The Fora: A Higher Education Community

General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: professor_pat on May 31, 2019, 11:08:06 AM

Title: Look! A bird!
Post by: professor_pat on May 31, 2019, 11:08:06 AM
Woohoo—or rather, Who-cooks-for-you—I get to be the one to restart the birders' thread in the new Fora!

After getting increasingly jealous of postings in our regional birders' email about their sightings of Rufous Hummingbirds, I've finally gotten to see some in my own backyard! A female and then a male have been showing up at my feeders. I've also had visits from both a male and female Black-headed Grosbeak. I've been hearing Western Tanagers in the woods around my house but haven't glimpsed any yet.

In other news, a trio of Band-tailed Pigeons have been hanging around and I'm pretty sure there's a nest hidden somewhere. I love hearing their cooing.

Who's arrived recently in your neighborhood?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: turing_complete on June 01, 2019, 03:06:04 PM
Birds that hang around our feeder include chickadees, sparrows, and finches (house and gold), mourning doves, grackles, cardinals, and we're always happy to see the pair of downy woodpeckers.  We've occasionally seen a cowbird.  Sometimes a bluejay.  And this time of year, there are pairs of ducks wandering around people's front yards.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: happylittletrees on June 01, 2019, 05:48:54 PM
A new thread inspires me to figure out what we have hanging around the yard. We have a pair of hummingbirds plus most of those listed by turing_complete. We also have a pair of pileated woodpeckers and an occasional appearance by a kestrel, although we haven't seen it since the winter. We have trouble with birds smacking into our picture windows. Any suggestions to prevent that?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: turing_complete on June 01, 2019, 06:50:58 PM
We tried a few different things, but this one seems to have stopped it completely:

The Warning Web (https://www.livingwithbirds.com/accessories/storage-hygiene-safety/window-strikes/warning-web)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on June 02, 2019, 10:10:36 AM
My sliding glass door has a warning web on one side and a diving falcon on the other - they have both worked well for years.  If you need a temporary something quick and don't care about looks, try making a lattice from painters or masking tape.  Lots of things work - it can be anything at all so long as it lets them know there's something there to avoid.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 02, 2019, 01:53:27 PM
One place I worked had a breezeway that had sand littlecsplats every now and again. They did a sort-of lattice (or diagonal matrix) of paper-cut-outs of birds which apparently worked out well.

One of the day care classes on-site was tasked with cutting out all the birds that summer...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: happylittletrees on June 02, 2019, 03:24:36 PM
Thanks for the suggestions. Our windows will be sporting new decor very soon.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on August 11, 2019, 09:01:18 AM
I have goldfinches!  They don't seem to visit the feeder - the old seed heads of coneflowers and such are preferred.

Other recent sightings include a blue-gray gnatcatcher.  I usually spot them by first thinking they're a titmouse and then realizing that the activity pattern is wrong.  T-mice don't skitter through the branches after bugs like these do.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 11, 2019, 09:13:34 AM
I love seeing goldfinches.

They fly as if they were on swings.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on August 12, 2019, 04:16:05 AM
Twice, hummingbirds have gotten their long beaks stuck in window screen.  Both times, they backed out. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 20, 2019, 12:11:56 PM
Speaking of goldfinches...a treeful of cheery, chatty little yellow-feathered bodies were flitting around my head as I left the library yesterday.

I smiled.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on August 20, 2019, 01:41:58 PM
I LOVE goldfinches. We are currently inundated with the baby cardinals, which, while adorable, is also fraught. They are attempting suicide every time I let the dogs out, and the dogs are acting like there is a buffet on order for them - gah!

The bats, otoh (not birds, but still flying) are having a field day with the mosquitoes after the recent heavy rain. I really like watching them - I swath myself in mosquito netting and sit out by the pond at dusk so that I can hang out with them.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 20, 2019, 02:49:31 PM
Upside down?

Like Stellaluna?

   https://www.amazon.com/Stellaluna-25th-Anniversary-Janell-Cannon/dp/0544874358/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=stellaluna&qid=1566337594&s=books&sr=1-1

;--}

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on August 20, 2019, 07:01:29 PM
I wish, but that makes me dizzy :D. I mostly just watch them swoop over the pond.

I'm installing a couple of bat houses in the maple trees this year - we seem to have a lot of bats but given the mosquito population we can never have too many...
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on August 21, 2019, 05:46:02 AM
Quote from: backatit on August 20, 2019, 07:01:29 PM
I wish, but that makes me dizzy :D. I mostly just watch them swoop over the pond.

I'm installing a couple of bat houses in the maple trees this year - we seem to have a lot of bats but given the mosquito population we can never have too many...

I installed a bat house according to guidelines, and I've seen bats (I live in the country) but alas, they spurn my offered lodging.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on August 21, 2019, 07:08:42 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on August 21, 2019, 05:46:02 AM
Quote from: backatit on August 20, 2019, 07:01:29 PM
I wish, but that makes me dizzy :D. I mostly just watch them swoop over the pond.

I'm installing a couple of bat houses in the maple trees this year - we seem to have a lot of bats but given the mosquito population we can never have too many...

I installed a bat house according to guidelines, and I've seen bats (I live in the country) but alas, they spurn my offered lodging.

We're also in the country, and it may be that out here, they have too MANY choices. I did see a coyote the other night, too, which was a little disconcerting (it was in the neighbor's field, so hopefully the big dog will keep him out of our field - the little dogs are at risk.

Is this post for general fauna, or just avian? If the latter, I'll make a new thread :D.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on August 21, 2019, 09:58:58 AM
Nebo, I've also offered bats a lodging and have been ignored!  We just don't assess habitat the way they do.

My drive out of the neighborhood this morning was enlivened by a squadron of Canada geese flying, in a precise V, just above the tree tops.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on August 22, 2019, 06:40:13 AM
Quote from: backatit on August 21, 2019, 07:08:42 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on August 21, 2019, 05:46:02 AM
Quote from: backatit on August 20, 2019, 07:01:29 PM
I wish, but that makes me dizzy :D. I mostly just watch them swoop over the pond.

I'm installing a couple of bat houses in the maple trees this year - we seem to have a lot of bats but given the mosquito population we can never have too many...

I installed a bat house according to guidelines, and I've seen bats (I live in the country) but alas, they spurn my offered lodging.

We're also in the country, and it may be that out here, they have too MANY choices. I did see a coyote the other night, too, which was a little disconcerting (it was in the neighbor's field, so hopefully the big dog will keep him out of our field - the little dogs are at risk.

Is this post for general fauna, or just avian? If the latter, I'll make a new thread :D.

I would support a general fauna thread!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 22, 2019, 07:35:17 AM
Yes, and at some points there were (on the old Fora) specific threads for live-cam sightings (I followed the owls for about a year, as I recall....)

So, a separate thread for animal sightings would be cool!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 23, 2019, 10:47:42 AM
A double a day later...

Saw a nuthatch going upside down down a tree near my student's house. By the time I'd gotten the camera out, he'd scissors his way back up the trunk and (I'm guessing) into a nest in its blasted-out crotch.

Slim little body, light-colored underbelly, pretty dove-grey back feathers.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: sinenomine on August 24, 2019, 01:18:07 PM
I'm on a lengthy housesitting gig at a farm that abuts a nature preserve. I've already had two golden eagles hanging out along the fence line, and a sparrow hawk that decided to stand on my car to look for prey.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on August 25, 2019, 06:20:34 AM
Quote from: sinenomine on August 24, 2019, 01:18:07 PM
I'm on a lengthy housesitting gig at a farm that abuts a nature preserve. I've already had two golden eagles hanging out along the fence line, and a sparrow hawk that decided to stand on my car to look for prey.

I've seen one golden eagle in my lifetime; it was an awesome moment.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on August 25, 2019, 09:08:54 AM
Quote from: mamselle on August 23, 2019, 10:47:42 AM
A double a day later...

Saw a nuthatch going upside down down a tree near my student's house. By the time I'd gotten the camera out, he'd scissors his way back up the trunk and (I'm guessing) into a nest in its blasted-out crotch.

Slim little body, light-colored underbelly, pretty dove-grey back feathers.

M.

Given your location it was most probably a white-breasted nuthatch.  If you see it again, check the head color - females in the NE have a gray crown, not black.  Also look for red-breasteds!

Sinenomine, I'm jealous!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: alto_stratus on August 26, 2019, 12:18:18 PM
So many turkeys. . .

The best bird I've seen in the last week was a lovely Quaker parrot who was boarding for a week with a local pet store owner.  It was the cutest - peeking out of a little fleece nest, talking to everyone who came over, and laughing - I think it had a talkative owner!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on August 26, 2019, 01:20:03 PM
I was really surprised to see a flock of green parrots in Holland Park in London a few weeks ago. I really did not know that they lived there; they seem like such tropical birds to live in Kensington that it was quite a surprise. I see them when I am in Florida quite often (there are flocks all over beachside there and they fascinate me) but those really threw me for a loop!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: the_geneticist on August 26, 2019, 03:22:53 PM
We have a resident male Annas hummingbird who jealously sits at the top of the orange tree and guards the feeder.   A flock of local ravens likes to come and sip water from our front yard sprinklers and pick through the compost bin.  A few pigeons and invasive house finches.  I'm hoping we'll get an acorn woodpecker, but none nearby.  They LOVE to store acorns in the trunks of palms.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 01, 2019, 06:57:46 AM
Last night, walking over the bridge that spans a brook name for the brokeback herring that once spawned here in great numbers...I startled something that took off with a huge wing spread, then settled itself down on a rotting tree about 20 feet upstream.

One it had landed and turned, I saw it was the (or a) blue heron, one of which, at least, I've seen before there.

I guess there are still alewives there ....

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on September 11, 2019, 11:52:42 AM
It's migration time again!

Got a good look at a common yellowthroat the other day, plus a couple of probable warblers and an Empidonax flycatcher (don't ask me which one!).  Plus either a newly fledged hummer or a migrant because it was checking out the red peppers - the locals all know that they aren't flowers.  Also, the cardinals may finally have finished nesting b/c I haven't seen any little beggars at the feeder in over a week.

This morning the barred owl gave a last hoot about 5:45.  Ten minutes later the first day bird - a titmouse - started calling.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on September 14, 2019, 09:50:10 AM
So I have a question about hummingbirds. I have a large backyard, probably about a half acre, surrounded by woods. I have some bushes at the perimeter that probably do have hummingbirds (they have flowers that look appropriate). If I put a feeder by my kitchen window, where I could actually SEE the birds, do you think they would venture all the way over, or should I plant some bushes to lure them in? The septic tank is right next to the house near the kitchen (great placement!) so I can't really block it with a bigger garden or anything (it's one reason that's a big open grass area, for the drainfield. I know not to use colored water or anything, but I'd like to be able to see the little boogers. I could maybe plant some vines.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on September 14, 2019, 10:38:41 AM
Quote from: backatit on September 14, 2019, 09:50:10 AM
So I have a question about hummingbirds. I have a large backyard, probably about a half acre, surrounded by woods. I have some bushes at the perimeter that probably do have hummingbirds (they have flowers that look appropriate). If I put a feeder by my kitchen window, where I could actually SEE the birds, do you think they would venture all the way over, or should I plant some bushes to lure them in? The septic tank is right next to the house near the kitchen (great placement!) so I can't really block it with a bigger garden or anything (it's one reason that's a big open grass area, for the drainfield. I know not to use colored water or anything, but I'd like to be able to see the little boogers. I could maybe plant some vines.

Try it and see!

They're so fast and agile that I don't think crossing a half acre will make them feel vulnerable to predators.  If you give them a perch (open bush or vine) near the house they might appreciate it.  You also may find one male deciding to dominate the feeder from that perch!  If that happens, then add a few other feeders around the perimeter (iron shepherd's crooks make easy and unobtrusive hangers of you don't have suitable tree limbs) so the others can tag-team him - and provide even more fun for you!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 14, 2019, 12:32:43 PM
More goldfinches flitting up into a tall pine and chattering at me [or, more likely, each other] on my way to a student's home yesterday.

The nuthatch didn't reappear, but that student has a local bird ID guide (plus six feeders, binoculars, and a telescope--by which they spotted an eagle last month) and confirmed the ID as a white-breasted nuthatch--they've seen it (or its brother, across the street from mine), too.

They haven't yet seen (or heard) wrens. I was surprised by the raspy call the first time I saw one on a porch post awhile ago. They're so pretty, I expected a more mellifluous sound. But there it was, croaking at me...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on September 15, 2019, 11:03:39 AM
Yet another unidentifiable fall warbler - very drab, white on tail feathers, rarely still, eats small caterpillars, didn't seem to match anything in the book.  Hummer feeder still being controlled by an adult male who was busily giving all the others some flying practice.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on September 16, 2019, 05:35:54 AM
Check for wing bars.  That might help with ID.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on September 17, 2019, 09:40:30 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on September 14, 2019, 10:38:41 AM
Quote from: backatit on September 14, 2019, 09:50:10 AM
So I have a question about hummingbirds. I have a large backyard, probably about a half acre, surrounded by woods. I have some bushes at the perimeter that probably do have hummingbirds (they have flowers that look appropriate). If I put a feeder by my kitchen window, where I could actually SEE the birds, do you think they would venture all the way over, or should I plant some bushes to lure them in? The septic tank is right next to the house near the kitchen (great placement!) so I can't really block it with a bigger garden or anything (it's one reason that's a big open grass area, for the drainfield. I know not to use colored water or anything, but I'd like to be able to see the little boogers. I could maybe plant some vines.

Has anyone mentioned putting something bright red on or near the feeder?  Hummingbirds love that colour.

Today there are at least 20 swans in two different groups on the lake. Two groups because the trumpeters and mute swans don't get along.  Also two birds I can't identify--cormorants by their shape, but black-winged, red- breasted and yellow- beaked.  Anyone know?



Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: professor_pat on September 17, 2019, 02:28:52 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on September 16, 2019, 05:35:54 AM
Check for wing bars.  That might help with ID.

Hahaha! Thanks, Nebo, I needed a good laugh.

Kidding aside,  I'm sure wing bars help many folks and I'm totally impressed that you're one of them. But since those little warblers sit still for only about 12 nanoseconds, I can never get a good enough look to make any useful observations.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on September 18, 2019, 04:57:37 AM
Quote from: professor_pat on September 17, 2019, 02:28:52 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on September 16, 2019, 05:35:54 AM
Check for wing bars.  That might help with ID.

Hahaha! Thanks, Nebo, I needed a good laugh.

Kidding aside,  I'm sure wing bars help many folks and I'm totally impressed that you're one of them. But since those little warblers sit still for only about 12 nanoseconds, I can never get a good enough look to make any useful observations.

Believe me, I understand!!!!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on September 21, 2019, 08:49:54 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on September 18, 2019, 04:57:37 AM
Quote from: professor_pat on September 17, 2019, 02:28:52 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on September 16, 2019, 05:35:54 AM
Check for wing bars.  That might help with ID.

Hahaha! Thanks, Nebo, I needed a good laugh.

Kidding aside,  I'm sure wing bars help many folks and I'm totally impressed that you're one of them. But since those little warblers sit still for only about 12 nanoseconds, I can never get a good enough look to make any useful observations.

Believe me, I understand!!!!

It had wing bars, but I still can't find it in the book.  It was so drab that I was hoping for worm-eating warbler, but the head pattern wasn't there.

Other bird news:

I've seen no adult male hummers for over a week.  Another (male juvie, perhaps?) took over trying to dominate the feeder for a few days and then also migrated.  The two around this morning are mostly feeding rather than chasing - one of them is not only a newbie in the yard (checked out the red peppers for nectar) but is also a country-cousin because it ignored the feeder.  It chased a chickadee right up to the feeder (c-dee was getting a drink from the ant guard) and then went right back to sipping from a Salvia.

I'm pretty sure I saw a drab blue-headed vireo.  At first I thought it was a ruby-crowned kinglet, but it wasn't flitty enough and then a titmouse got close enough for scale so I knew for sure it wasn't a kinglet.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on September 22, 2019, 05:49:25 AM
My hummers seem to have moved on, though it's a bit early.  I put out fresh juice anyway, as others may migrate through.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on September 22, 2019, 08:57:08 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on September 22, 2019, 05:49:25 AM
My hummers seem to have moved on, though it's a bit early.  I put out fresh juice anyway, as others may migrate through.

Yes!  I wish more people realized that it isn't the availability of food that drives migration - it's day length.  For a late migrant - blown off course by a storm, spent a week lost in a maze of sky scrapers, etc. - a feeder can make the difference between life and death.

Plus, I'm far enough south that having off course western species stop by and stay for the winter is a possibility!  I keep a feeder up until late December - just in case.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 22, 2019, 01:26:57 PM
You're the bird concierge.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 02, 2019, 05:41:43 AM
The male bluebird of happiness reappeared, though he may have been tucked into the woods since mating earlier this year.  I put out dead meal worms, just in case.

And a hummer has been flitting around, but I don't know if it's one of the regulars so is en route to somewhere elsewhere.

As for being the bird concierge:  Thank you!!!  I confess to buying the cheapest seed and it doesn't seem to deter them!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on October 03, 2019, 06:39:05 AM
We've had more hummingbirds the past few days than all summer put together.  (It was so ungodly hot here I just assume the little guys were sitting in the AC somewhere.)  I put out fresh nectar for them over the weekend, and they've been enjoying it--and I, them.  It's remained hot here (still 93 degrees yesterday), so they'll be around a good while yet. Most years they stay almost until first frost, which looks to be pretty late according to forecasts.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: professor_pat on October 03, 2019, 08:23:23 PM
I'm realizing it's been a while since I've seen a rufous hummer at my feeders - such gorgeous little guys 'n' gals. I had a Townsend's Warbler and even a Wood-pewee in the last week, late for both but so delightful to see.

It's pretty quiet out there these days. Can't wait for the winter birds to start showing up.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on October 06, 2019, 08:29:54 AM
Late yesterday afternoon, for a couple of hours, I thought I was getting a glimpse of birder heaven - or perhaps hell.  Every time I finished noting (and saying them outloud in hopes of remembering them better) all the field marks that I'd been able to see and reached for the book, another would flit into view.  By the time they stopped, all I knew for sure was vireos! a thrush! warblers! catbird! something else entirely! because all the lists had merged into a complete scramble in my paltry brain.  Eyes with and without rings; eyebrows not obvious or white or yellow; necks and chests white or yellowish or bright yellow; sides white or yellow and striped or not; wing bars 0 or 1 or 2, white except one obviously yellowish; butts not contrasting or bright yellow (on a bird that clearly wasn't a yellow-rumped warbler); tails uniform or with white flashes; undertail feathers white or yellow; etc.

To top it all off, this morning I got a good look at and description of --- yet another warbler that isn't in the book.

I think I need those binocs that have a built-in camera.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 07, 2019, 04:30:05 AM
Horde of starlings yesterday.  Gone today.

And Thursday's Child:  I get it!!!!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on October 10, 2019, 09:58:36 AM
A Yellow-Rumped Warbler visited our dogwood tree this morning.  I was excited to have been able to identify it, since fall warblers are hard!  We're also getting a lot of house finches.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 10, 2019, 01:18:34 PM
Quote from: cathwen on October 10, 2019, 09:58:36 AM
A Yellow-Rumped Warbler visited our dogwood tree this morning.  I was excited to have been able to identify it, since fall warblers are hard!  We're also getting a lot of house finches.

In my neck of the woods, we often call them "yellow rumps" but in Arizona I heard them referred to as "butter butts." 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on October 14, 2019, 12:23:52 PM
We had a caracara in the yard this morning, which was very cool. DH got a good picture but I don't really have a way to post it.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 14, 2019, 02:51:20 PM
Is Photobucket still around?

We used to post photos 'n' stuff to accounts set up using fora names to preserve pseudonymity...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on October 14, 2019, 04:48:14 PM
Yes, that works :).

https://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o526/backatit123/caracara_zps6pqpyjxt.jpg
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 14, 2019, 08:43:09 PM
Quote from: backatit on October 14, 2019, 04:48:14 PM
Yes, that works :).

https://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o526/backatit123/caracara_zps6pqpyjxt.jpg

Cool!

Thanks!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 15, 2019, 05:48:14 AM
Quote from: mamselle on October 14, 2019, 08:43:09 PM
Quote from: backatit on October 14, 2019, 04:48:14 PM
Yes, that works :).

https://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o526/backatit123/caracara_zps6pqpyjxt.jpg

Cool!

Thanks!

M.

I had to google this bird.  So exciting that you saw it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: the_geneticist on October 15, 2019, 10:46:35 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on October 15, 2019, 05:48:14 AM
Quote from: mamselle on October 14, 2019, 08:43:09 PM
Quote from: backatit on October 14, 2019, 04:48:14 PM
Yes, that works :).

https://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o526/backatit123/caracara_zps6pqpyjxt.jpg

Cool!

Thanks!

M.

I had to google this bird.  So exciting that you saw it.

Wow!  That's a beautiful bird!  In my part of the country, a "cara cara" is a type of citrus.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 16, 2019, 05:32:53 AM
Cedar waxwings spent a long weekend here, an annual event.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on October 16, 2019, 06:49:00 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on October 16, 2019, 05:32:53 AM
Cedar waxwings spent a long weekend here, an annual event.

They have always been one of my favorite birds. I am not even sure why - I just love seeing them. They are like "not cardinals" to me; like very rare and beautiful cardinals (I love our cardinals but that's our predominant bird here).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on October 16, 2019, 09:57:44 AM
Lovely caracara, Backatit!

I haven't had a hummer in the yard for a week, but Nebo's report of cedar waxwings gives me hope that they'll make it to my place soon.  The flood of 'just-passing-through' migrants has slowed.  Now it's time for the 'we'll be here all winter!' folks to start arriving.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 17, 2019, 06:05:20 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on October 16, 2019, 09:57:44 AM
Lovely caracara, Backatit!

I haven't had a hummer in the yard for a week, but Nebo's report of cedar waxwings gives me hope that they'll make it to my place soon.  The flood of 'just-passing-through' migrants has slowed.  Now it's time for the 'we'll be here all winter!' folks to start arriving.

I've still got the "confusing fall warblers" passing through but they generally stay down in the woods, so I am not forced to attempt to ID them....though I do love hearing them.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on October 19, 2019, 03:49:16 PM
Earlier this afternoon as I was turning into our driveway, two large dark-brown hawks followed each other into a stand of trees near the other side of the park in front of our house.

The crows and smaller birds nearby were kicking up quite a fuss, and the squirrels and chipmunks were most definitely in hiding, as they were not to be seen.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on October 20, 2019, 09:07:14 AM
A hummer - another country cousin who's never seen a feeder - stopped by yesterday & again this morning.  It seems rather late and I'm not entirely sure it was a ruby-throat.  It had a dark patch low on the throat and I couldn't see the white patch near the eye, but it was so fluffed up against the cold that I'm not sure my observations are accurate.  It was very fluffy - nearly a sphere with head, wings and tail!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on October 20, 2019, 02:02:02 PM
I went down back into the woods this afternoon and saw a ton of warblers, and our two resident barred owls (we also have a great horned owl and a screech owl who are less-frequent visitors). The two barred owls were deep in the shade, right up against the trunk of a big oak tree, so I'll likely hear them this evening before they go out to hunt. They alternate between ours' and our neighbors' woods and once this summer when I was in the pool one late in the evening one came and sat on a branch very close to the pool and watched me swim for a really long time. I love the owls.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 20, 2019, 04:11:30 PM
That's reminding me of the poster formerly known as Barred Owl (who did indeed see and love owls, as I recall).

Wonder what they're doing?

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on October 20, 2019, 06:21:32 PM
Oh yes, I remember them (they are not me). I agree; hope they are well and getting lots of owl time. And yes, they did come out tonight.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 21, 2019, 04:58:43 AM
Quote from: backatit on October 20, 2019, 06:21:32 PM
Oh yes, I remember them (they are not me). I agree; hope they are well and getting lots of owl time. And yes, they did come out tonight.

