-without-my-glasses/) _2026-07-27 · Antonio Santos_ The first thing I do when I wake up isn’t checking my phone or making coffee. It’s putting on my glasses. They’re always in the nightstand next to me, always in the exact same spot, because I can’t find anything else without them. Because of my astigmatism, wearing glasses is not optional. Without them, I can see things if they are big enough or if I get close enough. While driving, I can’t read… ## [Distinguishing male and female Chipping Sparrow](https://sibleyguides.com/distinguishing-male-and-female-chipping-sparrow/) _2026-07-26 · David Sibley · Sibley Guides_ Male and female Chipping Sparrow are not exactly alike, and when viewing a mated pair the differences are usually clear. Compare the overall impression of “colorfulness” in these two illustrations, with the male (upper image) showing brighter white on eyebrow and throat, brighter and cleaner rufous crown, darker facial markings, cleaner gray breast, and more \[…\] ## [July 24, 2026 at 9:52 PM](https://antoniosantos.io/notes/note-2026-07-24-2152/) _2026-07-25 · Antonio Santos_ I always rush myself to write a new post. I’m forcing myself to slow down. No one is rushing me to write, and I’ve noticed I’ve published a few things recently I wish I had worded better. ## [Install Manifest V3 Extension (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/EovxiOrREk1W) _2026-07-25 · **Sponsored**_ Get this Manifest V3 extension from the official TronBrowser Store listing. ## [Scaber Stalk Boletes: Identification, Edibility, and Lookalikes](https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/scaber-stalk-boletes.html) _2026-07-24 · Jenny · Mushroom Appreciation_ If you find a mushroom with a stem covered in tiny dark bumps, as if it rolled through ground pepper, it is almost always a scaber stalk bolete (Leccinum sp.). Those bumps are called scabers (hence the common name), and no other bolete genus has the same rough, speckled look covering the entirety of the \[ \] ## [Issac Asimov’s World-building and wanting to copy it](https://antoniosantos.io/issac-asimovs-world-building-and-wanting-to-copy-i/) _2026-07-22 · Antonio Santos_ I read Issac Asimov’s I, Robot last year and was blown away by his world-building style. Through a series of short stories, Asimov explored different parts of the same setting that collectively reveal how robots change society, ethics, labor, and law. It’s almost been a year since I read I, Robot and as I read other books in the Robot universe, I remember vividly the short stories that established… ## [Forgotten Ideas](https://antoniosantos.io/forgotten-ideas/) _2026-07-18 · Antonio Santos_ There’s nothing worse than having an idea for something and forgetting it before you get a chance to write it down, but you still remember that you had an idea. Whatever it was that I forgot, that’s what I was going to write about instead of this. ## [On being an active observer, with American Avocets](https://sibleyguides.com/on-being-an-active-observer-with-american-avocets/) _2026-07-17 · David Sibley · Sibley Guides_ Looking at the different bill shapes of male and female American Avocet reveals other differences. An earlier version of this essay was published in \*Birdwatching\* magazine in 2022 I often say that I learn new things every time I go birding, and that the opportunities for learning will never end. One of the keys to \[…\] ## [July 16, 2026 at 10:17 PM](https://antoniosantos.io/notes/note-2026-07-16-2217/) _2026-07-17 · Antonio Santos_ I think my next post is going to be a little controversial ## [Use this one weird trick to identify Roseate Tern](https://sibleyguides.com/use-this-one-weird-trick-to-identify-roseate-tern/) _2026-07-16 · David Sibley · Sibley Guides_ To separate Roseate Tern from the other expected species of terns just look at the upper margin of the folded wingtip (the inner edges of the primaries). Only Roseate Tern shows a conspicuous white edge, and it is present in all plumages and easily visible at a distance. Identifying terns is hard. The differences between \[…\] ## [re: I own my books](https://antoniosantos.io/re-i-own-my-books/) _2026-07-16 · Antonio Santos_ I regret not taking a similar approach to Michael Harley sooner. I always thought it didn't matter if I bought my books on Apple Books, because I would always have an iPad to read them on, until I bought a Kindle and wished I could read my books on my Kindle. Somehow, I let myself fall into the same trap with my Kindle, and now I'm locked into reading my books on a Kindle (at least there's a… ## [Coral Mushrooms: Ramaria in