The guy I took a photo of (#2) didn't move, no tail pumping...so I don't think it was an Eastern Phoebe and I looked up both in all my bird references and none showed either with a yellowish beak...only flycatchers seemed to have a yellow beak. It's hard to tell tho. I've been doing some more searching and wonder if it could be either an Alder Flycatcher or a Willow Flycatcher. Both are in my area in Illinois this time of year and both seem to have a yellowish beak ...the problem is, according my my sources there's no way to tell one from the other except by their song, so it could be either one of them. The only thing maybe would be that I saw this one right next to a river in a wooded area. I think it was the Willow Flycatcher that lives in that sort of habitat. I wish I knew...either would be new birds for my sister and me tho so I'm pleased if it is one of them. Thanks for all the comments and ideas! I really appreciate it!

It's a new species known as the cardinal vulture! No seriously it's definitely a bald cardinal. Like rhizo said probably has some sort of feather mite. You may want to research a way to help them out by way of something edible or water feeder. Or let nature take its course.

Hi. Thanks for responding. I've never seen a crow like that. That's pretty cool--but no, after I had a second look, I was relatively certain it wasn't a crow. Its tail was definitely not as round, though unfortunately, as time passes, the silhouette fades a bit from my memory. The white though, was a perfectly, clean, crisp band at the tip of it's tail. I didn't notice any other markings. I was walking down a path to a tennis court when I saw it. I stood staring at it, flying over head for a moment, and just when I was going to call to the other people in the class in the distance and say, "What is that?" they were all greeting me, and when I looked back up, it was gone, past the trees.

See THIS POST. tj