I live in the country with woods back and one side...and the only owls I hear are across the road near the lake.  I hear them in the wee hours when little canine goes out to pee.  never ever see one.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on October 21, 2019, 11:19:51 AM
I think we have a particularly large and active population here (not just in this particular set of woods). Where I used to live was across the street from a nature preserve but it wasn't really that rural (it was quiet though and had a lot of trees) and 4 juvenile horned owls flew into my front yard when I was sitting on my front porch steps on evening. They were trying to to learn to fly, and hopping all over the place quite awkwardly. I've seen a lot of owls, but they aren't easy to see when they are in the trees.

Here are our resident owls a while back https://i1146.photobucket.com/albums/o526/backatit123/owls_zpsvfndbdqm.jpg

I sit quietly outside a lot in the evenings, and we have a screened back porch that overlooks the most densely wooded part of our property, so we're pretty well set up to see them (part of the reason this picture is fuzzy is that I'm taking it through the screen).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on October 21, 2019, 01:18:00 PM

I heard an owl hooting last night as a vague grey shape (a rabbit?) fled across the lawn.  But I was distracted by a huge orange half moon rising in the trees across the road.  Until it cleared the treetops I was sure it was a fire, and was ready to dial the local fire department.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 21, 2019, 08:43:10 PM
I think they were calling that a "Hunter's Moon," from a headline I saw in passing.

It's been very ashy at the lowest part of the horizon due to some fires and volcanoes in the last month or so, I think, causing more refraction of light in the red/orange range at sundown/moonrise. (?maybe I heard it interthreadually)...

An owl silhouetted against something like that must have been quite a sight.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 05, 2019, 04:41:56 AM
Saw either two myrtle warblers....or one myrtle warbler twice.  Have never seen one in these parts.  My guess is that it was on its way to warmer climes.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on November 10, 2019, 08:16:27 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on November 05, 2019, 04:41:56 AM
Saw either two myrtle warblers....or one myrtle warbler twice.  Have never seen one in these parts.  My guess is that it was on its way to warmer climes.

Myrtle?  The more showy sub-type of yellow-rumped?  Hopefully it's joined the small flock in my neighborhood.

In other news, I splurged a bit yesterday.  New, but inexpensive, binocs and the 2nd edition of Sibley!  Binocs give slightly more magnification and field of view than my old ones.  I'll get used to the difference in feel soon - especially since they're not cranky about focusing!  The updated Sibley is worth it.  More birds illustrated, updated range maps, some increase in the useful notes, replaced the green dots showing out-of-range sightings with a gray shading, etc.  The range updates, when compared to the 1st edition, can be quite stunning - I suspect climate change in many cases.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on November 10, 2019, 11:04:47 AM
Coming home from a dance at 2 AM...

   Nine geese honking, flying en diagonale.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 11, 2019, 11:31:14 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on November 10, 2019, 08:16:27 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on November 05, 2019, 04:41:56 AM
Saw either two myrtle warblers....or one myrtle warbler twice.  Have never seen one in these parts.  My guess is that it was on its way to warmer climes.

Myrtle?  The more showy sub-type of yellow-rumped?  Hopefully it's joined the small flock in my neighborhood.

In other news, I splurged a bit yesterday.  New, but inexpensive, binocs and the 2nd edition of Sibley!  Binocs give slightly more magnification and field of view than my old ones.  I'll get used to the difference in feel soon - especially since they're not cranky about focusing!  The updated Sibley is worth it.  More birds illustrated, updated range maps, some increase in the useful notes, replaced the green dots showing out-of-range sightings with a gray shading, etc.  The range updates, when compared to the 1st edition, can be quite stunning - I suspect climate change in many cases.

I call those little yellow rump/butter butts "Myrtle Warblers."  Perhaps I am not correct??
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on November 11, 2019, 11:41:55 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on November 11, 2019, 11:31:14 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on November 10, 2019, 08:16:27 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on November 05, 2019, 04:41:56 AM
Saw either two myrtle warblers....or one myrtle warbler twice.  Have never seen one in these parts.  My guess is that it was on its way to warmer climes.

Myrtle?  The more showy sub-type of yellow-rumped?  Hopefully it's joined the small flock in my neighborhood.

In other news, I splurged a bit yesterday.  New, but inexpensive, binocs and the 2nd edition of Sibley!  Binocs give slightly more magnification and field of view than my old ones.  I'll get used to the difference in feel soon - especially since they're not cranky about focusing!  The updated Sibley is worth it.  More birds illustrated, updated range maps, some increase in the useful notes, replaced the green dots showing out-of-range sightings with a gray shading, etc.  The range updates, when compared to the 1st edition, can be quite stunning - I suspect climate change in many cases.

I call those little yellow rump/butter butts "Myrtle Warblers."  Perhaps I am not correct??

You're correct!  The western populations are called "Audubon's" - I suspect it's one of the cases where they were originally considered different species.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on November 11, 2019, 02:02:45 PM
Yesterday I saw a huge bird swoop past my living room window.  I ran to look and saw it land on the roof of the condo units across the way--it was a great blue heron!  It perched there for about a minute, then took off, presumably for some nice pond or creek. 

We've also had a lot of cedar waxwings; I also saw a red-bellied woodpecker--not really rare around here, but not an everyday sighting, either.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 13, 2019, 05:59:54 AM
Quote from: cathwen on November 11, 2019, 02:02:45 PM
Yesterday I saw a huge bird swoop past my living room window.  I ran to look and saw it land on the roof of the condo units across the way--it was a great blue heron!  It perched there for about a minute, then took off, presumably for some nice pond or creek. 

We've also had a lot of cedar waxwings; I also saw a red-bellied woodpecker--not really rare around here, but not an everyday sighting, either.

Blue, yellow, red.... a rainbow of birds...
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on November 15, 2019, 05:46:06 PM
Cool image!

Am I imagining it, or isn't there an Egyptian tomb painting of a meticulously realized blue heron with a frog dangling from its mouth?

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: professor_pat on November 17, 2019, 07:50:13 PM
Backatit, your yard full o' owls sounds like a wonderful place. When we moved in, we had both screech-owls and Barred Owls. Now it's just a Barred, though I'm hoping a new screech-owl discovers this nice little habitat soon.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 23, 2019, 10:27:38 AM
Just back for the 50th state, where I  saw, for the first time:  zebra doves, mynah birds, and red crested cardinals (which are not cardinals).  It was not a bird watching expedition and I did not have binocs.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on December 01, 2019, 09:19:39 AM
Cedar waxwings have arrived, so I've now got a typical contingent of winter birds!

A hermit thrush and a ruby-crowned kinglet are frequently showing up in the hanging feeder.  This isn't what I typically expect from their species, but there've been other times, with other species, where there's one who shows odd-ball behavior.  Maybe that flexibility in foraging behavior will prove adaptive.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on December 02, 2019, 05:19:37 AM
Wood storks galore!  Pushing egrets from their usual nesting/roosting location.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on December 05, 2019, 07:46:28 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on December 02, 2019, 05:19:37 AM
Wood storks galore!  Pushing egrets from their usual nesting/roosting location.

Nebo, are you visiting the Everglades?  Regardless, I'm jealous.

This morning I got a really good look at a bird that isn't in the book.  I hate it when this happens.  Bird was feeding - nervously and out-of-sync with the others - on the ground, eating millet and perhaps safflower.  It was large sparrow size and shape (crouched while eating) with a short conical bill without a distinctively different color, overall dark greyish with the top of the head seemingly darker, dark eye, an obviously off-white throat that faded into an apron over the chest, tail and wings slightly darker than body with very faint suggestions of two wingbars.  I couldn't match it to any sparrow or sparrow-like bird - the closest it came was a Brewer's blackbird, but the legs didn't seem long enough, nor did the beak.

Does anyone have any ideas?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on December 05, 2019, 12:11:36 PM
Possibly a junco?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on December 05, 2019, 12:20:16 PM
Most mornings I walk to the city park and walk the trail around it before getting ready for work.  The park is centered on a large pond with a three-mile (almost) trail around it.  The trail goes from one of the main roads through town, past picnic shelters, playing fields, and a menagerie of school 4-H livestock, through a stretch of woods, past a subdivision, and back to the road.  It's a great place for wildlife sightings.

Today I saw a large grey heron.  I see at least one of these most days.  There's been an egret around quite a bit lately as well, but not today.

Though I didn't see them, I heard a pair of owls hooting back and forth in the wooded section.  It sounded like they were trying to sing a duet.  Maybe they were trying to locate each other just before settling down for a good day's sleep?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on December 05, 2019, 12:47:37 PM
Quote from: Catherder on December 05, 2019, 12:11:36 PM
Possibly a junco?

I don't think so, unless they have a really dark color-morph that the book doesn't include.  Junco illustrations always show white underparts and white feathers on the outside of the tail, plus a pale beak and this one didn't have those.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on December 17, 2019, 10:05:05 AM
Mystery solved - a few days after the previous post, much better lighting enabled its identification as a female brown-headed cowbird.

In more recent news, we're having lots of rain again.  This is making numerous mini-lakes that are very popular with the phoebes.  One was closely patrolling the largest lake in my back yard this morning, both picking up morsels while walking along the edges and from the surface while hovering.  The rather larger lake near the post office also had a phoebe.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on December 21, 2019, 11:30:10 PM
This was about ten days ago, but I've been a tiny bit busy...

It was about 10 PM, and very cloudy/dark, as I walked across the bridge near my place. Nothing visible, so I kept going.

After I got about 1/2 block away, I heard a raw-throated "Shrwak!" and the rush of wings that heralds the local blue heron, flying under the bridge (He must have seen the old British film, "Piece of Cake," he does this a lot. His wingspan just about reaches the bridge's arches).

I turned around and got several very grainy pictures of him, silvery-shadowy in the dark, doing his ploppy-footed walk in the icy water.

Their legs must be nerveless, it was freezing out but he seemed unfazed.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on December 22, 2019, 04:58:12 AM
Quote from: mamselle on December 21, 2019, 11:30:10 PM
This was about ten days ago, but I've been a tiny bit busy...

It was about 10 PM, and very cloudy/dark, as I walked across the bridge near my place. Nothing visible, so I kept going.

After I got about 1/2 block away, I heard a raw-throated "Shrwak!" and the rush of wings that heralds the local blue heron, flying under the bridge (He must have seen the old British film, "Piece of Cake," he does this a lot. His wingspan just about reaches the bridge's arches).

I turned around and got several very grainy pictures of him, silvery-shadowy in the dark, doing his ploppy-footed walk in the icy water.

Their legs must be nerveless, it was freezing out but he seemed unfazed.

M.

Oh my.  Big blues are awesome.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on December 23, 2019, 01:17:28 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on December 22, 2019, 04:58:12 AM
Quote from: mamselle on December 21, 2019, 11:30:10 PM
This was about ten days ago, but I've been a tiny bit busy...

It was about 10 PM, and very cloudy/dark, as I walked across the bridge near my place. Nothing visible, so I kept going.

After I got about 1/2 block away, I heard a raw-throated "Shrwak!" and the rush of wings that heralds the local blue heron, flying under the bridge (He must have seen the old British film, "Piece of Cake," he does this a lot. His wingspan just about reaches the bridge's arches).

I turned around and got several very grainy pictures of him, silvery-shadowy in the dark, doing his ploppy-footed walk in the icy water.

Their legs must be nerveless, it was freezing out but he seemed unfazed.

M.

Oh my.  Big blues are awesome.

Several days ago I got within a few yards of one of our local herons before it flew.  It's amazing how they seem almost to levitate with a few slow beats of those huge wings.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on December 24, 2019, 08:21:01 AM
There are several pairs of great  blues in my neighbourhood but I've taken against them since I watched them staking out a nest of baby otters and pulling a mole out of its hole.  They are cowards (I chased them away from the otters just by banging on my window) and mean hunters.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on December 25, 2019, 04:34:34 AM
Quote from: Catherder on December 24, 2019, 08:21:01 AM
There are several pairs of great  blues in my neighbourhood but I've taken against them since I watched them staking out a nest of baby otters and pulling a mole out of its hole.  They are cowards (I chased them away from the otters just by banging on my window) and mean hunters.

Seeing that would have been something!!  Lucky you!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on December 30, 2019, 09:23:48 AM
Saw another great grey heron take-off.  As a bonus, there was a large egret visible in the background at the same time, just across the pond.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on January 02, 2020, 07:55:27 AM
Spent much of New Year's Day hiking at a state park.  Part of the trail ran along a rise overlooking a lake that hosts a lot of migratory waterfowl.  You get better views of them from the trail on the levee across the lake, but I did see several wood ducks swimming around down below on the side I was on.  I saw as many as five at a time at once through my binoculars.  There were at least seven or eight all together.  It's hard to count wood ducks, since they keep submerging and surfacing and disappearing behind stumps and such.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on January 02, 2020, 08:09:15 AM
Just got back from two week in southern Arizona -- lots of birds, most unusually an Elegant Trogan (we never would have spotted it except there were people on the trail with scopes on it). Also lots of hawks of various kinds, several road runners, and tons of birds at my grandmother's feeder (my holiday present to her was monthly deliveries of bird seed via an amazon subscription).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 02, 2020, 10:48:21 AM
I'm seeing birds I've never seen before. Two yellow-bellied, blue-backed warblers (I think...), one of which landed in the 3/4 coconut spherical feeder my friend hangs on her side windowsill. He took one look at me, startled, and flew off.

Also some cool black-and-white "pie"s (bavard, possibly, is their second name) that look very dramatic when the lift off mid-field.

My friend has pictures she's taken of an emerald-and-ruby-feathered creature that I'd love to see but I don't know where they're from.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on January 03, 2020, 05:52:04 AM
Quote from: Puget on January 02, 2020, 08:09:15 AM
Just got back from two week in southern Arizona -- lots of birds, most unusually an Elegant Trogan (we never would have spotted it except there were people on the trail with scopes on it). Also lots of hawks of various kinds, several road runners, and tons of birds at my grandmother's feeder (my holiday present to her was monthly deliveries of bird seed via an amazon subscription).

Heading that way soon.  Where were your birding?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on January 03, 2020, 06:24:17 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on January 03, 2020, 05:52:04 AM
Quote from: Puget on January 02, 2020, 08:09:15 AM
Just got back from two week in southern Arizona -- lots of birds, most unusually an Elegant Trogan (we never would have spotted it except there were people on the trail with scopes on it). Also lots of hawks of various kinds, several road runners, and tons of birds at my grandmother's feeder (my holiday present to her was monthly deliveries of bird seed via an amazon subscription).

Heading that way soon.  Where were your birding?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madera_Canyon
Excellent area for hiking, with lots of different zones from desert up into forrest (there is snow up higher).
(I should note that I'm decidedly not a birder, but others in my family are and I so I come along for the hike and enjoy seeing them).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on January 04, 2020, 04:17:26 AM
Quote from: Puget on January 03, 2020, 06:24:17 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on January 03, 2020, 05:52:04 AM
Quote from: Puget on January 02, 2020, 08:09:15 AM
Just got back from two week in southern Arizona -- lots of birds, most unusually an Elegant Trogan (we never would have spotted it except there were people on the trail with scopes on it). Also lots of hawks of various kinds, several road runners, and tons of birds at my grandmother's feeder (my holiday present to her was monthly deliveries of bird seed via an amazon subscription).

Heading that way soon.  Where were your birding?



https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madera_Canyon
Excellent area for hiking, with lots of different zones from desert up into forrest (there is snow up higher).
(I should note that I'm decidedly not a birder, but others in my family are and I so I come along for the hike and enjoy seeing them).

LOVE Madera Canyon.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 16, 2020, 05:44:08 PM
A turn to the right,
He's hidden from sight,
But now I see
My Blue Heron....

(Even got more dark, grainy pix of him....)

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on January 17, 2020, 04:14:32 AM
Quote from: mamselle on January 16, 2020, 05:44:08 PM
A turn to the right,
He's hidden from sight,
But now I see
My Blue Heron....

(Even got more dark, grainy pix of him....)

M.

Love it
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 17, 2020, 06:36:16 AM
I just don;'t get how he can stand to stand in that icy cold stream.

My ankles would turn blue.

Oh.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on January 19, 2020, 07:59:23 AM
The heron almost certainly has a counter-current flow arrangement in the arteries & veins in the upper leg.  This means that while hot blood is flowing down into the leg it's right next to the vein bringing cold blood back.  Thus, the heat tends to move sideways - from hot artery to cold vein - and gets swept back into the body before too much gets lost.

Engineers have now adapted this for providing constant air-exchange in buildings in extreme climates.  With proper adjustment of length and flow rate you get very little heat exchange between building & outside, while getting constant fresh air indoors.  If I ever get to build a house, I'm getting one!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 19, 2020, 09:30:29 AM
Wow, makes sense and I never knew that!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on January 21, 2020, 08:22:55 AM
On Saturday I witnessed a confrontation in the sky between a crow and what looked like a large hawk.  The crow kept cawing at and darting at the hawk until it left the area. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 21, 2020, 08:47:07 AM
I see a lot of that: my Wednesday students live up on a wooded hill where the hawks love to prowl--and the crows love to yell at them and attack them.

They're nearly fearless, keep cawing and flying at the hawk (or sometimes, an owl) and they can keep it up for awhile.

I presume they're protecting their nests; they do the same thing if a cat's around on the ground.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on January 21, 2020, 02:49:25 PM
The hawks are building a nest in the trees in my backyard, which isn't as cool as it sounds. You open the back door now at your peril, I'm thinking of getting a stuffed owl to scare them away from the immediate back yard, but I don't want to scare them off their nest. It promises to be an interesting spring; they usually nest further from the house...
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on January 27, 2020, 07:33:38 AM
During this morning's walk I heard the herons croaking in a much louder and scratchier voice than usual.  It almost didn't sound avian.  I hope one of them doesn't have a sore throat.  That would be a lot of throat to feel sore!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 27, 2020, 07:57:38 AM
My friend Brigitte counted 9 birds in the French "Birds in your garden" census the other day.

I'll have to come back and list them when I can bring up her email and this screen at the same time.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on February 02, 2020, 03:54:41 PM
Pyrrhuloxias and curved bill thrashers
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on February 03, 2020, 07:35:39 AM
Heard owls hooting in the distance again on my morning walk before sunrise.  It's nice to take a long walk that spans the morning twilight time and hear the birds gradually waking up around you.  I wonder--do they feel sleepy when they wake up?  Or do they simply snap fully awake when the biological clock tells them to?

In recent days I've also been seeing flocks of geese heading back north.  Short winter, huh?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on March 04, 2020, 07:32:22 AM
  4 juvenile bald eagles are perched on the edge of the ice.  10 swans are floating on the open water with a gaggle of geese.  Two doves, half a dozen chickadees,and  one female and one brilliant male cardinal are occupying the cherry tree. A pair of robins are chasing each other and another pair of chickadees are renovating last year's nest in the lilac bush.

Spring? Maybe?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on March 04, 2020, 11:24:37 AM
It's trending toward spring here - lots of songs and the beginnings of territorial disputes.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 05, 2020, 06:24:17 AM
Quote from: Catherder on March 04, 2020, 07:32:22 AM
  4 juvenile bald eagles are perched on the edge of the ice.  10 swans are floating on the open water with a gaggle of geese.  Two doves, half a dozen chickadees,and  one female and one brilliant male cardinal are occupying the cherry tree. A pair of robins are chasing each other and another pair of chickadees are renovating last year's nest in the lilac bush.

Spring? Maybe?

WOW!!!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on March 05, 2020, 07:30:50 AM
Swarming starlings swoop
To light in a bare tree-top
Swish of many wings
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on March 05, 2020, 08:39:33 AM
Quote from: apl68 on March 05, 2020, 07:30:50 AM
Swarming starlings swoop
To light in a bare tree-top
Swish of many wings

Like^

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on March 11, 2020, 10:34:44 AM
Something I witnessed this morning that I've never seen before:


I hear a soft smack
Of feathers striking feathers
Spring birds colliding
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 12, 2020, 07:06:40 AM
Quote from: apl68 on March 11, 2020, 10:34:44 AM
Something I witnessed this morning that I've never seen before:


I hear a soft smack
Of feathers striking feathers
Spring birds colliding

Thanks.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on March 12, 2020, 07:11:17 AM
Not a present bird, but the haunting thought of a tiny bird/dinosaur preserved in ancient amber flits about in my mind's eye and makes me wonder.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on March 24, 2020, 05:48:58 AM
OK now I understand the phrase "lovey-dovey".   A pair of mourning doves is building a nest in the cherry tree directly in front of my desk.
Since the branches are still bare I can watch their affectionate canoodling. 

So where does  "canoodling" come from?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on March 24, 2020, 09:25:02 AM
Apparently there are several theories.  "Canoodle" looks kind of like a Swedish word knulla, which apparently has to do with fornication, and a German word, knuddeln, which is supposed to mean "to cuddle."  Alternatively it's been suggested that it might be derived from an old English dialect word that has to do with foolish behavior.

Its earliest recorded usage was in the mid-nineteenth century United States.  There were lots of German immigrants in the U.S. then, so I'd guess that knuddeln was the origin.  Not knowing German myself, I don't know whether that's correct.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on March 24, 2020, 09:33:59 AM
Tks.  The male flies off to collect a twig or some soft lining material every 10 minutes or so, then comes back, places the twig, and then cuddles with the female until he goes for another twig.

I'm enjoying watching them too much to put a sign in my window warning them to practice social distancing.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on March 24, 2020, 10:14:12 AM
Pretty sure they have nothing to worry about!

With less traffic on the streets and highways, the birds in general are probably having a more pleasant time this spring.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 25, 2020, 07:27:33 AM
Quote from: Catherder on March 24, 2020, 09:33:59 AM
Tks.  The male flies off to collect a twig or some soft lining material every 10 minutes or so, then comes back, places the twig, and then cuddles with the female until he goes for another twig.

I'm enjoying watching them too much to put a sign in my window warning them to practice social distancing.

Sweet.  Smiling.  Thank you.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on March 25, 2020, 07:42:33 AM
A very insistent cardinal keeps singing, for the last three days now, just outside my window.

Since I occasionally "talk" with them (they will answer a reasonably similar whistled call to their own for several iterations) I wonder if he misses me?

(Very bright red, so it's definitely a "he"; the females are brownish).

Also, at 5 AM....just as I was dropping off to sleep....the morning chorus started up.

It was nice music to fall asleep to.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on March 26, 2020, 08:18:31 AM
While gathering trash
I hear fluttering above
Birds in the branches
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on March 26, 2020, 09:13:13 AM
First hummer yesterday!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on March 27, 2020, 03:16:27 PM
Mother mourning dove has been sitting in her nest continually for three days now.  Once or twice a day she gets relief from her mate who takes her place in the nest.

According to the Cornell site, that probably means two eggs due to hatch in about 10 days.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on March 27, 2020, 04:25:31 PM
Are they still billing and coping?

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on March 29, 2020, 08:28:51 AM
Quote from: mamselle on March 25, 2020, 07:42:33 AM
A very insistent cardinal keeps singing, for the last three days now, just outside my window.

Since I occasionally "talk" with them (they will answer a reasonably similar whistled call to their own for several iterations) I wonder if he misses me?

(Very bright red, so it's definitely a "he"; the females are brownish).

Also, at 5 AM....just as I was dropping off to sleep....the morning chorus started up.

It was nice music to fall asleep to.

M.