North America](https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/coral-mushrooms-ramaria.html) _2026-07-14 · Jenny · Mushroom Appreciation_ Coral mushrooms look like something that belongs in a tide pool. The fruiting body branches upward in dense clusters of fingers and forks, like the sea coral it is named for. These corals range in color from bone white to butter yellow to bright red. ## [An apparent Timberline Brewer’s Sparrow in sagebrush habitat](https://sibleyguides.com/an-apparent-timberline-brewers-sparrow-in-sagebrush-habitat/) _2026-07-13 · David Sibley · Sibley Guides_ Summary – A bird in sagebrush habitat showing features of Timberline (taverneri) Brewer’s Sparrow provides an opportunity to review the distinguishing features, and raises questions about range, variation, and taxonomic status. Comparing two subspecies of Brewer’s Sparrow Spizella breweri S. b. breweri often called Sagebrush Brewer’s Sparrow S. b. taverneri known as Timberline Sparrow On \[…\] ## [Male and female Eastern Kingbirds have different head shapes](https://sibleyguides.com/male-and-female-eastern-kingbirds-have-different-head-shapes/) _2026-07-08 · David Sibley · Sibley Guides_ Detailing my new discovery that male and female Eastern Kingbirds are reliably distinguished by head shape – with the male having a more triangular head. This was verified across multiple birds in Montana, but needs further testing and might only work on adults. On a recent trip to Montana (June 2026) a pair of Eastern \[…\] ## [Chovy's Blog: Agentic Coding (Sponsored)](https://crawlproof.com/a/kUQ5fstQJBGM) _2026-07-08 · **Sponsored**_ Personal posts on agentic coding, moshcode CLI, and security findings. ## [10 Urban Mushrooms You Can Find in a City Park or Backyard](https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/10-urban-mushrooms.html) _2026-07-07 · Jenny · Mushroom Appreciation_ You don’t always have to go out to the forest to find a mushroom; there are tons of urban mushrooms. Mushrooms grow in many places, including mowed lawns, wood chip paths, a mulched flower bed, a potted houseplant, on trees along streets, and in public parks. Many types of mushrooms can grow within a short walk of the front door, and some of them are even edible, too. ## [Original art from the Sibley Guide to Birds is now available](https://sibleyguides.com/original-art-from-the-sibley-guide-to-birds-is-now-available/) _2026-07-06 · David Sibley · Sibley Guides_ The Sibley Guide to Birds was published in 2000 – twenty-six years ago! I did a lot of touching-up of the original art for the second edition in 2014, but since 2020 most of my new work for the Sibley Birds app and other projects has been digital. I have decided to make some of \[…\] ## [Plums and Custard Mushroom: Identification, Edibility, and Lookalikes](https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/plums-and-custard-mushrom.html) _2026-07-03 · Jenny · Mushroom Appreciation_ Plums and custard (Tricholomopsis rutilans) sounds like an edible mushroom, but unfortunately it is not. It is way too bitter to be enjoyable. It is a beautiful mushroom, though, and a lot of fun to see. The cap is bright yellow and covered in a dense coat of tiny purple-red scales, and the gills underneath \[ \] ## [These Mushrooms Grow In Unusual Places](https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/these-mushrooms-grow-in-unusual-places.html) _2026-06-30 · Jenny · Mushroom Appreciation_ A bunch of fungi species grow in some very unusual places. There are mushrooms that grow in horse dung, burned ground, the caps of other mushrooms, buried pine cones, and dead insects. ## [Mushrooms That Stain or Change Color When Cut or Bruised, and Why](https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/mushrooms-that-stain-or-change-color.html) _2026-06-24 · Jenny · Mushroom Appreciation_ Some mushrooms change color when you press on their flesh or cut the stem or gills. The colors range all the way from blue to yellow, red, and black. The cornflower bolete turns deep blue, while the yellow stainer turns chrome yellow, and a milk cap can bleed blue or red juice from a single \[ \] ## [20 Mushrooms That Bleed, Ooze, and Drip](https://www.mushroom-appreciation.com/mushrooms-that-bleed-ooze-drip.html) _2026-06-19 · Jenny · Mushroom Appreciation_ Finding a mushroom that bleeds, oozes, or drips can be a little unnerving. Some look like they’re covered in drops of blood, and others like they’re leaking milk. There are mushrooms that drip amber goo down a tree trunk and mushrooms that have small dark tears along their gills. ## [Identifying