Mamselle:

Have you used the Auduban bird app? It has a TON of bird calls on it which I play for the birds to hear. I've had several cardinals, titmice and Carolina wrens fly near me to see who was making all the noise!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on March 29, 2020, 08:33:05 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on March 29, 2020, 08:28:51 AM
Mamselle:

Have you used the Auduban bird app? It has a TON of bird calls on it which I play for the birds to hear. I've had several cardinals, titmice and Carolina wrens fly near me to see who was making all the noise!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 

Yes, I know I'm yelling, but please stop doing that.  It makes them think there's a challenger in their territory, can cause them to leave nests unprotected, and generally adds stress and disruption to their daily lives.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on March 29, 2020, 09:16:00 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on March 29, 2020, 08:33:05 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on March 29, 2020, 08:28:51 AM
Mamselle:

Have you used the Auduban bird app? It has a TON of bird calls on it which I play for the birds to hear. I've had several cardinals, titmice and Carolina wrens fly near me to see who was making all the noise!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 

Yes, I know I'm yelling, but please stop doing that.  It makes them think there's a challenger in their territory, can cause them to leave nests unprotected, and generally adds stress and disruption to their daily lives.

Yikes! I didn't know. I did find an article about it.

https://www.audubon.org/news/how-use-birdcall-apps
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on March 29, 2020, 09:59:40 AM
A few years ago I played a Cornell recording of loons at a pair on the lake in front of me. They took off immediately and it was two years before a loon returned to my part of the lake.  As E-P-W says, often these recordings are aggressive.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on March 29, 2020, 11:36:29 AM
Quote from: mamselle on March 27, 2020, 04:25:31 PM
Are they still billing and coping?

M.

That was supposed to be "cooing," not "coping"! I'm sooo tired of the aggressive spell-correct on this phone (and yes, I've tried to turn it off!)

I didn't realize my "bird-conversations" were upsetting to the birds. They usually only last a little while (5 might. max) as I'm walking down the street. I don't really want their tree, I thought I was just saying "hi!"

But I'll have a re-think about that.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on March 29, 2020, 12:05:04 PM
Quote from: mamselle on March 29, 2020, 11:36:29 AM
Quote from: mamselle on March 27, 2020, 04:25:31 PM
Are they still billing and coping?

M.

That was supposed to be "cooing," not "coping"! I'm sooo tired of the aggressive spell-correct on this phone (and yes, I've tried to turn it off!)

I didn't realize my "bird-conversations" were upsetting to the birds. They usually only last a little while (5 might. max) as I'm walking down the street. I don't really want their tree, I thought I was just saying "hi!"

But I'll have a re-think about that.

M.


The she-dove is coping--sitting now in a cold rain for hours. The he-dove is awol.  So no more canoodling.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on March 29, 2020, 12:07:37 PM
Awww....hope he's just gone out for food.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on March 30, 2020, 06:45:04 AM
Quote from: mamselle on March 29, 2020, 11:36:29 AM
Quote from: mamselle on March 27, 2020, 04:25:31 PM
Are they still billing and coping?

M.

That was supposed to be "cooing," not "coping"! I'm sooo tired of the aggressive spell-correct on this phone (and yes, I've tried to turn it off!)

I didn't realize my "bird-conversations" were upsetting to the birds. They usually only last a little while (5 might. max) as I'm walking down the street. I don't really want their tree, I thought I was just saying "hi!"

But I'll have a re-think about that.

M.

Mamselle, how do they behave when you 'talk back' to them?  If they're flying at or toward you then you're probably upsetting them.  If they just answer with another normal-sounding song, then there's a good chance they are saying something like "nice try!" because the true tonal complexity of many of their calls is probably too much for human abilities.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 30, 2020, 07:28:10 AM
Mamselle.....Thank you for your very civil response to our concerns.  And I absolutely mean that!  I'm soooooo tired of people who tell me to f*ck off when I do a gentle, tactful pushback....on other boards, of course.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on March 30, 2020, 09:40:39 AM
You're welcome.

We're all, always, learning.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 06, 2020, 07:12:32 PM
I saw three crows chasing a red-shouldered hawk today. Actually, I heard the hawk and crows before I saw any of them.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 06, 2020, 10:31:56 PM
Crows are fierce on hawks and owls.

I was typing a paper one morning, heard a tremendous racket, and there was a whole convention of them all screeching at an owl up in the tree outside.

Finally, the owl flew away--and then it was suddenly dead quiet.

The crows had chased it over the houses and followed it for quite awhile.

Then I went back inside and kept typing.

Made for an interesting break in my work...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on April 07, 2020, 07:19:46 AM
I am enjoying the sounds and sights of spring.  A few days ago I saw my first goldfinch of the season in his summer plumage.  The song sparrows are singing their little hearts out, joined by a chorus of house finches and phoebes, with downy woodpeckers drumming in the background.  Then there are the tufted titmice, Carolina wrens, blue jays, cardinals, robins...  The usual suspects, in other words--nothing exotic--but they make my heart glad.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 07, 2020, 07:58:46 AM
I can just hear them from your description.

I'm especially delighted to find goldfinches--there are two or three spots where I've seen them in the last few years and it's always a tiny bit of joy in my day.

This post documents another urban avian presence, one of several sightings in unexpected places:

   https://publish.twitter.com/?query=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2FOnlyInBOS%2Fstatus%2F1244300835988832260&widget=Tweet

M.
   
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on April 07, 2020, 08:40:07 AM
Mamselle, I love that photo!

That reminds me of when we first moved to Manhattan (we're no longer there).  One of my husband's colleagues described seeing a turkey strolling down W. 23rd Street while she was on her way to work.  She thought that was odd, but then a police officer stopped her and said, "Hey lady, is that your turkey?"  Well, I guess in New York, nothing is too strange!  I suppose that one *could* have a pet turkey.

Battery Park used to have a resident turkey named Zelda.  I actually saw Zelda once!  I've been out of New York for years now, so I don't know what the current status of turkeys is in the city!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 07, 2020, 10:39:56 AM
There are many urban turkeys about; I saw four in the side yard of an apartment I once rented.

"Mr Gobbles" was legendary in his day:

   https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2008/03/11/farewell-mr-gobbles/

and

   https://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20080311/NEWS/303119832

note his popularity.

More recently, I got photos of twelve of the critters wandering around, foraging in the back gardens of a legal institution.

I suspect they were the for the education, not the food.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on April 07, 2020, 11:19:17 AM
Quote from: mamselle on April 07, 2020, 10:39:56 AM
. . . .

More recently, I got photos of twelve of the critters wandering around, foraging in the back gardens of a legal institution.

I suspect they were the for the education, not the food.

M.

Dare I suggest how well they might fit in with some of the current crop of law school graduates?

<ducks (no pun intended) and runs>
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on April 07, 2020, 11:23:10 AM
A pair of Goldfinches, a pair of Cardinals, and one Downy woodpecker.

Alas, My virtual office puts my back to the window.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 07, 2020, 12:43:53 PM
Quote from: paultuttle on April 07, 2020, 11:19:17 AM
Quote from: mamselle on April 07, 2020, 10:39:56 AM
. . . .

More recently, I got photos of twelve of the critters wandering around, foraging in the back gardens of a legal institution.

I suspect they were the for the education, not the food.

M.


Dare I suggest how well they might fit in with some of the current crop of law school graduates?

<ducks (no pun intended) and runs>

Just don't let the turkeys get you down!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on April 08, 2020, 09:03:44 AM
Mockingbird nestlings in a large shrub.  I'll just leave the necessary yardwork in that area for later...
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 08, 2020, 10:52:56 AM
A bluebird hopping
Among the yellows and whites
And the tall, green grass
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 08, 2020, 12:42:51 PM
Today I heard quite a ruckus. Crows were mobbing the hawk again, only this time there were TWO hawks, but one of them way much farther away. I could hear them calling to each other.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Nightshade on April 08, 2020, 12:59:01 PM
Our flicker came to the feeder again today while I sat almost directly underneath it! They are such flashy birds, but look quite silly trying to hold onto our platform-style feeder. They make a hot mess throwing out most of the seed before pecking at a peanut incessantly, but I love them. Also saw our towhee, a variety of chickadees, noisy finches of all kinds, red-breasted and white-breasted nuthatches, a robin, juncos, and some creaky blue jays! They took turns drinking water from our critter bowl. It's been a good day for birds. Can't wait for the western tanagers to make their spring appearances though!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 08, 2020, 01:13:03 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 08, 2020, 12:42:51 PM
Today I heard quite a ruckus. Crows were mobbing the hawk again, only this time there were TWO hawks, but one of them way much farther away. I could hear them calling to each other.

I wonder if both species are nesting and the crows know what hawks do to nestlings...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on April 08, 2020, 03:23:21 PM
Babies!  The mourning doves have hatched.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 08, 2020, 09:50:02 PM
Quote from: mamselle on April 08, 2020, 01:13:03 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 08, 2020, 12:42:51 PM
Today I heard quite a ruckus. Crows were mobbing the hawk again, only this time there were TWO hawks, but one of them way much farther away. I could hear them calling to each other.

I wonder if both species are nesting and the crows know what hawks do to nestlings...

M.

Maybe, but crows have also been known to eat baby birds. Unfortunately, I witnessed this on campus once.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 09, 2020, 07:30:22 AM
So...it's a contest to see who eats whose young first?  The natural world can be a harsh place.

I guess if they each play it defensively enough, nobody's chicks will get eaten.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 09, 2020, 07:33:05 AM
On a happier note, got a close look at a beautiful bluebird while walking to work today.  I've been seeing them in my back yard as well, as noted above.  Thanks to my inability to get my yard mowed so far, I currently have what's euphemistically known as a "meadow lawn."  The birds love it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 09, 2020, 11:50:37 AM
Quote from: apl68 on April 09, 2020, 07:33:05 AM
On a happier note, got a close look at a beautiful bluebird while walking to work today.  I've been seeing them in my back yard as well, as noted above.  Thanks to my inability to get my yard mowed so far, I currently have what's euphemistically known as a "meadow lawn."  The birds love it.
Bluebirds are awesome! We have several families in my neighborhood.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 09, 2020, 11:53:49 AM
Quote from: apl68 on April 09, 2020, 07:30:22 AM
So...it's a contest to see who eats whose young first?  The natural world can be a harsh place.

I guess if they each play it defensively enough, nobody's chicks will get eaten.

Yep, well, I doubt crows go after hawk chicks, but I could be wrong- I'm not an ornithologist. The crow I saw on campus took a mockingbird chick. :(
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 09, 2020, 12:34:29 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 09, 2020, 11:53:49 AM
Quote from: apl68 on April 09, 2020, 07:30:22 AM
So...it's a contest to see who eats whose young first?  The natural world can be a harsh place.

I guess if they each play it defensively enough, nobody's chicks will get eaten.

Yep, well, I doubt crows go after hawk chicks, but I could be wrong- I'm not an ornithologist. The crow I saw on campus took a mockingbird chick. :(

That crow was living dangerously!  Mockingbirds are notoriously aggressive in protecting their young.  When I was a child I made the mistake of trying to grab a baby bird I saw perched on my dad's motorcycle outside.  Turned out it was a baby mockingbird.  The next thing I knew, I saw a beak with wings darting right at my head.  I fled inside.  I don't know how long it took for the birds outside to quiet down--or for my eyes to return to their normal size.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Morden on April 09, 2020, 01:00:34 PM
We had a beautiful sharp-shinned hawk perch on our fence for a while today. Two magpies watched him suspiciously for a while and then went back to building their nest.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on April 15, 2020, 08:01:57 AM
Yesterday was made more beautiful by a male Rose-breasted grosbeak trying to dominate the feeder - tanking up after a long migration, I guess.  I need to make more time to look for other migrants.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on April 15, 2020, 11:59:52 AM
Ooh!  I've never seen a rose-breasted grosbeak, Thursday's_Child (though a range map suggests that they ought to at least pass through here, if not stay).  What a striking bird!


All three barred owlets on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology/Wild Birds Unlimited webcam (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/barred-owls/) have hatched!  They're still in the helpless, floppy fluffball stage.

I continue to be amazed at the diversity of the owls' diet -- fish, crustaceans, frogs, earthworms, various small birds, snakes, assorted rodents...
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on April 15, 2020, 02:14:43 PM
The House Finches have returned-- I've acquired a finch feeder and special finch food (they came fast, maybe Amazon thinks they are "essential household items"?), but so far have only seen them eating spilled seed from the regular bird feeder next to it. Fine, be that way.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on April 15, 2020, 03:08:43 PM
Quote from: Puget on April 15, 2020, 02:14:43 PM
The House Finches have returned-- I've acquired a finch feeder and special finch food (they came fast, maybe Amazon thinks they are "essential household items"?), but so far have only seen them eating spilled seed from the regular bird feeder next to it. Fine, be that way.
Such ingrates! 

Around here, they seem to really like coco-coir planter liners as nesting material.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on April 16, 2020, 09:58:07 AM
Quote from: namazu on April 15, 2020, 03:08:43 PM
Quote from: Puget on April 15, 2020, 02:14:43 PM
The House Finches have returned-- I've acquired a finch feeder and special finch food (they came fast, maybe Amazon thinks they are "essential household items"?), but so far have only seen them eating spilled seed from the regular bird feeder next to it. Fine, be that way.
Such ingrates! 

Around here, they seem to really like coco-coir planter liners as nesting material.

I just hung my baskets last week, and I've already seen three birds trying to dismantle the new liners in the basket closest to my desk. (Luckily, the ones I got at Lowes this year are really tightly pressed and don't lend themselves to being unraveled very easily. The ones I had last year looked pretty shaggy by mid-may, thanks to the finches, robins, and cardinals!)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on April 16, 2020, 12:13:05 PM
I've sort of gotten accustomed to birds ragging the coco-fiber baskets.  Squirrels doing that is another matter - they will shred them in a few days!

Sad news - something got the mockingbird nestlings last night.  I'm assuming it was a cat b/c the remains had puked up nearby.  My two are innocent - neither one is known to eat their kills and they were in all night.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on April 17, 2020, 07:13:00 AM
I intentionally put out the coco-fiber for nesting material and the birds won't touch it.

Maybe they need to thrill of illicit usage?  I'll plant stiff in them this weekend and see if it changes their behavior.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on April 30, 2020, 08:03:30 AM
6 baby Canada geese about the size of my fist on the lawn yesterday evening.  That cheers me up after the mourning dove chicks didn't survive.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 30, 2020, 10:01:53 AM
Inspired by a sighting yesterday afternoon, during a blustery walk home to lunch, after the morning's overcast had blown away:

An eagle soaring
At play in a bright blue sky
Looks like so much fun
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on April 30, 2020, 10:41:59 AM
Now there are two families of geese on my lawn with at least 11 goslings between them--the little ones keep moving around so it's hard to count them.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 12:57:11 PM
I just saw a female ruby-throated hummingbird fly by my window! It hovered for a bit and when I looked to see what attracted it, I noticed quite a bit of spider webbing. I know that this material is used for nest-making, so I can only assume that it was looking to build (or look at its reflection in the window?). Well, maybe it was just nosy and was wondering what I'm doing at my desk, but really, I'm betting on nest-making.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 02:13:24 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 12:57:11 PM
I just saw a female ruby-throated hummingbird fly by my window! It hovered for a bit and when I looked to see what attracted it, I noticed quite a bit of spider webbing. I know that this material is used for nest-making, so I can only assume that it was looking to build (or look at its reflection in the window?). Well, maybe it was just nosy and was wondering what I'm doing at my desk, but really, I'm betting on nest-making.

It came back just now! I saw it actively tugging at the spiderweb. So cool! This really made my day.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 01, 2020, 04:33:24 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 02:13:24 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 12:57:11 PM
I just saw a female ruby-throated hummingbird fly by my window! It hovered for a bit and when I looked to see what attracted it, I noticed quite a bit of spider webbing. I know that this material is used for nest-making, so I can only assume that it was looking to build (or look at its reflection in the window?). Well, maybe it was just nosy and was wondering what I'm doing at my desk, but really, I'm betting on nest-making.

It came back just now! I saw it actively tugging at the spiderweb. So cool! This really made my day.

Didn't know that about spider webs.  Very cool!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 01, 2020, 07:31:24 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on May 01, 2020, 04:33:24 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 02:13:24 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 12:57:11 PM
I just saw a female ruby-throated hummingbird fly by my window! It hovered for a bit and when I looked to see what attracted it, I noticed quite a bit of spider webbing. I know that this material is used for nest-making, so I can only assume that it was looking to build (or look at its reflection in the window?). Well, maybe it was just nosy and was wondering what I'm doing at my desk, but really, I'm betting on nest-making.

It came back just now! I saw it actively tugging at the spiderweb. So cool! This really made my day.

Didn't know that about spider webs.  Very cool!

Using spider webs for nesting material?  There's something fairy-like about that.  But that's hummingbirds for you.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on May 01, 2020, 11:11:36 AM
We saw our first Turkey in our yard ever.  The cats were quite excited by this.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 01, 2020, 03:32:12 PM
Quote from: FishProf on May 01, 2020, 11:11:36 AM
We saw our first Turkey in our yard ever.  The cats were quite excited by this.
You might need to catch it to supplement your diet in this lockdown world. Just kidding.... or am I?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 01, 2020, 03:35:10 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on May 01, 2020, 04:33:24 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 02:13:24 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 12:57:11 PM
I just saw a female ruby-throated hummingbird fly by my window! It hovered for a bit and when I looked to see what attracted it, I noticed quite a bit of spider webbing. I know that this material is used for nest-making, so I can only assume that it was looking to build (or look at its reflection in the window?). Well, maybe it was just nosy and was wondering what I'm doing at my desk, but really, I'm betting on nest-making.

It came back just now! I saw it actively tugging at the spiderweb. So cool! This really made my day.

Didn't know that about spider webs.  Very cool!
Yep. Apparently, they use lichen and moss.

https://www.audubon.org/content/how-create-hummingbird-friendly-yard (https://www.audubon.org/content/how-create-hummingbird-friendly-yard)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 01, 2020, 03:36:06 PM
Quote from: apl68 on May 01, 2020, 07:31:24 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on May 01, 2020, 04:33:24 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 02:13:24 PM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2020, 12:57:11 PM
I just saw a female ruby-throated hummingbird fly by my window! It hovered for a bit and when I looked to see what attracted it, I noticed quite a bit of spider webbing. I know that this material is used for nest-making, so I can only assume that it was looking to build (or look at its reflection in the window?). Well, maybe it was just nosy and was wondering what I'm doing at my desk, but really, I'm betting on nest-making.

It came back just now! I saw it actively tugging at the spiderweb. So cool! This really made my day.

Didn't know that about spider webs.  Very cool!

Using spider webs for nesting material?  There's something fairy-like about that.  But that's hummingbirds for you.

Yep yep. We found a nest years ago in the back yard. It was so tiny and fragile.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on May 02, 2020, 07:34:16 AM
Last night, while watching the news, I glimpsed a large moving object out of the corner of my eye.  I looked through the window in time to see a great blue heron alighting onto the roof of one of the condo units across the way.  S/he sat there for a few moments, then took off, gliding elegantly away.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 02, 2020, 09:34:05 AM
A pair of Great crested flycatchers spent a few minutes foraging in my back yard this morning!  I hope they nest in the area again - without the crows finding it this year, of course.

Last weekend seems to have been the last blast of winter birds.  I saw a Yellow-rumped warbler, a small flock of Cedar waxwings, and the last of the White-throated sparrows.  It was also a bad weekend for two pairs of nesting Cardinals - a Bluejay(!) raided their nests, literally diving into the foliage and quickly heading off with the nestling - and the parents in noisy pursuit!  That was a new one for me, especially since they really like peanut pieces and I keep the feeder well stocked.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 03, 2020, 06:18:20 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on May 02, 2020, 09:34:05 AM
A pair of Great crested flycatchers spent a few minutes foraging in my back yard this morning!  I hope they nest in the area again - without the crows finding it this year, of course.

Last weekend seems to have been the last blast of winter birds.  I saw a Yellow-rumped warbler, a small flock of Cedar waxwings, and the last of the White-throated sparrows.  It was also a bad weekend for two pairs of nesting Cardinals - a Bluejay(!) raided their nests, literally diving into the foliage and quickly heading off with the nestling - and the parents in noisy pursuit!  That was a new one for me, especially since they really like peanut pieces and I keep the feeder well stocked.

Blue jays eat baby birds!?!?!?!  Yikes.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 04, 2020, 05:14:38 AM
A pair of young cardinals beak to beak appearing to exchange  a seed. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Penna on May 04, 2020, 06:19:08 AM
Quote from: apl68 on April 30, 2020, 10:01:53 AM
Inspired by a sighting yesterday afternoon, during a blustery walk home to lunch, after the morning's overcast had blown away:

An eagle soaring
At play in a bright blue sky
Looks like so much fun

^I love that!

My favorite recent bird sighting was an adorable Common Yellowthroat I saw hopping nearby while I was out on my porch doing some grading.  I also have a bush right outside my home office window that  sometimes attracts small birds.  Sometimes they pause and seem to be looking directly in at me as I sit at my desk, and it always makes me feel happier!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on May 04, 2020, 06:21:59 AM
Heard an enourmous racket out back in the woods yesterday morning, and seriously thought there was a bobcat up a tree or something. I went up as close as I could to it, and realized it was a red-headed woodpecker thrashing around in some vines working his way around the tree. I don't think it was stuck, but it sure was making a racket!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on May 04, 2020, 06:47:31 AM
I was out for a walk and heard the most peculiar drumming sound.  Like a woodpecker in rhythm, but not on wood.  I finally found the flicker perched on a plastic street light case on the swamp edge of a parking lot.  The light amplified like a drum.

So I recorded it for my class on sounds in nature(~ish).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: backatit on May 04, 2020, 07:36:52 AM
If you want some barred owls making horrific noises I can see if I can record ours one evening. It may take me a while - they're a bit erratic in their travel patterns. The big horned owl seems to have taken over this corner of the woods so I haven't heard them in a few nights...
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 04, 2020, 08:38:40 AM
Barred owls have a tremendous repertoire!  Diverse cackles and screams, in addition to recognizable hoots.  Backatit, I'll happily listen to the big horned owl for a while - just send it on over.

It's now fledgling season - the bluebirds are feeding two, a downy woodpecker is feeding one (but I hope the other parent is still on nestling duty), and it sounds like the hedge is full of wrens but I haven't seen the little beggars yet.  What's surprising is that I haven't seen chickadee or titmouse fledglings - they're usually among the first.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on May 04, 2020, 09:40:14 AM
Quote from: FishProf on May 04, 2020, 06:47:31 AM
I was out for a walk and heard the most peculiar drumming sound.  Like a woodpecker in rhythm, but not on wood.  I finally found the flicker perched on a plastic street light case on the swamp edge of a parking lot.  The light amplified like a drum.

So I recorded it for my class on sounds in nature(~ish).

My parents have problems with flickers hammering on their rain gutters-- it is truly startling from inside the house, like a machine gun going off on the roof. They apparently do it to advertise their presence and declare their territory to fellow flickers, and so are delighted to find things that make much more noise than a tree.

We finally have warm weather and the birds are very vocal and active in the yard. There currently seem to be two robins sparring for territory, the jays seem to be searching for nesting materials and flying off with them, and the usual assembly of little brown birds and doves is noisily hanging around the feeder. Haven't seen the cardinals yet today, but there is a pair of them that have been around all winter. Saw another house finch yesterday, again on the regular feeder not the finch feeder. Almost time to put the hummingbird feeder out.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on May 04, 2020, 11:42:58 AM
Breeding season is in full swing (or flap) here. Goldfinches chasing goldfinches in brilliant flashes of yellow. Male grackles and red-winged blackbirds hunching up like small Count Draculas and chasing their respective females. Sparrows chasing sparrows and everyone chasing the ravens and crows.

Here the flickers only pound the ground but for racket the pileated woodpeckers win beaks down.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 05, 2020, 05:30:46 AM
Quote from: Catherder on May 04, 2020, 11:42:58 AM
Breeding season is in full swing (or flap) here. Goldfinches chasing goldfinches in brilliant flashes of yellow. Male grackles and red-winged blackbirds hunching up like small Count Draculas and chasing their respective females. Sparrows chasing sparrows and everyone chasing the ravens and crows.

Here the flickers only pound the ground but for racket the pileated woodpeckers win beaks down.

I have a log house much loved by carpenter bees who bore perfectly round holes into the wood for nesting.  larva are much loved by pileateds.  Much racket ensues as pileateds drill after the larvae.  Much expense every few years sealing holes and resealing wood...but worth it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on May 05, 2020, 06:36:02 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on May 05, 2020, 05:30:46 AM



I have a log house much loved by carpenter bees who bore perfectly round holes into the wood for nesting.  larva are much loved by pileateds.  Much racket ensues as pileateds drill after the larvae.  Much expense every few years sealing holes and resealing wood...but worth it.
[/quote]

When I started teaching at an Eastern school, the street by my building was lined with the first elm trees I'd seen since childhood--Dutch elm disease had killed off most elms in Canada. A few years later the elms in my university town were gone, killed by the pileated woodpeckers.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 05, 2020, 06:48:55 AM
Quote from: Catherder on May 05, 2020, 06:36:02 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on May 05, 2020, 05:30:46 AM


I have a log house much loved by carpenter bees who bore perfectly round holes into the wood for nesting.  larva are much loved by pileateds.  Much racket ensues as pileateds drill after the larvae.  Much expense every few years sealing holes and resealing wood...but worth it.

When I started teaching at an Eastern school, the street by my building was lined with the first elm trees I'd seen since childhood--Dutch elm disease had killed off most elms in Canada. A few years later the elms in my university town were gone, killed by the pileated woodpeckers.

Do you remember if the pileateds were nesting or foraging?  They'll make lots of huge holes in trees when going after favored food - around here it's mostly carpenter ants.  Dutch elm disease is spread by a beetle, so it seems possible that the elms were infested with the beetle larvae - especially if the town wasn't spraying every tree annually to prevent them.

Yes, I am trying to exonerate the pileateds!  Also, I admire your tolerance - letting your house be part of the local habitat.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on May 05, 2020, 07:16:02 AM
That was Nebo's house. But you might be right about the beetles. What I remember is the large deep square holes made by the woodpeckers in the elms. Certainly the university blamed them.

Here, they tend to only pulverize the dead trees and stumps.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 05, 2020, 07:33:57 AM
Still seeing flying (and hopping) flashes of blue in my back yard when I sit on the patio.  One stayed in the yard feeding for quite a well yesterday evening.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on May 05, 2020, 08:08:11 AM
The trees were full of cedar waxwings this morning, swooping in groups from one tree to the other. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 06, 2020, 04:38:41 AM
Good article on marauding back yard birds, though may be behind paywall: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/a-birdhouse-provides-an-opportunity-to-see-nature-up-close-its-not-always-pretty/2020/05/05/d11262f0-8eda-11ea-a9c0-73b93422d691_story.html
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 08, 2020, 04:57:09 AM
Painted bunting feeding on seed on porch rail!!!  Haven't seen one in years.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 08, 2020, 12:10:28 PM
While walking to lunch today I saw the eagle that inspired the haiku the other day being blown sideways by the stiff breezes.  Birds must have strong stomachs if they can get buffeted by the winds like that without getting airsick.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on May 08, 2020, 01:31:27 PM
There is a headless rabbit in my driveway.  The squirrels are intrigued.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 08, 2020, 07:30:59 PM
Quote from: FishProf on May 08, 2020, 01:31:27 PM
There is a headless rabbit in my driveway.  The squirrels are intrigued.


Ewww. How is this bird-related?

:P

I saw a Carolina wren with his/her fledgling hanging out on the front porch today. Cute.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on May 09, 2020, 05:49:30 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 08, 2020, 07:30:59 PM
Quote from: FishProf on May 08, 2020, 01:31:27 PM
There is a headless rabbit in my driveway.  The squirrels are intrigued.


Ewww. How is this bird-related?


Umm, when the eagle/hawk/vulture/owl/crow comes to get it...it will be?

(This was intended for the Fauna thread)

Or, you could give me the finger for posting here....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 09, 2020, 11:56:42 AM
Quote from: FishProf on May 09, 2020, 05:49:30 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 08, 2020, 07:30:59 PM
Quote from: FishProf on May 08, 2020, 01:31:27 PM
There is a headless rabbit in my driveway.  The squirrels are intrigued.


Ewww. How is this bird-related?


Umm, when the eagle/hawk/vulture/owl/crow comes to get it...it will be?

(This was intended for the Fauna thread)

Or, you could give me the finger for posting here....

Point taken. No fingers needed.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 12, 2020, 07:52:53 AM
Reports from the last few days:

Bluebirds everywhere!  At least two families, maybe three, seemingly hanging out together (seven in the feeder or sitting on its hanger at once while several others foraged on the ground!)!  I've never seen this before - I'm afraid it might be an indicator of food availability, so I'm stocking the feeder even more lavishly.

Fledgling bluejays, plus one each of cardinal and chickadee.

No titmice yet, but before this last cold snap one pulled several head-sized clumps of fur - I save pet fur and put it out in a suet cage - so they're nesting.

Rose-breasted grosbeaks really hung around a long time this spring, but they are apparently gone now.  I'm now much better at spotting the females.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on May 13, 2020, 02:52:47 PM
The first Baltimore oriole of the year just landed on my cherry tree (blooming for the first time in 3 years).  Also 3 varieties of warbler are enjoying the blossoms.

And there are now at least 6 families of Canada geese using my lawn-about 30 goslings.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 21, 2020, 09:40:43 AM
I'm sure I saw an oriole a couple of days ago - a good-sized but slender flame-colored bird sitting on a small branch in a sunbeam doesn't fit much else around here.  Binocs weren't easily at hand, so I can't confirm it.

Bluebirds continue in abundance; a phoebe hung out for several days; pine warbler is back to visiting the feeder (this suggests he's feeding nestlings); and, I got several really close looks at a male blackpoll warbler!

Also, I'm relieved that so many birds who prefer mealworms will eat peanut pieces, because live mealworms are in short supply.  Apparently they became essential for zoos several weeks ago so the various stores that stock them are being strictly rationed.  I got my usual thousand the other day and am trying to stretch it for at least a week.  This does not please the wrens, but they just can eat peanuts and suet dough with everyone else.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 22, 2020, 05:20:01 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on May 21, 2020, 09:40:43 AM
I'm sure I saw an oriole a couple of days ago - a good-sized but slender flame-colored bird sitting on a small branch in a sunbeam doesn't fit much else around here.  Binocs weren't easily at hand, so I can't confirm it.

Bluebirds continue in abundance; a phoebe hung out for several days; pine warbler is back to visiting the feeder (this suggests he's feeding nestlings); and, I got several really close looks at a male blackpoll warbler!

Also, I'm relieved that so many birds who prefer mealworms will eat peanut pieces, because live mealworms are in short supply.  Apparently they became essential for zoos several weeks ago so the various stores that stock them are being strictly rationed.  I got my usual thousand the other day and am trying to stretch it for at least a week.  This does not please the wrens, but they just can eat peanuts and suet dough with everyone else.

Peanut pieces?  Regular peanuts or from farm/pet supply store?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: clean on May 22, 2020, 04:54:19 PM
The mockingbirds are out of the nest!
They are 'hunting' in my back yard in the afternoons (last 2 days anyway). 
One in particular is still learning, but wanting to make a good impression. It runs, sort of lifts (rather than opens) its wings and then Looks UP (to see if mama is looking and going to reward him/her with a bug).

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on May 22, 2020, 06:15:48 PM
Awww.....

I remember quite a long time ago, now, what must have been a mother grackle and her baby.

I think she was trying to teach him to find food for himself, but it wasn't working.

The baby kept following her, she'd pull up a bug or something and swallow it, and then look over to him to see if he'd gotten the idea--put head down, open beak, grab food--from seeing it done live.

Instead, he'd hop over closer to her and open his beak and start HOWLING (I'd never heard a bird that small make such a racket) as if to say (as I imagined), "What are you doing? That was MINE! You're supposed to feed MEEEeeeee!!!"

Reminded me of some people I know, actually...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 23, 2020, 07:14:35 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on May 22, 2020, 05:20:01 AM

Peanut pieces?  Regular peanuts or from farm/pet supply store?

Pet supply store, for me.  They taste like the roasted unsalted grocery store ones, but cost less.

The only issue I'm aware of is that young birds might choke on the larger pieces.  I see lots of birds hammering them into smaller chunks, but others just grab and swallow (or stuff...).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 24, 2020, 05:25:59 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on May 23, 2020, 07:14:35 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on May 22, 2020, 05:20:01 AM

Peanut pieces?  Regular peanuts or from farm/pet supply store?

Pet supply store, for me.  They taste like the roasted unsalted grocery store ones, but cost less.

The only issue I'm aware of is that young birds might choke on the larger pieces.  I see lots of birds hammering them into smaller chunks, but others just grab and swallow (or stuff...).

Thanks.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on May 24, 2020, 07:48:45 AM
Sparrows have brought their fledglings to the feeder. Earlier they were picking up seeds and dropping them in the fledglings' mouths, but the young ones seem to be learning to peck for themselves now.

The grackles and robins have been very interested in my gardening activities and barely wait for me to move out of the way before coming to see what worms and bugs I may have turned up for them. In return they are providing free lawn aeration services.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on May 24, 2020, 08:57:13 AM
Just saw this...

   https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/woman-reunites-with-missing-pet-bird-after-it-lands-on-strangers-windowsill-152704204.html

So glad for the happy ending.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on May 28, 2020, 03:18:17 PM
It's a yellow and orange spring.  There are at least 15 goldfinches pecking on the lawn and 5 Baltimore orioles in the cherry tree.

Then there are geese, swans and a great blue heron at the edge of the lake, and red-wined blackbirds, cat birds and robins all over the place.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on May 28, 2020, 03:28:21 PM
Great Blue Heron in the 3 inch deep Kiddie Pool out back.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 28, 2020, 05:56:13 PM
Quote from: FishProf on May 28, 2020, 03:28:21 PM
Great Blue Heron in the 3 inch deep Kiddie Pool out back.

Awesome! Do you plan to stock it with fish? Just kidding.

The local Carolina Wrens have been teaching their kids how to be birds. I see them around the yard most days.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 29, 2020, 04:49:14 AM
Quote from: Catherder on May 28, 2020, 03:18:17 PM
It's a yellow and orange spring.  There are at least 15 goldfinches pecking on the lawn and 5 Baltimore orioles in the cherry tree.

Then there are geese, swans and a great blue heron at the edge of the lake, and red-wined blackbirds, cat birds and robins all over the place.

WOW!  Just.....WOW!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on May 29, 2020, 07:37:21 AM
Wow indeed!  I didn't mention the crowd of bumblebees buzzing around the lilac bushes. They are very welcome as long as they stay out of my house.

CBC just ran a story about dandelions and how we should not treat them as weeds because they encourage the birds and the bees.

The impressive crop on my front lawn explains the goldfinches' interest.  There are now 8 geese on my back lawn chowing down on them there.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on May 31, 2020, 06:15:16 AM
The cardinals and sparrows are very interested in who I am and what I'm doing, so from time to time they land on the front porch railing as I work in my "home office"--the former dining room--and peer in at the window while I'm typing on my computer or participating in yet another Zoom meeting.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on May 31, 2020, 07:03:34 AM
Quote from: paultuttle on May 31, 2020, 06:15:16 AM
The cardinals and sparrows are very interested in who I am and what I'm doing, so from time to time they land on the front porch railing as I work in my "home office"--the former dining room--and peer in at the window while I'm typing on my computer or participating in yet another Zoom meeting.

Seems that baby robins are equally social. Yesterday I had a 10 minute chat with one that settled on the window ledge next to my desk.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 01, 2020, 05:14:14 AM
Quote from: Catherder on May 31, 2020, 07:03:34 AM
Quote from: paultuttle on May 31, 2020, 06:15:16 AM
The cardinals and sparrows are very interested in who I am and what I'm doing, so from time to time they land on the front porch railing as I work in my "home office"--the former dining room--and peer in at the window while I'm typing on my computer or participating in yet another Zoom meeting.

Seems that baby robins are equally social. Yesterday I had a 10 minute chat with one that settled on the window ledge next to my desk.

Were you able to get it to help you grade papers?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on June 01, 2020, 07:05:45 AM
Nah!  It just flapped its beak at me. I think it wanted a worm.  Then this morning there were two baby robins below my mudroom window waiting on Mom to feed them. She took her time, which reminded me to call my daughter to see if she needed groceries.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on June 01, 2020, 07:54:18 AM
Robins' nest raided.  Broken eggs on the ground.  Alas.  Didn't see it happen, so can't finger the culprit.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on June 01, 2020, 08:53:38 AM
I've seen a number of chipping sparrows recently.  While they are not rare birds, I haven't seen any at our home in a good while--so it's nice to have them back, with their cute little rusty caps.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 01, 2020, 09:54:53 AM
Quote from: namazu on June 01, 2020, 07:54:18 AM
Robins' nest raided.  Broken eggs on the ground.  Alas.  Didn't see it happen, so can't finger the culprit.

Sorry for the lost baby birds.

Jays or owls, maybe...still sad.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on June 01, 2020, 09:57:14 AM
Quote from: mamselle on June 01, 2020, 09:54:53 AM
Quote from: namazu on June 01, 2020, 07:54:18 AM
Robins' nest raided.  Broken eggs on the ground.  Alas.  Didn't see it happen, so can't finger the culprit.
Sorry for the lost baby birds.
Jays or owls, maybe...still sad.
Yes, I'm hoping that some other bird family is doing well as a result.  (Though the local jays and crows are kind of overbearing...and I can't rule out raccoons.)  Nature red in tooth and claw, and all that.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 02, 2020, 09:26:24 AM
Just got this book recommendation from a library:

   https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/5042251980

Might be subtitled, "How to be a Bird"....

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: delsur on June 02, 2020, 01:36:35 PM
A beautiful, bright red cardinal moved into my backyard a couple of weeks ago. Has a huge voice! Hope it stays.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 03, 2020, 06:10:32 AM
I just heard that I should not put out a bird feeder in the summer as it undermines the natural need of baby birds to find food in the wild.  Selfishly, I love watching birds at my feeders.  Your thoughts?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on June 03, 2020, 06:45:59 AM
CBC again, ran the following about bird feeders:

Put the bird feeders away to avoid spread of deadly avian disease, expert warns

4 suspected cases of trichomonosis reported in purple finches across Nova Scotia
Elizabeth Fraser · CBC News · Posted: Jun 18, 2019 12:07 PM AT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

Trichomonosis is caused by a microscopic parasite transmitted from bird to bird through moist bird seed, damp areas and bird baths.
A bird expert in the Moncton area is warning residents to put their bird feeders away to prevent diseases like trichomonosis from spreading.

"We've got to understand, we do not feed birds for the birds, we do that for us," said Alain Clavette.
"Birds do not need us to feed them with a non-natural source of food."

There have been at least four suspected cases of trichomonosis in purple finches across Nova Scotia this year.
Trichomonosis is caused by a microscopic parasite transmitted from bird to bird through moist bird seed, damp areas and bird baths. 
The disease particularly affects social, seed-eating birds, such as goldfinches and purple finches in Atlantic Canada.
The parasite infects a bird's upper digestive tract, liver and lungs, and makes it difficult for the bird to eat and breathe.
The parasite has been present in Atlantic Canada since 2007 and reports of bird deaths typically begin around mid-June. The disease doesn't affect humans or other animals, but it can spread to domestic birds and chickens.

Another outbreak of trichomonosis in N.S. has people here wondering what to do with their bird feeders. Ornithologist Alain Clavette says if you put a feeder out, you have to keep it really clean. He says "Birds do NOT need us to feed them...but need us to protect, create, and mimic their habitat."

Dr. Jim Goltz, New Brunswick's chief veterinarian, said his lab is looking into one bird death. But he said so far there haven't been any reported cases of the deadly infection this year.

Don't feed the birds

Clavette said bird feeders and bird baths can be dangerous for birds.
While he understands the appeal, Clavette said they can also cause the spread of other diseases, more window collisions and attract more predators, like red squirrels.

"We have to think about the unbalance that those feeders create in our bird population," said Clavette.
"They don't serve all the birds." Fifteen years ago, Clavette said he used to have 23 feeding stations at his home.
"I was known to feed birds really, really heavy," he said.
We've got to understand, we do not feed birds for the birds, we do that for us.

Since then, he's noticed a large decline in the diversity of the birds in his area, including thrushes and woodpeckers.
So he took all the bird feeders down.

"There were a lot of birds in the yard, but they were all the same thing, blue jays, goldfinch, doves, crows," he said.
The bird expert used the example of neotropical migratory birds, which breed in Canada and the United-States but spend the winter in warmer places like Mexico and Central America. He said those birds will travel up to 7,000 kilometres to raise their clutch in New Brunswick. But often times, they get their nests raided and eggs eaten by blue jays "that we fatten up with our feeders."
"This is just one example of the imbalance that will be created by these feeders," he said.

How to protect the birds

In about 40 years time, he said he expects bird feeders to be frowned upon.
If people want to protect birds living near their homes, he said they should mimic the bird's natural habitat by planting trees, flowers, making a small pond, having a section of grass that isn't mowed, letting bramble grow in the yard so insects can reproduce, allowing birds to feed.

And if people do want to keep their bird feeders or bird baths out, Clavette said they should be kept clean.
They can do this by cleaning feeders once a week using bleach, cleaning the area and raking old seeds nearby.

------

So it's up to you Nebo.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on June 03, 2020, 07:32:08 AM
Audubon Does Not Agree (https://www.sfvaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Audubon_Guide_Bird_Feeders_printPDF.pdf)

Or maybe it does.  It is certainly better to have more wildlife friendly yards.  And to take care of bird feeders so they aren't filthy and wet.  And not overdo it (23 birds feeders in one yard? That's just an Avian Old Country Buffet and asking for trouble).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 03, 2020, 07:38:04 PM
Apropos of nothing above, but the waterbird scene that just showed up on my rotating desktop series prompted it.

Waterbird, sighing, as he leaves the bar, alone again, after a disappointing evening picking up females....

  "I don't get it. I'm bright, my feathers fluff just right, I'm respectful...but they just don't flock to me like they used to."

Bartender:

   " Yeah, you'd think they'd go for you. Like they say, 'One good tern deserves another...'"

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on June 05, 2020, 07:37:10 AM
As I was getting dressed this morning I saw a huge turkey buzzard swooping around above the houses across the alley from us.  Then he lit on the flue of the neighbor's garage.

(With Jake the kitten living outside, I went out to make sure he was OK--and he was.  We then proceeded to water the flower beds before it gets hot today.)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on June 05, 2020, 08:22:07 AM
The Pine warblers raised a cowbird.  :(

I hope they still have time to try reproduction again this season.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on June 08, 2020, 07:34:10 AM

I haven't washed my windows for a couple of years because birds kept killing themselves by flying into them.  Up to now this tactic worked and there have been no bird strikes. But this year there are so many birds, particularly robins, chasing each other that at least 3 times a day I hear a thwack and run to check.  Until yesterday evening, no harm done--the thwacker flew away.  Yesterday, though a small bird, possibly a baby robin or a phoebe ( I couldn't tell because it was stretched out on its breast) lay on the ground while I grieved.

Happily it recovered after an hour.

Meanwhile two small chipmunks are teasing my cat, and I'm hearing more thwacks as she throws herself against the French doors in an attempt to reach them.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on June 08, 2020, 08:19:11 AM
Quote from: Catherder on June 08, 2020, 07:34:10 AM

I haven't washed my windows for a couple of years because birds kept killing themselves by flying into them.  Up to now this tactic worked and there have been no bird strikes. But this year there are so many birds, particularly robins, chasing each other that at least 3 times a day I hear a thwack and run to check.  Until yesterday evening, no harm done--the thwacker flew away.  Yesterday, though a small bird, possibly a baby robin or a phoebe ( I couldn't tell because it was stretched out on its breast) lay on the ground while I grieved.

Happily it recovered after an hour.

Meanwhile two small chipmunks are teasing my cat, and I'm hearing more thwacks as she throws herself against the French doors in an attempt to reach them.

This is all also true for me, although it was a young brown thrasher that required some recovery time and a rabbit that was way too close to the house!

The window strikes have all been on one with rather small panes, which suggests that it's just juvenile inexperience/exuberance and will stop as they gain more experience.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 08, 2020, 08:29:05 AM
There are clear, colored plastic stick-ons that will help birds "see" the windows and avoid them.

I can post the online source shortly: I use the birds, fish, and snowflakes as rewards for my youngest music students, so I go through a packet every few months. I think their parents appreciate the fact that they come off for cleaning and go back on (once the glass is dry again) with no trouble.

I also once saw a glass breezeway near some trees at a Science Center where the associated preschool had been commandeered into decorating silhouetted cut-outs that resembled hawks in flight, to keep the smaller birds from congregating in said trees (or flying into said breezeway) and becoming a hawk-cafeteria for the raptors that nested atop the buildings.

Complicated.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on June 08, 2020, 08:37:53 AM
I tried the stick-ons and if anything they just encouraged strikes. But a Toronto company has developed a full-window stick-on that is now widely used by office towers there.  Here's their website.

https://accessprotection1.com/industry-solutions/window-film-to-prevent-bird-strikes/
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Treehugger on June 08, 2020, 11:35:28 AM
We travelled seven hours this past weekend through rain and an active tornado warning just to see some nesting Seaside Sparrows. It took us a while to find them and we got throughly drenched in the process, but now we know that Seaside Sparrows sing in the middle of the day even during rainstorms. The whole thing was crazy, yet also oddly fulfilling.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 15, 2020, 03:18:10 AM
Little downy in the house.  Left doors open all night but it's terrified.  Now must make one last attempt to get it out.  Cross your fingers.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Treehugger on June 15, 2020, 04:08:37 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 15, 2020, 03:18:10 AM
Little downy in the house.  Left doors open all night but it's terrified.  Now must make one last attempt to get it out.  Cross your fingers.

How did the Downy get in? Can you lure it out by putting a feeder by the door within sight of the Downy? Or maybe you can lay a trail of birdseed?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 16, 2020, 05:45:43 AM
Quote from: Treehugger on June 15, 2020, 04:08:37 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 15, 2020, 03:18:10 AM
Little downy in the house.  Left doors open all night but it's terrified.  Now must make one last attempt to get it out.  Cross your fingers.

How did the Downy get in? Can you lure it out by putting a feeder by the door within sight of the Downy? Or maybe you can lay a trail of birdseed?

I did get it out, finally.  Required a ladder, removing items from a high ledge in main area with cathedral ceiling, soft cloth over poor little thing, who flew away as soon as I took it outside and opened my hands.

As for how it got in:  Blame it on Henri, also known as TLB (the little bastard), a youthful 20 pound bundle of canine exuberance who came into my life in January.  Because he's so energetic, I've taken to leaving the front and back doors open so he can go in and out on his own.  Porches run the length of the house and the side yard, off the back porch, is fenced.  I had a strip of cloth hanging down from the back door sill to prevent avian incursions but didn't work, so now have three strips hanging down, which I think will work.  It's all rather awkward, for the feline, the canine, and the avians....but it is what it is.

Oh yeah...at least twice, hummingbirds have gotten their beaks stuck in screens on the windows on the back porch.  They back out and are fine.

Guess all of this is the origin of "birdbrain."  ~)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on July 05, 2020, 05:19:49 AM
Wrens still nesting on front porch, though my loudmouth canine barks at imaginary enemies in the yard, making nesting a rather unsettling experience, I would think.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on July 07, 2020, 01:58:12 PM
 I just startled a large great blue heron on my front lawn. I see them on the back lawn at the edge of the lake all summer but although they fish in the creek that runs along the front of the property they rarely hang out on that lawn.