Mangrove and Northern Yellow Warblers in Florida and the Caribbean](https://sibleyguides.com/identifying-mangrove-and-northern-yellow-warblers-in-florida-and-the-caribbean/) _2026-02-11 · David Sibley · Sibley Guides_ Following up on my earlier post about structural differences, here is a discussion about plumage differences between Mangrove and Northern Yellow Warblers. This post focuses on the two populations that are expected in Florida and the Caribbean – Mangrove Yellow Warbler (Greater Antillean group) and Northern Yellow Warbler (Eastern group). Other populations of both species \[…\] ## [The two species of Yellow Warbler differ in structure](https://sibleyguides.com/the-two-species-of-yellow-warbler-differ-in-structure/) _2025-11-25 · David Sibley · Sibley Guides_ The split of Yellow Warbler into two species in 2025 (by Avilist) brings a challenging identification issue into the mainstream. It is possible to identify most by plumage color (more details here), but differences in the shape of body, wings, and bill provide more consistent clues for identification. Northern undertail coverts longer and fuller, which \[…\] ## [Identification of Eastern and Western Warbling Vireos](https://sibleyguides.com/identification-of-eastern-and-western-warbling-vireos/) _2025-11-10 · David Sibley · Sibley Guides_ Summary: In practice virtually all will be identified presumptively by range. Positive identification depends on careful analysis of details of song (but questions remain about variation in song). Positive identification of silent birds is not possible on current knowledge. The Warbling Vireos were considered a single continent-wide species until 2025, when two species – Eastern \[…\] [Listen](https://sibleyguides.com/wp-content/uploads/WARVIR_1.-song-1_IA-le_ser1425.mp3) ## [Variation in song of Warbling Vireos](https://sibleyguides.com/variation-in-song-of-warbling-vireos/) _2025-11-10 · David Sibley · Sibley Guides_ This is a supplement to my post about identification of Warbling Vireos, which covers the basics of distinguishing them by song In 2025 AOS and eBird split Warbling Vireo into two species, named Eastern and Western Warbling Vireo. Differences in song provide the best way to identify the two species, but there is variation, including \[…\] ## [Robust MLflow Deployment: From Localhost to Production](https://nikolasent.github.io/mlops/infrastructure/docker/2025/10/26/MLflow-guide.html) _2025-10-26 · Computer Vision Lab_ A practical guide to upgrading MLOps infrastructure by dockerizing MLflow, decoupling storage with PostgreSQL and MinIO, and performing a migration from local SQLite to a production-ready setup. ## [Benchmarking Nvidia RTX 5090](https://nikolasent.github.io/hardware/deeplearning/benchmark/2025/02/17/RTX5090-Benchmark.html) _2025-02-17 · Computer Vision Lab_ Benchmarking the top consumer-grade Nvidia Blackwell GPU against previous generations in Computer Vision and LLM applications. ## [Performance Analysis of Intel iGPUs in VLM and LLM applications](https://nikolasent.github.io/hardware/deeplearning/2025/02/09/iGPU-Benchmark-VLM.html) _2025-02-09 · Computer Vision Lab_ Analysis of cost-effective use of Intel iGPUs with ipex-llm to accelerate VLMs and LLMs with detailed benchmarks and practical setup instructions. ## [Multicamera systems: Calibration and beyond](https://nikolasent.github.io/computervision/opencv/calibration/deeplearning/2025/01/27/Multicamera-Calibration.html) _2025-01-27 · Computer Vision Lab_ Classical strategies and learning-based approaches for achieving accurate multicamera calibration in real-world. ## [Camera Calibration: Practical OpenCV Refinement Techniques](https://nikolasent.github.io/computervision/opencv/calibration/2024/12/20/Practical-OpenCV-Refinement-Techniques.html) _2024-12-20 · Computer Vision Lab_ Practical advice on achieving better calibration accuracy in real-world scenarios while addressing common pitfalls and OpenCV model selection strategies. ## [Camera Calibration: What to perfect before touching the code](https://nikolasent.github.io/computervision/opencv/calibration/hardware/2024/12/12/Tips-for-better-camera-calibration.html) _2024-12-12 · Computer Vision Lab_ Physical and optical considerations of accurate real-world camera calibration - practical tips and techniques. ## [Camera calibration: Homography vs OpenCV](https://nikolasent.github.io/computervision/opencv/calibration/2024/11/12/Extrinsic-camera-parameters-initialization.html) _2024-11-12 · Computer Vision Lab_ Comparison of the direct OpenCV camera calibration method with an approach based on a homography matrix.