This one had a foot-long catfish in its beak, but the slight creak of my door opening as I took a better look scared it, and it grabbed its catch and flew off.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on July 10, 2020, 05:18:52 AM
I've been wondering since last spring what baby mourning doves look like. Now there are 2 perched outside my window preening. Adult colouring, but fuzzy with much shorter tails.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on July 10, 2020, 06:04:43 AM
Wrens have hatched.  Cant see them, but they are letting their parents know they are hungry!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on July 11, 2020, 08:39:59 AM
Some little Carolina wrens graced our patio yesterday, noisily demanding food!  Mom and Dad did not come right away, so the little wrens flew away to some nearby bushes.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on July 13, 2020, 05:40:25 AM
Quote from: cathwen on July 11, 2020, 08:39:59 AM
Some little Carolina wrens graced our patio yesterday, noisily demanding food!  Mom and Dad did not come right away, so the little wrens flew away to some nearby bushes.

It is amazing that such loud screeches emit from those little bodies!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on July 21, 2020, 07:55:32 AM
Before the day's heat
Birds pass through the morning light
Their wings splashed with gold
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on July 21, 2020, 07:58:02 PM
We've had a couple of Ruby-throated hummingbirds at the feeder lately. I think I may put in a second feeder since we've had such a problem with bees/wasps chasing the hummers. No problems with ants since we have an ant moat.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on July 22, 2020, 05:02:06 AM
Quote from: apl68 on July 21, 2020, 07:55:32 AM
Before the day's heat
Birds pass through the morning light
Their wings splashed with gold

Smiling.....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on July 22, 2020, 06:22:43 AM
For the past week or so a pair of mute swans has been visiting the lakeshore in front of my house. This year is the first time they've brought the kids-- 3 brown cygnets and one white one. The white cygnet surprised me, but a little research suggested that although rare, mute swan cygnets can be white. They are called "Polish" while the brown are called "Royal".

Who knew?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on July 22, 2020, 09:58:21 AM
I just read an article about how two species of migratory birds--roseate spoonbills and white-faced ibis--have just been confirmed nesting in our state.  They've never been recorded doing so before.  Another case of climate and habitat change altering migratory and nesting patterns.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on July 25, 2020, 04:38:58 AM
Wrens have hatched so I can move my stationary bicycle to that end of the porch.  I do miss their mad "feed me" chirpings and the parents shrill warnings to "back off."
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 10, 2020, 08:49:03 AM
Just saw this....

   https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/photographer-10-hours-photo-bourne-4375828.amp

Smile....

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on August 10, 2020, 09:14:09 AM
Quote from: mamselle on August 10, 2020, 08:49:03 AM
Just saw this....

   https://www.lincolnshirelive.co.uk/news/local-news/photographer-10-hours-photo-bourne-4375828.amp

Smile....

M.

Where is the "heart" button?  What beautiful photos!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 10, 2020, 09:15:06 AM
Yeah, the colors, especially.

Those tertiaries just get to me....

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on September 02, 2020, 12:25:28 PM
Ruby-throated hummingbirds have been buzzing around the feeder. A male showed up a few days ago and I think he's wooing one or both of the females I've seen around it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 02, 2020, 01:07:32 PM
I've begun walking around the pond at the park regularly for the first time since March.  The herons are still there.  I also heard some little wood ducks on the isolated end of the pond.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on September 02, 2020, 03:15:44 PM
Wood ducks are such fancy-looking birds!  What a treat.

The other day I heard a loud scratching in the leaves under our dogwood tree--it was a beautiful male yellow-shafted flicker.  I stood and watched for a good while while he continued his search for whatever it was he wanted. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 02, 2020, 04:04:46 PM
Bugs.

(...and yes, they're lovely!)

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on September 03, 2020, 05:45:35 AM
Quote from: mamselle on August 10, 2020, 09:15:06 AM
Yeah, the colors, especially.

Those tertiaries just get to me....

M.

I love it when you talk dirty!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 03, 2020, 06:39:59 AM
《...blush...》

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 03, 2020, 10:48:48 AM
What fascinates me about wood ducks is watching them dive.  Or suddenly surface in a patch of water where you didn't see anything before.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 07, 2020, 07:26:17 AM
This morning I was walking along the creek that feeds into the city park pond and saw the big egret that I've been seeing around the pond.  I've seen the grey herons this far upstream before, but not the egret.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on September 07, 2020, 07:46:02 AM
There are baby doves in the cherry tree nest again, and Mom is sitting on them to keep them all from being blown away in 42 km/hr wind
gusts.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on September 07, 2020, 10:02:42 AM
Eastern Bluebird fledglings learning how to pick bugs from the air.  They are delightfully bad at it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on September 08, 2020, 04:46:27 AM
Quote from: apl68 on September 07, 2020, 07:26:17 AM
This morning I was walking along the creek that feeds into the city park pond and saw the big egret that I've been seeing around the pond.  I've seen the grey herons this far upstream before, but not the egret.

I am not familiar with grey herons so googled, and found that they resemble the great blue heron I know and love, but are not on my side of the pond.  I learned something.  Thanks!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 08, 2020, 07:28:24 AM
Few birds exhibit their dinosaur ancestry as clearly as the big herons.  When they take flight it's like seeing something prehistoric.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 08, 2020, 07:57:48 AM
Quote from: apl68 on September 08, 2020, 07:28:24 AM
Few birds exhibit their dinosaur ancestry as clearly as the big herons.  When they take flight it's like seeing something prehistoric.

Yes.

And that archaic "Skrwawk!" as they go is chilling...especially heard at night, under a bridge as you're walking over the brook where The Old One hangs out...I'm sure he did it to scare me!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on September 08, 2020, 07:58:15 AM
Quote from: apl68 on September 08, 2020, 07:28:24 AM
Few birds exhibit their dinosaur ancestry as clearly as the big herons.  When they take flight it's like seeing something prehistoric.

True, but although I like watching them, I'm not an admirer.  They are nasty predators, and cowardly.  More than once I've chased them away from burrows where there are baby otters.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 08, 2020, 10:09:10 AM
Quote from: mamselle on September 08, 2020, 07:57:48 AM
Quote from: apl68 on September 08, 2020, 07:28:24 AM
Few birds exhibit their dinosaur ancestry as clearly as the big herons.  When they take flight it's like seeing something prehistoric.

Yes.

And that archaic "Skrwawk!" as they go is chilling...especially heard at night, under a bridge as you're walking over the brook where The Old One hangs out...I'm sure he did it to scare me!

M.

Several years ago I encountered a heron at twilight in a spot where I wasn't used to seeing them.  It was also standing on the bank--instead of in the water or perched on a branch--and was drawn up to its full height.  For just a moment I failed to recognize it.  Instead of a familiar big bird, my mind saw an unnaturally skinny, grey humanoid, for all the world like a sci-fi alien visitor.  Then something clicked in my head, and I recognized it for what it was.  Then it spread its wings and flew away.

I've often wondered what would have happened had I not been so accustomed to seeing herons.  I might never have recognized it.  Instead I might to this day have this bizarre memory of seeing an alien turned winged humanoid.  Some famous alien sightings over the years, like the "Mothman" of the 1960s, have been explained as garbled sightings of unfamiliar large birds.  My little "alien" encounter makes it easy for me to see how this might have been the case.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on September 11, 2020, 05:36:14 AM
Hummingbird disregarded fabric strips in doorway and flew into the house yesterday.  After trying to fly out the screened windows, it found the door and left.  Now that the front yard is completely fenced, I will keep the back screen closed, and leave front door open for the canine.  Birds do not enter by front door.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on September 11, 2020, 08:40:42 AM
A red-shouldered hawk startled me this morning. It was relatively close, but I couldn't spot it. :(
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on September 13, 2020, 08:17:11 AM
An American Redstart was hopping around in our dogwood tree this morning!  It's been eons since I've seen one.  `I hope he comes back.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 14, 2020, 06:13:05 PM
In case anyone's around the Pittsburgh area....

   
   https://www.wpxi.com/news/top-stories/massive-bird-migration-event-take-place-over-pittsburgh-area-monday-night/ZILM77ZGVFH2THEGX5VE3ZZ4WQ/?outputType=amp

Happy watching!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 16, 2020, 07:24:37 AM
Saw two white herons at the park today, instead of the usual one.

There's still one grey heron as well.  There used to be three.  It looks like the egrets are displacing them.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on October 04, 2020, 09:44:06 AM
I saw my first white-throated sparrow today!  Fall is officially here.

Two days ago, I heard a bird crash into my living room window.  I looked outside and saw that it had landed head-first in the boxwood bush, with only its tail feathers sticking out.  I put on some vinyl gloves and gently lifted him out--it was a red-eyed vireo.  I spoke some words in a voice I hoped was soothing rather than frightening, and put him down in a shady spot to (I hoped) recover.  A little while later, I went to check on him, and he was moving his head and looking fairly perky.  I knelt down and spoke softly to him, and he swiveled his head around and gave me a good, long look!  Was he saying, "Hi, friend! Thank you!"  Or was he saying, "Who the heck are you?"  A few minutes later, he flew away, much to my relief. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on October 04, 2020, 11:47:22 AM
My resident hummers are now gone - on now with the season of newbies who stay for an hour or a few days, have the jitters about everything because it's strange, don't necessarily know what a feeder is, but often still decide it's all theirs and how dare that other hummer intrude!

Also, a rose-breasted grosbeak trailed by a juvie!  Both hung out, eating and drinking, for much of yesterday afternoon.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 05, 2020, 05:17:30 AM
Quote from: cathwen on October 04, 2020, 09:44:06 AM
I saw my first white-throated sparrow today!  Fall is officially here.

Two days ago, I heard a bird crash into my living room window.  I looked outside and saw that it had landed head-first in the boxwood bush, with only its tail feathers sticking out.  I put on some vinyl gloves and gently lifted him out--it was a red-eyed vireo.  I spoke some words in a voice I hoped was soothing rather than frightening, and put him down in a shady spot to (I hoped) recover.  A little while later, I went to check on him, and he was moving his head and looking fairly perky.  I knelt down and spoke softly to him, and he swiveled his head around and gave me a good, long look!  Was he saying, "Hi, friend! Thank you!"  Or was he saying, "Who the heck are you?"  A few minutes later, he flew away, much to my relief.

Oh my!  What an adventure for you and thee little avians.  Why vinyl gloves rather than a towel or some other cotton fabric? 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on October 05, 2020, 05:25:05 AM
A sparrow just slammed into my window a few minutes ago.  So far when this happens--and it has happened a lot these past months--I just watch to make sure it recovers. Usually after an hour it does. But I may follow Cathwen's example when the weather gets worse.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on October 05, 2020, 05:55:21 AM
Nebo--I chose vinyl gloves rather than a towel because they were right beside the door, with my pile of masks.  It was faster to grab those rather than go hunting for a towel.

Catherder--I usually just keep an eye on birds that crash into my windows, but this one was half-buried in a boxwood shrub, and I wasn't sure that he would be able to free himself once he came to!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on October 05, 2020, 06:00:49 AM
Looks like the sparrow has recovered and flown off. I can't imagine how resilient these little guys are. It hit the window hard.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 05, 2020, 07:43:20 AM
No owls hooting in the woods before daylight on my morning walk at the city park.  I wonder where they go when they're not around here?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 06, 2020, 07:54:08 AM
The egret pair at the city park put on a little flying show for me this morning.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 06, 2020, 12:37:35 PM
Bluebirds flying in and out of the bluebird box.  Day temps are in low 70s and nights are 40-50s.  Typical first frost by mid month.

Are they nesting?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on October 06, 2020, 12:40:55 PM
I was mowing the back 40 on Saturday and came out of the brush to find a Red-tailed hawk on the ground scarfing a mouse.

Hawk gave me a look like 'sup?  I stopped, turned off the mower and just got to watch from <10 feet away for about 5min.

Then, Hawk ran/flapped up the slope of the septic field, and watched me carry on.  Totally unruffled.

So cool.

(Copied from the Fauna thread - as requested)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 07, 2020, 06:22:58 AM
That was a rare sight!  Especially the way you were able to observe at close range for a while like that.

Some years ago I saw an urban hawk swoop down and take a squirrel just a block or two from my apartment.  First I saw the squirrel on the ground.  Then a huge pair of wings swept between me and it.  Then the squirrel was gone.  It all happened in the blink of an eye.  Now I understand what "one fell swoop" really means.

A year or two later, some blocks away, I saw what may have been the same hawk try to catch a squirrel and miss.  You could almost see the disappointed hawk shrug before it flew away to try the hunting somewhere else.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on October 07, 2020, 12:48:17 PM
This time it was a northern flicker that hit the window. It might have been blown into it by a strong wind gust--they usually don't forage so close to the house.

It's breathing and has flipped itself over. Hoping for the best.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 07, 2020, 05:19:41 PM
Speaking, sadly, of birds hitting windows....

   https://www.inquirer.com/news/birds-center-city-philadelphia-audubon-october-2-2020-20201007.html

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on October 07, 2020, 07:20:47 PM
Sadly, the flicker didn't survive.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on October 08, 2020, 07:24:18 AM
Quote from: cathwen on October 04, 2020, 09:44:06 AM
I saw my first white-throated sparrow today!  Fall is officially here."

Quote

I thought I saw a half dozen of these hopping around the bushes the other day but they were too far away to verify by any yellow streaks. One just hopped onto my window sill.  Yup!

The flicker disappeared overnight. I suspect that fox.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on October 08, 2020, 10:16:17 AM
One of my students took a test, using Respondus, with a cockatiel on her shoulder!!! It looks like one I had 10 years ago. R.I.P.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 08, 2020, 10:20:49 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on October 08, 2020, 10:16:17 AM
One of my students took a test, using Respondus, with a cockatiel on her shoulder!!! It looks like one I had 10 years ago. R.I.P.

Did it sing opera?

   https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/videos/cockatiel-parrot-sings-operatic-scales/

;--}

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on October 08, 2020, 10:31:16 AM
Quote from: mamselle on October 08, 2020, 10:20:49 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on October 08, 2020, 10:16:17 AM
One of my students took a test, using Respondus, with a cockatiel on her shoulder!!! It looks like one I had 10 years ago. R.I.P.

Did it sing opera?

   https://www.classicfm.com/music-news/videos/cockatiel-parrot-sings-operatic-scales/

;--}

M.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Love this! Made my day (and I've been ultra-grumpy lately). Thanks Mamselle. Looks like my 18 year old cockatiel I used to have...
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on October 08, 2020, 11:06:40 AM
There is a wood thrush on one of the bird baths. I haven't seen one in awhile.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 08, 2020, 05:51:11 PM
Quote<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

Love this! Made my day (and I've been ultra-grumpy lately). Thanks Mamselle. Looks like my 18 year old cockatiel I used to have...

Glad you liked it!


Re: the bird-into-window collisions: Looks like it's migration madness...at least NYC has a bird hospital.....

   https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/animals/2020/10/birds-are-crashing-into-nyc-buildings-and-records-numbers-are-being-rescued

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 17, 2020, 07:48:55 AM
Woke up in the middle of the night last night and heard geese flying over town.  That's always a wonderful experience.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on October 17, 2020, 08:15:50 AM
I've been hearing geese, too.

I saw a small bird flitting around in a nearby tree.  At first I thought it was a warbler, but its bill was very short.  I think it might have been a ruby-crowned kinglet, but I'm not sure.  The light conditions were not ideal.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 20, 2020, 07:10:30 AM
This morning I heard an owl hooting very near my house.  And another one at the city park.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on October 24, 2020, 09:29:40 AM
The winter birds are arriving!  Thus far:  ruby-crowned kinglet, white-throat sparrows, yellow-rumped warbler.

Also, a great view of a double-crested cormorant hunting on the Coral City Camera - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8ARjIeM2k  - scroll back to 10:14:38.  It's a live cam that only has the previous 12 hours available, but I'm sure the video was captured and reposted.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on October 26, 2020, 09:25:05 AM
Still here: Various ducks, great blue herons, swans, one confused robin, ravens, crows, various woodpeckers, and hundreds of Canada
                geese possibly waiting for the US election results.

Gone:       Doves, finches, orioles, flickers, all but one robin.

Recently arrived: Cardinals, dozens of bluejays and chickadees, juncos and various sparrows.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 26, 2020, 10:20:40 AM
Hilarious version of Midsomer Murders (I'm watching very old re-runs for what someone on a thread elsewhere called "self-soothing" these days...) on what happens among a group of very dedicated bird-watchers...

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXdmfuynoA4

I don't think any of us are quite so rabid about it all....

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 28, 2020, 05:51:25 AM
Standing in the yard with a cousin yesterday, when I noticed buzzards (turkey vultures) circling gently over area across the road.  Gradually, they increased in numbers, just seeming to be floating around, enjoying our beautiful fall afternoon.  Wafted gently toward my property, until we counted about 50, sun glinting off their lower sides.  It was truly marvelous.  Then they gradually drifted away.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 28, 2020, 05:56:39 AM
Like hawks, they sometimes find a particular kind of wind pattern called a "thermal," spead their wings, and ride it down.

Sort of like a slow-mo carousel ride in the air...and yes, fun to watch.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on October 28, 2020, 10:37:54 AM
The juncos arrived at the end of last week.  Finches have  mobBed the feeder; waiting for the pair of downy woodpeckers that are usually late arrivals.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on October 28, 2020, 01:19:11 PM
Hey!  If you don't like the mealworms, that's fine.  Don't chuck 'em out of the feeder.  Other birds do want them.

I promise, I didn't hide suet under the mealworms.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: clean on October 28, 2020, 06:36:52 PM
QuoteHey!  If you don't like the mealworms, that's fine.  Don't chuck 'em out of the feeder.  Other birds do want them.

"Garnish should be edible or NOT on the plate  (That is why we threw it off)"
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 29, 2020, 06:16:31 AM
Quote from: mamselle on October 28, 2020, 05:56:39 AM
Like hawks, they sometimes find a particular kind of wind pattern called a "thermal," spead their wings, and ride it down.

Sort of like a slow-mo carousel ride in the air...and yes, fun to watch.

M.

I've seen hawks ride thermals, and small numbers of vultures, but never this many.  I like the image of a slo mo carousel ride....And it was delightful to watch in the midst of our chaotic daily lives.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on October 29, 2020, 07:36:09 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on October 29, 2020, 06:16:31 AM
Quote from: mamselle on October 28, 2020, 05:56:39 AM
Like hawks, they sometimes find a particular kind of wind pattern called a "thermal," spead their wings, and ride it down.

Sort of like a slow-mo carousel ride in the air...and yes, fun to watch.

M.

I've seen hawks ride thermals, and small numbers of vultures, but never this many.  I like the image of a slo mo carousel ride....And it was delightful to watch in the midst of our chaotic daily lives.



I know what you mean. I usually find gulls/terns boring, but watching a thousand or more flocking over my local supermarket was delightfully distracting.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on November 01, 2020, 04:56:11 PM
A brown hawk with white and charcoal grey markings on its wings flew from the nearby park to the oak tree in the front yard and posed there for a while.

I was so happy I was able to see it, but when I came back with my phone to take a picture, it'd flown on.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 03, 2020, 04:08:07 AM
Two myrtle warblers.  aka butter butts or yellow rumps.....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on November 03, 2020, 06:05:09 AM
On Cat TV today, 2 Cardinals (both Male) A goldfinch, and a taunting bluejay who seemed to know Orestes could not get to him.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on November 03, 2020, 07:06:04 AM
Two pileated woodpeckers are messing around on the same tree, the smaller following the larger. No, they just changed places.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on November 03, 2020, 11:03:30 AM
Yesterday brought a quartet of white-breasted nuthatches, all flitting around and spiraling down the big tree beyond our patio.  Today we had a red-bellied woodpecker pecking in vain at the faux-wood siding on our condo.  And the house sparrows are up to their usual tweety/squawky antics!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on November 03, 2020, 11:48:14 AM
Quote from: Catherder on November 03, 2020, 07:06:04 AM
Two pileated woodpeckers are messing around on the same tree, the smaller following the larger. No, they just changed places.

I saw a couple of downy woodpeckers the other day. One tried to peck on the house, so I shooed it away.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on November 04, 2020, 06:52:37 AM
A couple of evenings ago I was stepping outside of a motel I had just checked into near dusk and heard an odd noise above.  I thought to myself "That sounds like..."

And sure enough, at that moment the lowest-flying flock of geese I've ever seen came overhead from above the motel behind me.  There must have been a couple dozen of them.  They looked like they weren't much higher than the rooftop of the motel.  There was something almost magical about the suddenness with which they approached and vanished.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on November 04, 2020, 05:35:56 PM
I've had that happen....we're between two ponds and we're on a flight path to Canada as well, so we get a LOT of geese.

In the morning on a walk, once, I really thought they were about to dive-bomb my head, they were so close.

Shook me up for a moment, just out of nowhere....one wonders if they do it on purpose!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 05, 2020, 04:47:15 AM
Blue birds of happiness flitting in and out of blue bird box.....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on November 05, 2020, 08:10:18 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on November 05, 2020, 04:47:15 AM
Blue birds of happiness flitting in and out of blue bird box.....

Reminds me of this book,

"Beakless Bluebirds and Featherless Penguins" by an Anglican nun in the 1990s, a bird rehibilator who wrote about her charges...
https://books.google.com/books/about/Beakless_Bluebirds_Featherless_Penguins.html?id=ZvxPAAAAYAAJ

Definitely worth reading if there are bluebirds in your life.

M.
   
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 06, 2020, 04:25:40 AM
Quote from: mamselle on November 05, 2020, 08:10:18 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on November 05, 2020, 04:47:15 AM
Blue birds of happiness flitting in and out of blue bird box.....

Reminds me of this book,

"Beakless Bluebirds and Featherless Penguins" by an Anglican nun in the 1990s, a bird rehibilator who wrote about her charges...
https://books.google.com/books/about/Beakless_Bluebirds_Featherless_Penguins.html?id=ZvxPAAAAYAAJ

Definitely worth reading if there are bluebirds in your life.

M.


Thanks.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on November 20, 2020, 11:09:52 AM
We set up a temporary feeding table in the backyard near the birdbaths. One brave Brown Thrasher landed on it, while other birds flew near it. Bluebirds, Carolina wrens, Phoebes, Cardinals and Downy Woodpeckers were also hanging out.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on November 20, 2020, 03:22:04 PM
I went birding last weekend.  I saw several red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures, sharp-shinned or Cooper's hawks, and a couple of bald eagles. A heron in flight, and another one looking for a meal by the water's edge. Several warblers and assorted waterfowl. The birds of prey were circling quite low so their markings were quite clear.

I used to go on bird watching trips post-pandemic. In addition to trips organized by the local Audubon, which fill up months in advance, state and city parks schedule trips as do a few other non-profit organizations.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on November 20, 2020, 03:48:19 PM
Do you keep a life-list?

Kids at the Audubon camp I was a counselor at one summer had lists longer than your arm by age 10.

(I was impressed, but never started one.)

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on November 20, 2020, 04:33:21 PM
I don't keep lists, but get one from the trip leader on the Audubon trips. The trip leaders send us lists that contain anywhere between 150-200 birds that we (the trip leader and several others; by the time I managed to get the binoculars in focus, the bird was long gone) saw during the 2-3 hour walk in a park or wildlife area in the city. There are birds I like and recognize, and others that I like to look at, but not list or record. Avid birders on these trips enter the sightings on ebird. Spring and fall migration times are peak viewing opportunities even in small parks such as Bryant Park.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on December 06, 2020, 05:51:48 AM
There are over 40 swans on the lake right in front of me, and more arriving every few minutes.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on December 06, 2020, 06:38:04 AM
A local news reporter got good footage of an ow (https://www.bnd.com/news/nation-world/national/article247367744.html)l.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on December 06, 2020, 09:07:43 AM
 Over 100 swans now. Never seen this before.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on December 06, 2020, 09:36:43 AM
Quote from: Catherder on December 06, 2020, 09:07:43 AM
Over 100 swans now. Never seen this before.

Migration?

But from where to where, in the sense that those flyways are usually well-established in flock memory.

Unless all the hurricane-causing tumult in the atmosphere has thrown them off-course...

Be sure to take pictures!

M.

P.S. I wonder if there's a tracking site, like the one for storks between Europe and Africa, online? Maybe it would say...M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on December 06, 2020, 09:40:41 AM
Quote from: mamselle on December 06, 2020, 09:36:43 AM
Quote from: Catherder on December 06, 2020, 09:07:43 AM
Over 100 swans now. Never seen this before.

Migration?

But from where to where, in the sense that those flyways are usually well-established in flock memory.

Unless all the hurricane-causing tumult in the atmosphere has thrown them off-course...

Be sure to take pictures!

M.

P.S. I wonder if there's a tracking site, like the one for storks between Europe and Africa, online? Maybe it would say...M.

I would check ebird.org.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on December 07, 2020, 05:42:07 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on December 06, 2020, 09:40:41 AM
Quote from: mamselle on December 06, 2020, 09:36:43 AM
Quote from: Catherder on December 06, 2020, 09:07:43 AM
Over 100 swans now. Never seen this before.

Migration?

But from where to where, in the sense that those flyways are usually well-established in flock memory.

Unless all the hurricane-causing tumult in the atmosphere has thrown them off-course...

Be sure to take pictures!

M.

P.S. I wonder if there's a tracking site, like the one for storks between Europe and Africa, online? Maybe it would say...M.

I would check ebird.org.

Thanks for this suggestion.  I am in Winter Quarters and have been going nuts trying to identify a "group" of birds grazing out in the marsh, just a bit tooooo far for my binocs to see clearly.  After checking ebird, I'm leaning toward juvenile white Ibises, and will head over to state park ranger station to inquire if it could be possible.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on December 07, 2020, 06:16:03 AM
Nothing on ebird about swans in my area. But smaller numbers have often wintered a little up river where it's more sheltered.

Today some (maybe 20) are gathered across the lake where the water is still open. Alas nearer me, the lake froze overnight.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on December 07, 2020, 07:23:27 AM
Cornell Lab's free Merlin app can also help identify unfamiliar birds. You'll have to select your region first.
https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/

As for the swans the local bird club or state or city park naturalists might have more information on local sightings of bird flocks. It's a shame about the ice though.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on December 07, 2020, 07:28:10 AM
As I was working, I caught some motion out the window in the corner of my eye and looked up to find a cooper's hawk sitting on a branch just outside, looking right at me. It had landed right next to the suet feeder, interested no doubt not in the suet but in the tasty looking little birds eating the suet. Needless to say, they had vacated the premisses post hast, and have not returned yet, though I assume they will brave it again eventually.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on December 07, 2020, 07:48:12 AM
Quote from: Puget on December 07, 2020, 07:28:10 AM
As I was working, I caught some motion out the window in the corner of my eye and looked up to find a cooper's hawk sitting on a branch just outside, looking right at me. It had landed right next to the suet feeder, interested no doubt not in the suet but in the tasty looking little birds eating the suet. Needless to say, they had vacated the premisses post hast, and have not returned yet, though I assume they will brave it again eventually.

Wonderful sighting!

I heard geese flying in the distance during my morning walk.  I haven't been hearing or seeing them as much this season.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on December 07, 2020, 01:10:40 PM
I just watched a northern flicker gorge on my feeder.  The titmice were very upset.  The squirrel just waited hs turn. And inside, my cats were losing their little kitty minds.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on December 07, 2020, 02:34:42 PM
I can just picture this!!

Poor, poor kitties!!

To be so close...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on December 20, 2020, 06:54:18 AM
Three woodstorks sitting on tree........
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on December 20, 2020, 07:31:40 AM
The forensic evidence on the snow by the feeder indicates that a pigeon met its end there. Chief suspect is the cooper's hawk from my earlier post. Strangely, the other birds do not seem put off by the scattered feathers, though there aren't currently any pigeons about.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on January 02, 2021, 09:34:46 AM
The new year started with bluebirds in the feeding area!  Am I superstitious to hope that's a good sign?

This morning also brought a flicker foraging on the ground - and then a female red-bellied woodpecker started copying that foraging behavior.  I'm curious to see if it repeats.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on January 03, 2021, 06:51:45 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on January 02, 2021, 09:34:46 AM
The new year started with bluebirds in the feeding area!  Am I superstitious to hope that's a good sign?

This morning also brought a flicker foraging on the ground - and then a female red-bellied woodpecker started copying that foraging behavior.  I'm curious to see if it repeats.

My family has always called them the bluebirds of happiness. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Parasaurolophus on January 03, 2021, 07:26:35 AM
On the 31 I saw scads of bald eagles in trees, but also some other, sometimes larger, birds. They looked rougher, plumage-wise, and were darkly coloured. Golden eagles, maybe?

Also saw a barn owl yesterday.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on January 04, 2021, 05:56:06 AM
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on January 03, 2021, 07:26:35 AM
On the 31 I saw scads of bald eagles in trees, but also some other, sometimes larger, birds. They looked rougher, plumage-wise, and were darkly coloured. Golden eagles, maybe?

Also saw a barn owl yesterday.

WOW!!!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on January 04, 2021, 12:08:41 PM
A snowy owl was reportedly sighted in my neighborhood, a most unrural area. Residents were warned not to harass the bird, use flash if taking pictures, and play recordings of owl sounds.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on January 05, 2021, 06:42:15 AM
I remain fascinated by the woodstorks.  Watching them take off and fly moves me to prehistory.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on January 05, 2021, 07:35:46 AM
Over the last few weeks, I've experienced multiple sightings of large hawks and eagles, as well as cardinals, woodpeckers, chickadees, and one unfortunate little gray bird who tried to fly into my office window just now. (He--brightly colored, so "he"--managed to keep from knocking his little bird brain out of his skull, but only just.)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: clean on January 05, 2021, 11:18:28 AM
My parents (in florida) are reporting "the first Robins of Winter"
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on January 08, 2021, 08:00:12 AM
A red-tailed hawk just settled on the tree across the street.

Earlier this week I saw several flocks of sanderlings on the beach. The only other birds were the usual gulls.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 08, 2021, 10:10:19 AM
This thread is so nice and positive and peaceful. Might hang out for awhile and forget all those others for a bit...

At the moment my findings are all bits of negative evidence.

No blue herons seen on the last two trips across the bridge over the brook near my place.

And the swans that had nested around the bend seem to be elsewhere as well.

I don't know if the herring population (that definitely attracts the heron) goes down over the winter or not; they might go out to the ocean.

I should check on that. Or maybe they're caught on some 18th c. fishing weir still stuck in the water somewhere...the water level does go down....

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on January 08, 2021, 12:22:16 PM
There is a Blue Jay who seems to enjoy being on CatTV and taunting my furballs.  He comes to the table outside the window to collect peanuts, but he stays and opens/eats them right in front of them.  The he gives a big squawk which startles them.  It is the same one (distinct feather pattern) day after day.  The other Jays don't do it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on January 08, 2021, 01:31:31 PM
There were only four sanderlings today, perched on the rocks as the tide was coming in. According to the pictures in the Peterson guide, these must be non breeding adults.

The gulls were mostly herring gulls, ranging from the white and grey plumage of a four year gull to the mostly brown plumage of year olds. I don't usually pay much attention to gulls, but decided to take an interest today.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on January 08, 2021, 02:59:51 PM
Quote from: FishProf on January 08, 2021, 12:22:16 PM
There is a Blue Jay who seems to enjoy being on CatTV and taunting my furballs.  He comes to the table outside the window to collect peanuts, but he stays and opens/eats them right in front of them.  The he gives a big squawk which startles them.  It is the same one (distinct feather pattern) day after day.  The other Jays don't do it.

Jays are both bold (they will mob birds of prey) and uncannily smart (like the other corvids).

I've had many run-ins over the years with grey jays, which have the well-earned nickname of camp robbers -- they will take food right out of your hand (not food you were intending to feed them mind, food you were in the process of putting in your own mouth!) and are very good at getting into any unattended container or pack.

At my parents' house, generations of Steller's jays have taught their young to feed at the supposedly jay proof feeder by grabbing the tiny perch with one foot on the fly and swinging underneath it while reaching up to get seed.

So I fully believe it both knows the cats can't get it and is interested in provoking a reaction from them!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on January 11, 2021, 06:04:21 AM
Took a decent photo of a woodstork with juvenile ibis on the branch in front of him.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on January 11, 2021, 01:22:23 PM
I saw a flock of brant geese today. Although I've seen them at other locations within a 50 mile radius, this is the first time I've seen them in this particular area.

The highlight of my walk though was on the way to my "walk" when I hear what sounded like the crowing of a rooster. Just a block away there he was, brightly colored, showing off to his companion, a most uncolorful white hen, both of standing in front of a house, pecking for food alongside a tree on the sidewalk.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on January 11, 2021, 02:54:07 PM
I saw a wood duck on the river today-- I've never seen one there before. There is also evidence of recent beaver activity, right there in the heart of suburbia!  In reading up on wood ducks just now, it mentions that their population has rebounded as the beaver population has also recovered, because beavers created the sort of forested wetland habitats they prefer, so these two things may be connected.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on January 18, 2021, 12:30:35 PM
The usual gulls and several flocks of sanderlings.  A couple of fearless ones passed me on the right, skimming just inches above the sand.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on January 27, 2021, 09:27:00 PM
A snowy owl was spotted in Central Park. Here's the article and pictures of the bird: https://nypost.com/2021/01/27/rare-snowy-owl-draws-flock-of-bird-watchers-to-central-park/
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on January 28, 2021, 06:18:36 AM
A pair of hairy woodpeckers have frequented our squirrel-proof feeder, and the juncos are willing to wait for them to move away.  Hairy woodpeckers are so purposeful as to be somewhat bullying. Finally this morning a pair of gold finches are having a turn. No sign of the titmouse who stopped by earlier in the week. So far all seem to be avoiding the 2 cats who are suddenly lurking around.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on January 28, 2021, 06:24:20 AM
Quote from: Harlow2 on January 28, 2021, 06:18:36 AM
A pair of hairy woodpeckers have frequented our squirrel-proof feeder, and the juncos are willing to wait for them to move away.  Hairy woodpeckers are so purposeful as to be somewhat bullying. Finally this morning a pair of gold finches are having a turn. No sign of the titmouse who stopped by earlier in the week. So far all seem to be avoiding the 2 cats who are suddenly lurking around.

Didn't know that juncos would use feeders.  Mine seem to flick in and out of bushes and trees, rather than honor my feeders!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on January 28, 2021, 03:17:01 PM
Someone in SO's family saw a Pileated Woodpecker the other day. They are absolutely enormous!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on January 29, 2021, 06:39:47 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on January 28, 2021, 03:17:01 PM
Someone in SO's family saw a Pileated Woodpecker the other day. They are absolutely enormous!

I have a log cabin.....pileateds love going in after carpenter bees! 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on January 29, 2021, 07:16:46 AM
I heard a woodpecker banging away on somebody's house during my morning walk. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 29, 2021, 03:43:59 PM
One of my middle-schoolers in music theory today spent 15 min. after class telling me about the elective he's taking in which they're to walk around observing and drawing the birds in their neighborhood. ..they were given a "draw the spine, then the body, then the head" set of instructions, and then told to have at it.

The end result will be some kind of notebook done in whatever medium they choose, with added text about the birds they find. My kidlet was interested in detailed pencil sketches, so I pulled up Wyeth's back view of a man sitting on a log, and we discussed the various ways to hold a pencil and rub the cross-hatching to get those silvery tones--and how to shade the belly to make it look round.

Can't wait to see what he comes up with, and I think I'm in love with his school!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on January 30, 2021, 06:05:08 AM
O, to have a dashcam:

Kid #1 was waylaid by a pair of angry trumpeter swans on the way home from my house to hers, which is out in the boonies, earlier this week.  She saw them ahead in the middle of the road and slowed down, thinking they'd move off to the side as she got closer.  Nope, the closer she got, the slower they walked, finally stopping and staring over the hood of her Volvo at her.  (The pup didn't know what to make of them.)  Honking did nothing; nor did rolling her window down and leaning out and swearing at them.  Popping the door and starting to get out finally got them to scurry away. 

As I was teaching the next morning, I saw a huge flock of swans flying south--the sunny sky and light reflecting off the snow really made them stand out.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 30, 2021, 03:38:49 PM
Old forumites who attended the Kalamazoo meet up a few years back will remember the kerfuffle among the placid ducks and geese on the pond in the hollows near the K'zoo gazebo...

Two swans, squawking and dive-bombing the pond, scattered those poor birds soooo fast...then settled down into the open water they'd cleared, preening themselves as if to say, " See, it was really US you wanted to see, wasn't it???"

We were laughing so hard after we got over the shock...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on January 31, 2021, 10:16:44 AM
Was in the bird food store a few days ago and overheard an 'I saw this odd bird in my feeder - can you tell from this crappy photo on my phone what it is?' discussion that ended up concluding it was an oriole.  I now have added grape jelly to the offerings, just in case there's one around!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on February 01, 2021, 07:44:00 AM
While walking on a recent blustery morning, I saw a buzzard flying low enough overhead to see its legs.  I'd never seen one blown this way and that so dramatically.  It was either having a great time playing around, or desperately trying to regain control of its flight.  Or maybe both.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on February 04, 2021, 08:02:50 AM
I had been hearing a rooster crowing on a residential street on my morning walks.  Not too surprising in our town.  But then I heard ducks quacking too.  Who keeps ducks in the middle of town?  I had to satisfy my curiosity by walking down the alley and peeking into the yard.  Sure enough, they had both chickens and ducks in their backyard pens.  And a big rabbit.  I felt sorry for the ducks not having even a tiny pond to float in.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on February 10, 2021, 08:25:03 AM
Available for about the next 10 hours only, although I'm sure they'll post it to the FB group - underwater video of an Anhinga hunting on the Coral City Camera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8ARjIeM2k.  Scroll back to 9:39:50
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on February 10, 2021, 10:35:02 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on February 10, 2021, 08:25:03 AM
Available for about the next 10 hours only, although I'm sure they'll post it to the FB group - underwater video of an Anhinga hunting on the Coral City Camera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8ARjIeM2k.  Scroll back to 9:39:50
Oh, wow!  That's really cool.  It's around -3:51:30 relative to the end of the video.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on February 12, 2021, 06:59:10 AM
Got within about 20 feet of a wood stork feeding in a pond.  I was in a golf cart on a little bridge going over the pond, and it completely ignored us.  Took photos with my phone....then sorta hopped around giggling with awe.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on February 12, 2021, 11:02:15 AM
A northern mockingbird spent most of yesterday afternoon on the suet feeder on my front porch. I hope he stays through the spring and summer!

This morning, Kid #1 saw a banded kingfisher near her farmhouse.  I haven't seen one of those since I was a kid.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on February 13, 2021, 09:30:06 AM
Quote from: namazu on February 10, 2021, 10:35:02 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on February 10, 2021, 08:25:03 AM
Available for about the next 10 hours only, although I'm sure they'll post it to the FB group - underwater video of an Anhinga hunting on the Coral City Camera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8ARjIeM2k.  Scroll back to 9:39:50
Oh, wow!  That's really cool.  It's around -3:51:30 relative to the end of the video.

Glad you liked it!  It's actually not a video, but a live cam with the previous 12 hours available on rewind - and there's a link in the description for all the neat timestamps, so you don't have to watch all the time.  Despite being mostly fish, it's one of the cams that's been a life-saver for me during Covid.  There are some neat birdfeeder cams, too - Cornell, one in South Africa, at least one in Central America - Costa Rica IIRC.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on February 13, 2021, 01:42:53 PM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on February 13, 2021, 09:30:06 AM
Quote from: namazu on February 10, 2021, 10:35:02 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on February 10, 2021, 08:25:03 AM
Available for about the next 10 hours only, although I'm sure they'll post it to the FB group - underwater video of an Anhinga hunting on the Coral City Camera https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8ARjIeM2k.  Scroll back to 9:39:50
Oh, wow!  That's really cool.  It's around -3:51:30 relative to the end of the video.

Glad you liked it!  It's actually not a video, but a live cam with the previous 12 hours available on rewind - and there's a link in the description for all the neat timestamps, so you don't have to watch all the time.  Despite being mostly fish, it's one of the cams that's been a life-saver for me during Covid.  There are some neat birdfeeder cams, too - Cornell, one in South Africa, at least one in Central America - Costa Rica IIRC.
Yes, Cornell's Ornithology Lab (https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home) has some great webcams (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/).  Soon it will be nesting season for some of their featured birds.  I'm a big fan of the barred owls. 

Not live, but I recently enjoyed a documentary about a hummingbird nesting on a clothesline on someone's covered porch (http://hummingbirdstory.com/).


In my neck of the woods, I recently saw some towhees, which, despite being regionally fairly abundant, I rarely see. They were at a local farm where I get my eggs and produce.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on February 13, 2021, 03:44:01 PM
I saw an Eastern Bluebird today.  It is way to cold and early for that!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on February 14, 2021, 06:15:21 AM
Is anyone doing the Great Backyard Bird Count?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on February 14, 2021, 08:12:08 AM
Pine siskins in the feeder this morning after years of absence!  They, and the goldfinches and bluebirds, seemed to be mostly eating peanut pieces.  Chipping sparrows have also recently re-appeared.  If any other birds want to head out of the frozen stuff, I've got the welcome mat rolled out.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on February 14, 2021, 08:36:55 AM
Some of the birds have been singing nicely in between spells of sleet.  They're not letting the weather stop them!  I was probably the only mammal stirring outside around here this morning.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on February 17, 2021, 06:24:04 AM
Yesterday was a good day for bird watching, perhaps because it was warm and sunny after days of chill and rain.  Northern harrier soaring behind the house.  Red tailed hawk soaring out front.  Went looking for spoonbill, but not where it had been reported, but did see bitterns, snowy egrets, great egrets.  Then saw a kestrel and another woodstork.  The wood storks are fascinating.  The other day I saw one feeding; it would wriggle one foot underwater, then snatch up a tidbit.  The wriggle the other foot and snatch up a tidbit.  The one I saw yesterday was sitting on the grass next to a pond, and I got with about 10 feet (in a golf cart) and it just sat there and sat there and sat there, until my dog startled it and it lumbered into the air.  And saw two gaters, one huge grand daddy on the grass a ways away from me, and one with its nose poking above the water in the pond, next to the wood stork.

Wish yesterday had been part of the GBBC.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on February 17, 2021, 08:21:45 AM
The large pond/small lake at the city park was almost all frozen over yesterday.  While walking past a large unfrozen inlet I startled a couple dozen wood ducks.  It's the first time I've ever seen so many there at one time.  They must be having trouble finding open water in this unusual icy spell.

I've also seen lots of delicate bird tracks in the snow here and there.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on February 17, 2021, 08:29:29 AM
Forgot to include the dove mating dance and culmination on my porch railing yesterday.  They walked back and forth, nipped a bit, did the deed with a flurry of feathers.....then he dismounted and she walked over to the feeder and had a snack.  Wonder if that's the avian equivalent of a cigarette?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on February 17, 2021, 02:25:07 PM
Nebo, when I read about all your wonderful bird sightings, among which was a kestrel, I realized that it had been a very long time since I'd seen one.  Today, walking to the car, a crow-sized bird flew in front of me and up to a branch in a tree.  I quickly realized it wasn't a crow, and took a close look...it was a kestrel!  It made my day.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on February 17, 2021, 03:30:31 PM
Aww....I always wanted to see a kestrel.

Cool!

In other bird-related news: Several Condor eggs have been laid at the Oregon Zoo:

   https://www.cnn.com/2021/02/16/us/california-condor-eggs-laid-at-oregon-zoo-trnd-scn/index.html

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 17, 2021, 08:22:21 PM
There was a flock of red-winged blackbirds in the neighborhood today. I haven't seen them in awhile.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on February 18, 2021, 05:37:47 AM
Quote from: cathwen on February 17, 2021, 02:25:07 PM
Nebo, when I read about all your wonderful bird sightings, among which was a kestrel, I realized that it had been a very long time since I'd seen one.  Today, walking to the car, a crow-sized bird flew in front of me and up to a branch in a tree.  I quickly realized it wasn't a crow, and took a close look...it was a kestrel!  It made my day.

It had been years since I'd seen one, too.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on February 18, 2021, 05:39:29 AM
Finally saw the roseate spoonbill.....a juvenile.  Way north of the usual range.  He was hanging out with a couple of wood storks and a snowy egret, with a bittern in the background.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on February 18, 2021, 08:18:59 AM
Struggling through snow
I see geese flying over
Against a grey sky
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on February 19, 2021, 07:13:07 AM
Quote from: apl68 on February 18, 2021, 08:18:59 AM
Struggling through snow
I see geese flying over
Against a grey sky

smiling.....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 19, 2021, 07:33:43 AM
A few days ago, what I think was a Cooper's Hawk, landed on my front sidewalk, grabbed something (a worm?) off the ground and flew off with it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on February 19, 2021, 08:18:31 AM
Quote from: apl68 on February 17, 2021, 08:21:45 AM
The large pond/small lake at the city park was almost all frozen over yesterday.  While walking past a large unfrozen inlet I startled a couple dozen wood ducks.  It's the first time I've ever seen so many there at one time.  They must be having trouble finding open water in this unusual icy spell.

I've also seen lots of delicate bird tracks in the snow here and there.


More open water
More wild ducks than days ago
The word must have spread
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on February 26, 2021, 02:38:33 PM
Cardinals, blue jays, chickadees, and some smaller gray birds that I don't recognize are all around, every day, all day.

They probably like the feeders the neighbors have set up right next door.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on February 26, 2021, 04:22:33 PM
Saw a couple of mourning doves on the neighbor's roof. Common birds in these parts, as are starlings which are quite noisy.

The doves reminded me of a relative's child, then five, who announced in an aggrieved tone of voice that there were mourning doves on the tree in the backyard. It turned out that the child had assumed that the bird was a "morning dove", so named because of its habit of coming out during the morning hours. She was upset that the bird was not behaving as expected, and was out during the afternoon hours.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on February 27, 2021, 07:20:13 AM
Yesterday morning I saw a Carolina wren with nest material in its beak!

Since most of my birdhouses are a bit battered I splurged on two more - one for wrens and another for downy wps.  Not sure where the downy box will go, but I've spotted a hopefully perfect branch (visible from the house but not too close to everyday activity) for the wren house.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Charlotte on February 28, 2021, 04:57:51 AM
Saw more geese than I have ever seen in my life flying overhead in several sizes of V's. (I'm assuming they were geese because of the V shape but I'm not good with bird identification!)

They kept coming in wave after wave, singing loudly as they flew north. It was a beautiful thing to see and I stood for several minutes watching them fly, then group up and circle (allowing others to catch up?), before pressing on North.

It was a blissful moment. Looks like the birds say winter is over!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on February 28, 2021, 05:06:25 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on February 27, 2021, 07:20:13 AM
Yesterday morning I saw a Carolina wren with nest material in its beak!

Since most of my birdhouses are a bit battered I splurged on two more - one for wrens and another for downy wps.  Not sure where the downy box will go, but I've spotted a hopefully perfect branch (visible from the house but not too close to everyday activity) for the wren house.

Generic birdhouses or designed specifically for wrens and downies?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on February 28, 2021, 11:07:30 AM
Quote from: Charlotte on February 28, 2021, 04:57:51 AM

It was a blissful moment. Looks like the birds say winter is over!

Tomorrow it will be March in New England, so I know that we could still be knocked for a loop before spring sets in for good.  However, a crocus came up yesterday, and the birds have begun to sing.  I bow to the wisdom of the natural world and dare to hope!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on March 01, 2021, 10:04:32 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on February 28, 2021, 05:06:25 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on February 27, 2021, 07:20:13 AM
Yesterday morning I saw a Carolina wren with nest material in its beak!

Since most of my birdhouses are a bit battered I splurged on two more - one for wrens and another for downy wps.  Not sure where the downy box will go, but I've spotted a hopefully perfect branch (visible from the house but not too close to everyday activity) for the wren house.

Generic birdhouses or designed specifically for wrens and downies?

Specifically designed for them.  The downie house even came with a bag of shavings b/c they apparently don't bring in nest material!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 02, 2021, 06:08:39 AM
May be behind paywall but fascinating look at bald eagles love lives.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2021/03/02/dc-bald-eagles/
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 02, 2021, 06:17:52 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on March 01, 2021, 10:04:32 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on February 28, 2021, 05:06:25 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on February 27, 2021, 07:20:13 AM
Yesterday morning I saw a Carolina wren with nest material in its beak!

Since most of my birdhouses are a bit battered I splurged on two more - one for wrens and another for downy wps.  Not sure where the downy box will go, but I've spotted a hopefully perfect branch (visible from the house but not too close to everyday activity) for the wren house.

Generic birdhouses or designed specifically for wrens and downies?

Specifically designed for them.  The downie house even came with a bag of shavings b/c they apparently don't bring in nest material!

Might you share the source? 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on March 05, 2021, 08:46:10 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on March 02, 2021, 06:17:52 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on March 01, 2021, 10:04:32 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on February 28, 2021, 05:06:25 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on February 27, 2021, 07:20:13 AM
Yesterday morning I saw a Carolina wren with nest material in its beak!

Since most of my birdhouses are a bit battered I splurged on two more - one for wrens and another for downy wps.  Not sure where the downy box will go, but I've spotted a hopefully perfect branch (visible from the house but not too close to everyday activity) for the wren house.

Generic birdhouses or designed specifically for wrens and downies?

Specifically designed for them.  The downie house even came with a bag of shavings b/c they apparently don't bring in nest material!

Might you share the source?

Happily - sorry for the delay!  They were from the Wild Birds Unlimited franchise in my town.  The houses are very Audubon-standard in construction & proportions, so not anything unique to WBU despite having their logo.

Lots of robins lately, & lots of Canada geese activity, & I think the wrens are nesting.  Also lots of loud barred owls AND I saw one the other morning!  It was on the ground near the road as I was leaving the neighborhood.  Luckily I slowed down to look, because it took off and when right in front of the car!  Amazingly long wings for something that looked so short when on the ground.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 06, 2021, 04:34:07 AM
Thanks Thursdays Child!

Female painted bunting at feeder.  I was completely stumped as to what it was, but my sister identified it rather quickly.  Hope the male visits, too.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on March 06, 2021, 06:32:52 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on March 05, 2021, 08:46:10 AM
Also lots of loud barred owls AND I saw one the other morning!  It was on the ground near the road as I was leaving the neighborhood.  Luckily I slowed down to look, because it took off and when right in front of the car!  Amazingly long wings for something that looked so short when on the ground.
Oh, hurray!

Speaking of both barred owls and WBU, the Cornell/WBU Barrel Owl Nest Cam is up and running for another season (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/barred-owls/).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 21, 2021, 11:48:15 AM
Assorted ducks and songbirds, a kestrel, a Cooper's, and  a turkey vulture yesterday.  The day before, a large flock of snow geese, a cardinal, and a glossy cat bird.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on March 21, 2021, 12:19:37 PM
I've seen a number of red-tailed hawks recently--in flight or hanging out on tree branches. 

The condo had a large tree chopped down that was within view of our living room window, and which attracted all sorts of birds--downy woodpeckers, brown thrashers, nuthatches, and the usual assortment of northeastern birds (chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, tufted titmice, song sparrows, house sparrows, house finches, robins).  I am heartbroken.  There are other trees within view of the window, but the bird count seems way down.  I don't know why the tree was removed—perhaps there was a good reason—but it has made me very sad.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 21, 2021, 01:26:53 PM
cathwen, it's a shame about the tree. The condo association probably had good reasons, but even so...

The windows of the nature center in one of the parks we visited yesterday (city park)  had see-through bubble-like objects affixed on the outside to prevent birds from getting injured when trying to fly through the glass. The nature center at the park (state) had wire netting draped over the entire glass walls of the building. I was quite impressed.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on March 21, 2021, 04:47:25 PM
On a larger scale Philadelphia implemented a new skyscraper lighting plan to save migrating birds. There was a terrible toll last fall

https://apnews.com/article/science-philadelphia-climate-change-birds-ae7b8dc52663edd720596445f76aa105
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on March 21, 2021, 05:11:06 PM
On my walk along the river this evening I got to watch a Cooper's hawk working on its (probably his, as apparently the males do most of the nest building) nest. It was flying from the nest to nearby trees that to me looked just like the nest tree, but apparently to it offered better branches, inspecting multiple small branches, then having a tug of war with its selected branch to pull it off and flying back to the nest with it. It was doing a lot of calling the whole time-- I suspect trying to get its mate to notice how hard it was working on the nest!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 22, 2021, 06:22:24 AM
See lots of vultures.  Driving down two lane road I saw a white headed vulture by the side of the road, dining.  Hmmm....a white headed vulture???  Was that a bald eagle??????  Turned around to confirm and to show my mother who was with me.  And yes, it was a bald eagle sitting on the side of the road, dining.  We watched it fly.  We just looked at each other......
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on March 22, 2021, 03:49:06 PM
Bald eagle sightings are always exciting!  What a thrill for you and your mother. I've seen them around here, but infrequently.  Our daughter in Maine sees them on a fairly regular basis.

I saw two goldfinches today, perhaps fighting over turf. 

We've been hosting the Festival of House Sparrows.  They seem to like perching on the awning over our living room windows, and they chatter chatter chatter and fly back and forth all day.  I've been trying to determine whether there is a nest up in the mechanism—I don't think so, but I'm not sure.  Because of the uncertainty, I've been reluctant to roll the awning down (windows face due west).  Also, the awning is in bad shape and needs replacing, but I don't want to disturb the birds!  I know that house sparrows are an invasive species, but I enjoy their antics.  I guess I'll wait until fall to replace the awning.  The world will not stop spinning on its axis.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 23, 2021, 05:37:42 AM
Quote from: cathwen on March 22, 2021, 03:49:06 PM
Bald eagle sightings are always exciting!  What a thrill for you and your mother. I've seen them around here, but infrequently.  Our daughter in Maine sees them on a fairly regular basis.

I saw two goldfinches today, perhaps fighting over turf. 

We've been hosting the Festival of House Sparrows.  They seem to like perching on the awning over our living room windows, and they chatter chatter chatter and fly back and forth all day.  I've been trying to determine whether there is a nest up in the mechanism—I don't think so, but I'm not sure.  Because of the uncertainty, I've been reluctant to roll the awning down (windows face due west).  Also, the awning is in bad shape and needs replacing, but I don't want to disturb the birds!  I know that house sparrows are an invasive species, but I enjoy their antics.  I guess I'll wait until fall to replace the awning.  The world will not stop spinning on its axis.

I did not know that house sparrows are invasive.  And I, too, wouldn't disturb nests......I've had to watch porch plants die around a nests.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on March 25, 2021, 06:42:07 AM
I found the nest!  It's right up there, hidden in the workings of the awning.  I found it because I saw a piece of dried grass waft down past the living room window.  When I went out, I saw a clump of grass poking out from the awning mechanism—and then two house sparrows noisily exited.  Now we'll have to wait until fall to replace that awning, but since I can't roll it down anyway, few people will notice how ratty it is.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on March 25, 2021, 07:18:39 AM
The birds are out in full spring force here.  I woke up at the same time they did this morning.  There was quite a variety within earshot.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on March 26, 2021, 10:13:22 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on March 23, 2021, 05:37:42 AM
Quote from: cathwen on March 22, 2021, 03:49:06 PM
Bald eagle sightings are always exciting!  What a thrill for you and your mother. I've seen them around here, but infrequently.  Our daughter in Maine sees them on a fairly regular basis.

I saw two goldfinches today, perhaps fighting over turf. 

We've been hosting the Festival of House Sparrows.  They seem to like perching on the awning over our living room windows, and they chatter chatter chatter and fly back and forth all day.  I've been trying to determine whether there is a nest up in the mechanism—I don't think so, but I'm not sure.  Because of the uncertainty, I've been reluctant to roll the awning down (windows face due west).  Also, the awning is in bad shape and needs replacing, but I don't want to disturb the birds!  I know that house sparrows are an invasive species, but I enjoy their antics.  I guess I'll wait until fall to replace the awning.  The world will not stop spinning on its axis.

I did not know that house sparrows are invasive.  And I, too, wouldn't disturb nests......I've had to watch porch plants die around a nests.

They are horribly invasive and destructive!  Between them and the starlings, we almost lost Eastern Bluebirds.  They not only compete with them for nest holes but will physically attack nestlings and adults.

Nebo, if you're careful you can water around the nest.  After all, they built there b/c of the cover from the plant - and coping with rain is just a normal part of nesting!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 27, 2021, 06:20:25 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on March 26, 2021, 10:13:22 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on March 23, 2021, 05:37:42 AM
Quote from: cathwen on March 22, 2021, 03:49:06 PM
Bald eagle sightings are always exciting!  What a thrill for you and your mother. I've seen them around here, but infrequently.  Our daughter in Maine sees them on a fairly regular basis.

I saw two goldfinches today, perhaps fighting over turf. 

We've been hosting the Festival of House Sparrows.  They seem to like perching on the awning over our living room windows, and they chatter chatter chatter and fly back and forth all day.  I've been trying to determine whether there is a nest up in the mechanism—I don't think so, but I'm not sure.  Because of the uncertainty, I've been reluctant to roll the awning down (windows face due west).  Also, the awning is in bad shape and needs replacing, but I don't want to disturb the birds!  I know that house sparrows are an invasive species, but I enjoy their antics.  I guess I'll wait until fall to replace the awning.  The world will not stop spinning on its axis.

I did not know that house sparrows are invasive.  And I, too, wouldn't disturb nests......I've had to watch porch plants die around a nests.

They are horribly invasive and destructive!  Between them and the starlings, we almost lost Eastern Bluebirds.  They not only compete with them for nest holes but will physically attack nestlings and adults.

Nebo, if you're careful you can water around the nest.  After all, they built there b/c of the cover from the plant - and coping with rain is just a normal part of nesting!

Thanks for both pieces of info.  I didn't water as I was concerned about disturbing them more than drowning them.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on March 28, 2021, 10:38:35 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on March 27, 2021, 06:20:25 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on March 26, 2021, 10:13:22 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on March 23, 2021, 05:37:42 AM
Quote from: cathwen on March 22, 2021, 03:49:06 PM
Bald eagle sightings are always exciting!  What a thrill for you and your mother. I've seen them around here, but infrequently.  Our daughter in Maine sees them on a fairly regular basis.

I saw two goldfinches today, perhaps fighting over turf. 

We've been hosting the Festival of House Sparrows.  They seem to like perching on the awning over our living room windows, and they chatter chatter chatter and fly back and forth all day.  I've been trying to determine whether there is a nest up in the mechanism—I don't think so, but I'm not sure.  Because of the uncertainty, I've been reluctant to roll the awning down (windows face due west).  Also, the awning is in bad shape and needs replacing, but I don't want to disturb the birds!  I know that house sparrows are an invasive species, but I enjoy their antics.  I guess I'll wait until fall to replace the awning.  The world will not stop spinning on its axis.

I did not know that house sparrows are invasive.  And I, too, wouldn't disturb nests......I've had to watch porch plants die around a nests.

They are horribly invasive and destructive!  Between them and the starlings, we almost lost Eastern Bluebirds.  They not only compete with them for nest holes but will physically attack nestlings and adults.

Nebo, if you're careful you can water around the nest.  After all, they built there b/c of the cover from the plant - and coping with rain is just a normal part of nesting!

Thanks for both pieces of info.  I didn't water as I was concerned about disturbing them more than drowning them.

I don't think that occasional disturbance will bother most birds - professionals monitor nest boxes to weigh and band young, for example.

In other news, my new wren house seem to be hosting a pair of chickadees.  I think they're still incubating.  I've seen a discarded egg shell that was probably mourning dove, but no signs (regular trips to the feeder...) that anyone else has nestlings yet.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 06, 2021, 06:55:35 AM
Have returned home from Winter Quarters (even though last frost date is mid May).  Three pileateds out back!!!  Never seen more than one at a time.  Bluebird in front yard; hope it nests.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 06, 2021, 09:47:21 AM
Don't bluebirds like boxes?

I think I recall that from this book:

   https://www.amazon.fr/Beakless-Bluebirds-Featherless-Penguins-Observations/dp/1878919059

Oh, I may have shared it before...anyway...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 06, 2021, 01:31:55 PM
Over the weekend I saw pictures of a juvenile eagle that my parents photographed perching in their yard recently.  It didn't stay around for long.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 07, 2021, 04:57:41 AM
Quote from: mamselle on April 06, 2021, 09:47:21 AM
Don't bluebirds like boxes?

I think I recall that from this book:

   https://www.amazon.fr/Beakless-Bluebirds-Featherless-Penguins-Observations/dp/1878919059

Oh, I may have shared it before...anyway...

M.

A blue bird box has been provided (for many years) for their cohabitation.  I did a lot of reading before I put it up....even measured the distance from the ground.  Got a bit anal about it, actually.  I've seen adults flitting in and out, but never seen babies emerge.  I do know they nest there, though.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on April 08, 2021, 03:51:44 PM
I saw a yellow-rumped warbler this morning, the first warbler I've seen this spring. 

And I *may* have seen a bald eagle--a large dark raptor-type bird with a white head.  It flew behind some trees before I could get a really good look.  But I don't know what else it could have been.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on April 08, 2021, 06:44:52 PM
That does sound like a bald eagle as hawks have darker heads. I saw one last week.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 09, 2021, 07:15:12 AM
A bird at street side
Standing and looking around
Waiting for a bus?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: sinenomine on April 09, 2021, 02:38:03 PM
This afternoon I took advantage of the lovely Spring weather and sat on the porch while writing an article. It's about a musical piece, so I was whistling passages as I wrote. As I whistled, about a dozen birds flocked around, perching on railings and shrubs and looking at me.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 09, 2021, 02:41:02 PM
I love that image.

Thanks!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 09, 2021, 07:19:45 PM
Quote from: sinenomine on April 09, 2021, 02:38:03 PM
This afternoon I took advantage of the lovely Spring weather and sat on the porch while writing an article. It's about a musical piece, so I was whistling passages as I wrote. As I whistled, about a dozen birds flocked around, perching on railings and shrubs and looking at me.

They were admiring your Bird accent. You must be very fluent.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on April 09, 2021, 08:55:47 PM
One of the two barred owlets on the Wild Birds Unlimited/Cornell Lab of Ornithology Webcam has hatched! (http://128.48.30.254/images/NewYear2002/index.html)


There's another webcam featuring a great horned owl family who've taken over a bald eagle nest in Kansas, which has gorgeous lighting in the mornings (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUY5C1LeeHE).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 10, 2021, 06:18:58 AM
Blue birds flitting in and out of nesting box!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 10, 2021, 06:05:23 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on April 10, 2021, 06:18:58 AM
Blue birds flitting in and out of nesting box!

Yea!

When they get older they can be Camp Fire Girls....

M.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 11, 2021, 06:30:05 AM
Quote from: mamselle on April 10, 2021, 06:05:23 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on April 10, 2021, 06:18:58 AM
Blue birds flitting in and out of nesting box!

Yea!

When they get older they can be Camp Fire Girls....

M.

I was a Brownie/Girl Scout so I had to google this!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 11, 2021, 07:43:38 AM
Quote from: namazu on April 09, 2021, 08:55:47 PM
One of the two barred owlets on the Wild Birds Unlimited/Cornell Lab of Ornithology Webcam has hatched! (http://128.48.30.254/images/NewYear2002/index.html)


There's another webcam featuring a great horned owl family who've taken over a bald eagle nest in Kansas, which has gorgeous lighting in the mornings (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUY5C1LeeHE).

Can't get in on the first, but you're right about the second:

  The light, the wind ruffling their downy baby feathers, and the colors are just gorgeous!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on April 11, 2021, 02:07:24 PM
Quote from: mamselle on April 11, 2021, 07:43:38 AM
Quote from: namazu on April 09, 2021, 08:55:47 PM
One of the two barred owlets on the Wild Birds Unlimited/Cornell Lab of Ornithology Webcam has hatched! (http://128.48.30.254/images/NewYear2002/index.html)


There's another webcam featuring a great horned owl family who've taken over a bald eagle nest in Kansas, which has gorgeous lighting in the mornings (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUY5C1LeeHE).

Can't get in on the first, but you're right about the second:

  The light, the wind ruffling their downy baby feathers, and the colors are just gorgeous!
On the barred owl cam, you may need to hit play twice for it to "take".  The second barred owlet hatched today.

Meanwhile, I saw one of the horned owlets eat a snake live and whole!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on April 12, 2021, 07:19:21 AM
That's the kind of thing that used to trigger my older daughter to say, in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "Isn't nature beautiful?" 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on April 12, 2021, 07:53:17 AM
Quote from: cathwen on April 12, 2021, 07:19:21 AM
That's the kind of thing that used to trigger my older daughter to say, in a voice dripping with sarcasm, "Isn't nature beautiful?"
Yep.  "Red in tooth [beak?] and claw," indeed. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on April 12, 2021, 09:44:21 AM
A red-winged blackbird sitting on a neighbor's fence. He must be lost or having an identity crisis as he was sitting with a flock of starlings.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 13, 2021, 07:10:17 AM
Birds singing outside
Invite me as I waken
To join the new day
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 13, 2021, 08:34:02 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on April 12, 2021, 09:44:21 AM
A red-winged blackbird sitting on a neighbor's fence. He must be lost or having an identity crisis as he was sitting with a flock of starlings.

Is it near water? The red-winged blackbirds I've known best all liked the reeds near the lake at our Camp Fire camp (interthreaduality).

I love their three-noted cry; almost sounds like a chord being chimed simultaneously.


^ And thanks for the haiku above!

We have those, too (at 4 AM, but I need to be getting up anyway, so it's all good...)

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on April 13, 2021, 09:30:58 AM
Quote from: mamselle on April 13, 2021, 08:34:02 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on April 12, 2021, 09:44:21 AM
A red-winged blackbird sitting on a neighbor's fence. He must be lost or having an identity crisis as he was sitting with a flock of starlings.

Is it near water? The red-winged blackbirds I've known best all liked the reeds near the lake at our Camp Fire camp (interthreaduality).

I love their three-noted cry; almost sounds like a chord being chimed simultaneously.


^ And thanks for the haiku above!

We have those, too (at 4 AM, but I need to be getting up anyway, so it's all good...)

M.

That was the surprising part, as there are red-winged blackbirds aplenty in the nearby parks (5-15 miles) which are near the water and have plenty of vegetation. This one must have strayed from one of the usual habitats.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on April 13, 2021, 10:53:20 AM
Mixed flocks may indicate a nearby predator.  Especially if it doesn't persist.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on April 13, 2021, 11:38:25 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on April 13, 2021, 09:30:58 AM
Quote from: mamselle on April 13, 2021, 08:34:02 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on April 12, 2021, 09:44:21 AM
A red-winged blackbird sitting on a neighbor's fence. He must be lost or having an identity crisis as he was sitting with a flock of starlings.
Is it near water? The red-winged blackbirds I've known best all liked the reeds near the lake at our Camp Fire camp (interthreaduality).
I love their three-noted cry; almost sounds like a chord being chimed simultaneously.
That was the surprising part, as there are red-winged blackbirds aplenty in the nearby parks (5-15 miles) which are near the water and have plenty of vegetation. This one must have strayed from one of the usual habitats.
I have observed, along the interstate in rural areas in the central US, red-winged blackbirds seemingly posted as sentries along fences paralleling the highway.  I assume that there's good eating in the fields or fallow areas.  One of these days I'll see if there's a periodicity to their presence (one bird every however many m).

Also, in looking up what red-winged blackbirds actually eat*, I just now learned that  the females of the species are not black birds at all, but dappled brown and white with a crimson patch at the shoulder (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/id).

*
Quote from: Cornell Lab of OrnithologyRed-winged Blackbirds eat mainly insects in the summer and seeds, including corn and wheat, in the winter. Sometimes they feed by probing at the bases of aquatic plants with their slender bills, prying them open to get at insects hidden inside. In fall and winter they eat weedy seeds such as ragweed and cocklebur as well as native sunflowers and waste grains.
(https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-winged_Blackbird/lifehistory)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 29, 2021, 08:08:17 AM
Question about bluebirds.  They are around, and I saw them going into their box a few weeks ago, but haven't really seen them since.  Then I saw half an egg shell on the ground near the box, and think it might be a bluebird shell, unless it's  robin's shell from a nest higher in the tree that I cannot spot.  I put out water and (dead) meal worms.  Should I empty the nest from the box or leave it alone.  I have not touched the box in several years, since I cleaned it out because of yucky ants crawling in.  The nest seems to be empty.  Your thoughts, please?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 29, 2021, 09:05:31 AM
Just learned that somebody I know has a pair of indigo buntings nesting around their yard.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 30, 2021, 05:30:35 AM
Quote from: apl68 on April 29, 2021, 09:05:31 AM
Just learned that somebody I know has a pair of indigo buntings nesting around their yard.

Drooling with envy.  We used to see them in this area, but not for many years.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on April 30, 2021, 06:29:46 AM
My iPad "wallpaper" is of an indigo bunting perched on a branch of our dogwood tree.  The photo was taken years ago; I haven't seen an indigo bunting since, although I used to see them every once in a while.  They are so beautiful!  And yes, I envy your neighbor, too, apl68.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 30, 2021, 08:06:58 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on April 29, 2021, 08:08:17 AM
Question about bluebirds.  They are around, and I saw them going into their box a few weeks ago, but haven't really seen them since.  Then I saw half an egg shell on the ground near the box, and think it might be a bluebird shell, unless it's  robin's shell from a nest higher in the tree that I cannot spot.  I put out water and (dead) meal worms.  Should I empty the nest from the box or leave it alone.  I have not touched the box in several years, since I cleaned it out because of yucky ants crawling in.  The nest seems to be empty.  Your thoughts, please?

The Anglican sister who wrote about bluebirds was a rehabilitator and (I think) used to have a website on them.

The injured bird whose care and breeding she documented was the sole survivor of a blue jay attack on the nest of 4 hatchlings she'd been studying, as I recall.

So, they do become fodder for ther creatures, sorry to say.

My sense was that human smells put them off, and interventions may be observed and keep them away. So I don't know about cleaning the nest...animals are more tolerant of some kinds of mess than we are.

But I don't know for sure, it might be best to contact a nearby state park with a bird/animal rehabilitation program and ask them.

If they're doing a census or narrative study, they might also be interested in whatever your observations were.

An Audubon Society regional group might also be useful as a resource.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: sinenomine on May 05, 2021, 03:05:43 AM
This could also go under the venting thread. I'm taking care of a farm right now, and as I walked through the barn this morning, a bird crapped on my head. Not a great way to start the day, running in to quickly wash my hair under the kitchen tap before continuing chores!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 05, 2021, 04:05:40 AM
Quote from: sinenomine on May 05, 2021, 03:05:43 AM
This could also go under the venting thread. I'm taking care of a farm right now, and as I walked through the barn this morning, a bird crapped on my head. Not a great way to start the day, running in to quickly wash my hair under the kitchen tap before continuing chores!

Oh dear.

Yesterday, I ventured out to a grocery store with a vaulted overhang.  Lots of chirping birds hanging out under it.  I looked up, then quickly thought about the possible consequences.....and looked down!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 12, 2021, 02:19:07 PM
A couple of ospreys circling overhead, on the parkway near a large lake. It was stop-and-go traffic, so I had a good view of the birds which helped with the identification. There were other large birds of prey flying across the parkway on other stretches along the shore but didn't dare take my eyes off the road as traffic was moving at the normal speed.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 16, 2021, 09:50:20 AM
The cardinal family has raised another brood. I saw a female feeding fledglings suet from the feeder this morning.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 20, 2021, 07:24:00 AM
Indigo bunting sighted in my parents' yard.  They've had them before.

I haven't seen them around my house so far this season.  Maybe after I mow my yard they'll be among the birds attracted by the post-mowing bug buffet.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on May 20, 2021, 08:29:21 AM
I thi-i-i-nk I saw the kingfisher that sometimes hangs out along the brook near the road near my place.

It was on a low-hanging branch midway downstream, so a bit far to see for certain.

I know I've heard it before there, and the ghoulish, Jurassic-Park-raptor-like cry that so terrified me one night,  as he flew under the bridge, leads me to feel justified in, literally, calling it one of his "haunts."

But the bird was enjoying the cool shade under the trees, so I can't be positive.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 20, 2021, 11:30:37 AM
While walking to lunch I saw a light-colored bird fly over and perch on a car antenna.  The lighting was such that I saw the bird well before I saw the antenna.  It looked like the bird was perching on thin air.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Charlotte on May 21, 2021, 06:06:04 AM
I have a question for anyone who might know:

I have a nest at my house that is occupied by robins every year. Do robins return to the same nest yearly or are these different robins nesting here every year?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on May 21, 2021, 09:03:26 AM
They will reuse nests, or at least successful nest sites.  They may reline or build atop an old nest.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: waterboy on May 22, 2021, 04:35:53 AM
Had our first ever rose-breasted grosbeak.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on May 31, 2021, 01:11:19 PM
OMG, just 5 minutes ago, a hawk (broad-shouldered?) ate a late lunch in our front yard. It took about 3 minutes to shred and scarf down some kind of rodent, then it took off across the street. Fast food anyone?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Morden on June 01, 2021, 07:23:52 AM
The owlets in our front tree were hopping around the branches last night. Lots of wing flapping, but no flying (yet).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 10, 2021, 04:26:18 PM
I feel as if I am channeling Cruella Deville.  Although porch plants and rocking chairs await us on the back porch, it's been a tad cool for porch sitting.  I secluded a lovely oxalis toward the wall and between two chairs, to shelter it from any cool nights.  Yesterday, I snipped off old growth.

Today, two happy wrens were building a charming nest in it.   Next week, porch sitting will commence.

Porch sitting and wren nesting are not compatible.

I moved the oxalis to the railing.

Wrens fly happily to the top of the rocking chair.  Oxalis and nest gone.

Even if they find the oxalis by the rail, the location is far from idea.  Sigh.....

OTOH:  Wrens nesting happily on front porch, in container hanging from the eave.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on June 11, 2021, 06:05:50 AM
I've seen a female ruby-throated hummingbird zooming and hovering around our patio recently.  She's been attracted to the salvia I planted, but has also been investigating the legs of our charcoal grill—I wonder what is attracting her there?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on June 11, 2021, 07:41:08 AM
Quote from: cathwen on June 11, 2021, 06:05:50 AM
I've seen a female ruby-throated hummingbird zooming and hovering around our patio recently.  She's been attracted to the salvia I planted, but has also been investigating the legs of our charcoal grill—I wonder what is attracting her there?

Can she see her reflection in the legs?

We have ruby-throated hummingbirds in our backyard. Sometimes I hear them cussing at someone in the front yard. I've also seen the females take spider web silk to use in nest-making.

A hawk (maybe the one I saw earlier) landed in a tree in the front yard. Broad-shouldered maybe?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 11, 2021, 11:02:55 AM
His tailor might be able to tell you.

It would depend on chest size, probably..

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on June 11, 2021, 12:01:48 PM
Quote from: mamselle on June 11, 2021, 11:02:55 AM
His tailor might be able to tell you.

It would depend on chest size, probably..

M.

Oy!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 16, 2021, 10:11:14 AM
Sorry.

In other avian news, my 6 AM walking time is netting some interesting views.

Yesterday, a swan and four cygnets, probably a month or so old now.

They stayed clustered near her (unlike the ducks I've seen, who paddle diligently at set distances from each other in a neat line) and when I came closer, they all scurried around to her other side (silly little things, I could still see their heads, of course...!)

Earlier, I'd seen a large white blur take off further down the river that I thought might have been a tern or some other non-grey, seagull-looking critter, but now I wonder if it might not have been the father on a fishing spree.

Then it was all quiet again.

M. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on June 16, 2021, 02:49:32 PM
Quote from: mamselle on June 16, 2021, 10:11:14 AM
Sorry.

In other avian news, my 6 AM walking time is netting some interesting views.

Yesterday, a swan and four cygnets, probably a month or so old now.

They stayed clustered near her (unlike the ducks I've seen, who paddle diligently at set distances from each other in a neat line) and when I came closer, they all scurried around to her other side (silly little things, I could still see their heads, of course...!)

Earlier, I'd seen a large white blur take off further down the river that I thought might have been a tern or some other non-grey, seagull-looking critter, but now I wonder if it might not have been the father on a fishing spree.

Then it was all quiet again.

M.

Neat!

That hawk came back and landed in the tree by the porch again (maybe 15 ft. from the house).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 26, 2021, 05:36:48 AM
My state, and surrounding states have issued alerts about bird deaths and recommended removing bird feeders (hummer feeders OK), which I have done.

Has anyone else?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 26, 2021, 07:44:00 AM
Deaths based on...?poisoned food, or ?predators lurking, or...?

New issue to me.

Unless it's dive-bombing bully-bird hummers protecting "Their" feeders....

   https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/25/hubert-the-hummingbird-is-a-serial-feeder-bully-in-hayward/

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 26, 2021, 07:46:54 AM
Quote from: mamselle on June 26, 2021, 07:44:00 AM
Deaths based on...?poisoned food, or ?predators lurking, or...?

New issue to me.

Unless it's dive-bombing bully-bird hummers protecting "Their" feeders....

   https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/25/hubert-the-hummingbird-is-a-serial-feeder-bully-in-hayward/

M.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/scientists-don-t-know-why-hundreds-birds-are-getting-sick-n1271936
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 26, 2021, 07:53:55 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 26, 2021, 07:46:54 AM
Quote from: mamselle on June 26, 2021, 07:44:00 AM
Deaths based on...?poisoned food, or ?predators lurking, or...?

New issue to me.

Unless it's dive-bombing bully-bird hummers protecting "Their" feeders....

   https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/06/25/hubert-the-hummingbird-is-a-serial-feeder-bully-in-hayward/

M.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/animal-news/scientists-don-t-know-why-hundreds-birds-are-getting-sick-n1271936

Wow. Weird and sad.

My first thought is climate change; their little bodies are probably very sensitive to even a degree or two more heat in the air.

Other stray considerations might include some kind of increased radiation in the atmosphere as we all use more devices that depend on various kinds of waves traveling about, or just the toxicity buildup of other DDT-like poisons like those Carson described so long ago.

Can't imagine a world without birdsong.

Don't want to.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on June 26, 2021, 01:38:03 PM
I have a catbird who has taken to squawking at me whenever I go out on my deck.  It acts like I  am encroaching on territory but I have yet to find a nest.

I am amused by the attitude.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 26, 2021, 02:46:11 PM
Catbirds is all about 'tude....

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 27, 2021, 05:22:46 AM
Ok, sorry, double, but many hours later...

Early walk this AM was cool...both swans were out with the four little cygnets (...still too young to turn their heads side-to-side while doing emboites en ligne, of course),  and the blue heron was doing his "stand-still-and-look-like-a-stick" impression, which nearly did fool me, since he was right next to a knot of branches--probably windfall, from all the mast on the path.

I forgot to note the other day that a huge ol' turtle was beside the path near the main part of the river (I live right along its confluence with a very old brook), about 10" x 12" or more in ovoid dimensions, and at least 5" from mizzenmast to keel. His tiny 4" x 5" cousin was sunning himself on a log midstream.

I heard a very loud "plop" behind me as I passed that point today, and I'm guessing that was him/(?her) diving in.

I must have missed him lumbering along right next to the bank as I was walking by.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on June 30, 2021, 06:07:13 AM
This morning my husband and I watched a hummingbird greedily gathering nectar from our salvia (we have two kinds).  He would fly off, then come zooming back for more, and then more again.  I never get tired of hummingbirds!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Catherder on June 30, 2021, 10:24:45 AM
Quote from: cathwen on June 30, 2021, 06:07:13 AM
This morning my husband and I watched a hummingbird greedily gathering nectar from our salvia (we have two kinds).  He would fly off, then come zooming back for more, and then more again.  I never get tired of hummingbirds!

Neither do I, but I just took down the hummingbird feeder because in this heat it's probably unhealthy. So the little guys are seriously annoyed and keep flying at me and chittering.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: ciao_yall on June 30, 2021, 11:44:01 AM
Quote from: Catherder on June 30, 2021, 10:24:45 AM
Quote from: cathwen on June 30, 2021, 06:07:13 AM
This morning my husband and I watched a hummingbird greedily gathering nectar from our salvia (we have two kinds).  He would fly off, then come zooming back for more, and then more again.  I never get tired of hummingbirds!

Neither do I, but I just took down the hummingbird feeder because in this heat it's probably unhealthy. So the little guys are seriously annoyed and keep flying at me and chittering.

They probably need the water! You should consider putting it back up. Maybe drop in an ice cube and leave it in the shade if you are worried about it getting too warm.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 07, 2021, 08:13:26 AM
This morning's walk netted many photos of two swan families.

The first had two cygnets, larger and probably older than the four I saw a week ago; the second two appeared to be empty-nesters.

So, I'm guessing, three families along the brook, river, and three nearby kettle-hole ponds that are all connected to each other.

My guess is the older, chick-less swans live on the pond further upstream; I've seen one next along the brook that feeds into that stream, which I suspect is the home of the family of six, and the couple with two older offspring could be anywhere along those connecting lines.

It was fun doing the "silent point" to passers-by again; later in the day (i.e., 8 AM instead of 6) there are more folks about, as well as birds, it seems.

The older pair seemed to have found a good spot for underwater food, they kept diving half-way down, just with their necks, looking like mounds of whipped-cream floating on top of the water.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on July 07, 2021, 10:04:21 AM
Quote from: mamselle on July 07, 2021, 08:13:26 AM
This morning's walk netted many photos of two swan families.

The first had two cygnets, larger and probably older than the four I saw a week ago; the second two appeared to be empty-nesters.

So, I'm guessing, three families along the brook, river, and three nearby kettle-hole ponds that are all connected to each other.

My guess is the older, chick-less swans live on the pond further upstream; I've seen one next along the brook that feeds into that stream, which I suspect is the home of the family of six, and the couple with two older offspring could be anywhere along those connecting lines.

It was fun doing the "silent point" to passers-by again; later in the day (i.e., 8 AM instead of 6) there are more folks about, as well as birds, it seems.

The older pair seemed to have found a good spot for underwater food, they kept diving half-way down, just with their necks, looking like mounds of whipped-cream floating on top of the water.

M.

That sounds like a lovely set of birds in a lovely environment.

I'm told that some years ago the big pond at our city park had some swans on it.  Then an alligator wandered in and ate them.  The park hasn't had gators in recent years, but there have been no subsequent efforts to bring in swans.  Just some notoriously cranky tame geese, and an itinerant population of grey herons, egrets, and wild ducks.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 07, 2021, 12:52:27 PM
The only crocs here are the ones the kids wear, thankfully.

;--}

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Parasaurolophus on July 07, 2021, 10:19:35 PM
Three vultures this morning. (Turkey, surely.)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on July 08, 2021, 05:54:37 AM
Yesterday evening both cats had their noses pressed to the window that leads to their catio. I thought they just wanted to go out (they had been shut in during the day with the AC on), but luckily their intensity made me look and there was a recently fledged sparrow hopping around in there. I have no idea how it got in, as the mesh is too small, but it clearly couldn't get out. I went out and opened the exterior catio door, but it kept hiding in corners until I went in and herded it out with my hand. Poor things was terrified, but not as terrified as it would have been if I'd let the cats out!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on July 08, 2021, 07:19:28 AM
Quote from: mamselle on July 07, 2021, 12:52:27 PM
The only crocs here are the ones the kids wear, thankfully.

;--}

M.

Reptiles seem to like it around here.  In my tenure at the library I've had to evacuate lizards from the building, deal with snakes on several occasions, and relocate a big snapping turtle that showed up one morning in the library's driveway.  We're far enough from the nearest stream that we've never seen a gator.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 21, 2021, 06:20:57 AM
I'm worried about some of the swans, although the herons seem to be doing very well.

With all the rain in the last week-ten days, the brook and the river it feeds were up a lot....I'd say 6 inches at least.

I know one of the swan nests used to be down a ways, on a ledge right on the water's edge, and when I walked that way yesterday it looked washed out. I don't go down that way as often, so I don't know if any of this year's birds were using the site or not, but if they were (they often return annually to a nest site) that might explain their absence...I'm guessing it was the six I was calling "Family A," with 4 egrets, who haven't been out since the rains began.

I saw "Family B" both yesterday and today, but instead of 2 gray-white juveniles, there was only one.  I also saw whitish-grey feathers up on the bank (could have also been a seagull squabble). So they may have come through with just one loss.

The mature pair haven't been down at all, but if I'm right and they live up in the feeder lakes, they may not be for a bit...probably re-doing their own nests.

There were four herons, though, most I've ever seen in a day.

Two did the Jurassic full-spread flight thing under the bridge, heading upriver. One was standing a ways from them, downstream by the submerged branches, and much smaller one was near a small cross-town bridge where there are sometimes human fisherfolk.

No camera, it's full, gotta download stuff today.

But visual memory is also compelling.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 26, 2021, 12:42:22 PM
Update 5 days later...

"Family B" is all together, alive and well, and they've camped out near the confluence of the brook and the river with both juveniles; I've seen them there or nearby three times since the last post.

Another family ("Family D"?) was upriver a bit, with one similarly-aged, light-grey juvenile attended by two full-grown adults.

No sight of the two larger, apparently older, chick-less birds (Family A) and still no sign of the 4-little-swans+2 parents group (Family C), although again, there are several further areas up- and down-stream that would take me longer to walk to in the AM than I can usually spare.

One heron came joyfully zooming past me in the large open lane running over the center of the main river, going so fast I barely got my phone up for a picture, and it's probably a blur.

Ducks in abundance now, too; a family of 5 slightly older ducklings were going under the bridge yesterday, and what looked like 10, total (8 little ones, 2 adults) were making their way along the reeds on the side of the brook where they seem to have started hanging out and foraging along the boardwalk.

I've been out every AM now, looking for them, which has improved my walking time AND given me many more pictures to peel off the phone's camera files before it fills up again....

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on July 27, 2021, 08:38:42 AM
I've had lots of visits by cardinals, sparrows, wrens, blue jays, and a beautiful two-toned dark-gray on gray bird I haven't yet managed to identify.

My "home office" is set up in a corner of our dining room, so the wrought-iron railing on our front porch is just outside the window nearest my desk. It's amazing how close some birds will come to my window.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 27, 2021, 11:04:59 AM
Cool!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on July 28, 2021, 05:30:53 AM
Quote from: paultuttle on July 27, 2021, 08:38:42 AM
I've had lots of visits by cardinals, sparrows, wrens, blue jays, and a beautiful two-toned dark-gray on gray bird I haven't yet managed to identify.

My "home office" is set up in a corner of our dining room, so the wrought-iron railing on our front porch is just outside the window nearest my desk. It's amazing how close some birds will come to my window.

Might the grey bird be a catbird? 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on July 28, 2021, 06:37:12 AM
I was also going to suggest catbird.  Or perhaps a female cowbird?

Saturday my husband and I went on a trail walk with our daughter's family and came to a large pond with several great blue herons.  One suddenly flew up and swooped around, soon joined by a second one.  We stood transfixed, watching the dance of the great blue herons in awe—it was so beautiful and graceful! 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 28, 2021, 06:41:00 AM
Agreed. They are sooo cool.

They have a kind of prehistoric dignity as they step about, one minute, and then they swoop away as if precursors to transatlantic flight.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on July 31, 2021, 06:17:36 AM
Seems like a number of birds have hatched around here recently.  And, unfortunately, I found a dead baby wren on the porch, near the nest.  Don't know if my canine or feline got it, though the canine pretty much ignored it and the feline is pretty old.  Yes, I would prefer to keep the feline inside, but the door is left ajar for the canine to roam inside the fenced yard.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 31, 2021, 10:10:54 AM
I took a much longer walk on Thursday and found "FamilyA" (I think) in a small pond on the opposite end of the brook from which I'd thought they were nesting.

It's far enough away, and blocked by a number of fallen limbs since the last 2 storms, that they probably just haven't bothered swimming up my way....their pond is definitely higher and probably has enough to forage on that they don't need to go further.

Family B remains in the same spot, they haven't built a nest, but they have been there each time I've gone by for the past 3 days. I've taken to just barely peeking and then walking on so as not to spook them, they have had enough to deal with.

No sign of Fanily A for two weeks now, but they could also be upstream, blocked by fallen limbs (and the river goes for a ways, so they could be fine, but I do miss them.)

The herons, however, have appeared in several new places, including one younger juvenile than I've ever seen before, about duck-sized, body-wise, but already well-schooled in the "stare-'em-down" frown and steady stance that made me look twice to be sure of what I was seeing.

On one jaunt, I saw 3 in succession, the baby, the older juvenile, and an adult flying downstream through an open tunnel of tree branches.

Bird-brained, I know...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on July 31, 2021, 03:29:41 PM
That sounds like a lovely walk, mamselle! 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 31, 2021, 08:44:46 PM
Thanks! It is.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 03, 2021, 12:50:19 PM
Double, two days later...

All of Family B were out, and the kids are nearly as big as their folks! They were tooling coolly upriver, hanging out in the water lilies under the shade of the oaks on the far side of the river.

Many pictures ensued...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on August 18, 2021, 02:36:04 PM
I'm going to have to take on a second job pretty soon, to keep these hummingbirds fed.  We only have 3 feeders, all with lots of flowers in bloom around each, but the birdies are still swarming the feeders.

We filled the two quarts out front yesterday evening, and just now again.  They were swarming ALHS while he filled the feeders--"Hurry up, guy! We're hungry!"
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on August 18, 2021, 04:27:20 PM
Quote from: AmLitHist on August 18, 2021, 02:36:04 PM
I'm going to have to take on a second job pretty soon, to keep these hummingbirds fed.  We only have 3 feeders, all with lots of flowers in bloom around each, but the birdies are still swarming the feeders.

We filled the two quarts out front yesterday evening, and just now again.  They were swarming ALHS while he filled the feeders--"Hurry up, guy! We're hungry!"

So cool! How many do you think you have and which type? We have just a couple of ruby-throated hummingbirds, but we also only have one feeder. I've thought about expanding the buffet for them. It's on my list of things to do in the backyard.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on August 19, 2021, 07:33:55 AM
On a hike near the Jersey shore:  several nests of ospreys ready to head south. Adolescents looked big enough to have fledged but saw just one (parent?) flying.  Such majestic birds.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on August 21, 2021, 10:46:18 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on August 18, 2021, 04:27:20 PM
Quote from: AmLitHist on August 18, 2021, 02:36:04 PM
I'm going to have to take on a second job pretty soon, to keep these hummingbirds fed.  We only have 3 feeders, all with lots of flowers in bloom around each, but the birdies are still swarming the feeders.

We filled the two quarts out front yesterday evening, and just now again.  They were swarming ALHS while he filled the feeders--"Hurry up, guy! We're hungry!"

So cool! How many do you think you have and which type? We have just a couple of ruby-throated hummingbirds, but we also only have one feeder. I've thought about expanding the buffet for them. It's on my list of things to do in the backyard.

They're all ruby-throated, with a lot more females than males at the feeders this summer.  I counted about 14 at one feeder this morning. and 8 at the other at the same time. I haven't been at the feeder in the back yard much this week, but ALHS says he sees about 10-12 around it in the early morning/evenings when he passes on his bike rides. 

He filled the front feeders again this morning, and he barely got them re-hung before the birds were back on them. He hoped they might perch while he was holding the feeder, but one or two did fly around his head!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on August 21, 2021, 11:14:28 AM
Quote from: AmLitHist on August 21, 2021, 10:46:18 AM
Quote from: evil_physics_witchcraft on August 18, 2021, 04:27:20 PM
Quote from: AmLitHist on August 18, 2021, 02:36:04 PM
I'm going to have to take on a second job pretty soon, to keep these hummingbirds fed.  We only have 3 feeders, all with lots of flowers in bloom around each, but the birdies are still swarming the feeders.

We filled the two quarts out front yesterday evening, and just now again.  They were swarming ALHS while he filled the feeders--"Hurry up, guy! We're hungry!"

So cool! How many do you think you have and which type? We have just a couple of ruby-throated hummingbirds, but we also only have one feeder. I've thought about expanding the buffet for them. It's on my list of things to do in the backyard.

They're all ruby-throated, with a lot more females than males at the feeders this summer.  I counted about 14 at one feeder this morning. and 8 at the other at the same time. I haven't been at the feeder in the back yard much this week, but ALHS says he sees about 10-12 around it in the early morning/evenings when he passes on his bike rides. 

He filled the front feeders again this morning, and he barely got them re-hung before the birds were back on them. He hoped they might perch while he was holding the feeder, but one or two did fly around his head!

So cool. Have you found any of their nests? I seem to recall we found one years ago in the backyard. It was soooo tiny. I think it had some lichen in it.  I've also mentioned seeing the females gather spider webs near our windows to help 'glue' their nests together. Have you seen them do this?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 21, 2021, 02:06:18 PM
I'm suffering swan-heron-duck-goose-turtle withdrawal.

Unhappy ankle the other day curtailed the walk a bit; it's fine now, but I've had to run errands the past two AMs so no brooks or rivers for me.

Arwk! Arwk!!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on September 08, 2021, 07:34:00 AM
Warning: the article and pictures of the heron dining on a rat in Central Park are not for the fainthearted.

https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/sometimes-youre-rat-sometimes-youre-great-blue-heron-swallowing-rat-whole

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 08, 2021, 07:53:23 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on September 08, 2021, 07:34:00 AM
Warning: the article and pictures of the heron dining on a rat in Central Park are not for the fainthearted.

https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/sometimes-youre-rat-sometimes-youre-great-blue-heron-swallowing-rat-whole

Yes, I did see that article.

Never seen one in the gustatory process, except maybe for a quick fish grab in the river before.

Nature red (or blue) in tooth and claw....

M
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 19, 2021, 08:18:18 PM
Twenty-four geese, two swans and a cat bird this AM.

No herons at all. I think they've migrated, maybe.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on September 29, 2021, 07:15:26 AM
The ivory-billed woodpecker is now officially extinct.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/28/climate/endangered-animals-extinct.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2021/09/29/endangered-species-ivory-billed-woodpecker/
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on September 29, 2021, 07:28:58 AM
East coast bird migration is fully under way. When we were at Cape May on Sunday there were 469 kestrels, 15 bald eagles, 144 kestrels, and hawks by the hundred that day alone  Question for birders asked my a younger family member: how do you know you aren't counting the same bird twice? 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 29, 2021, 08:57:58 AM
Oddly, I'm still seeing swans (two mature birds, still 'Family A' I think) around; I sort-of thought they'd migrated, at least a bit. (I know they're heavy--especially these two, they're huge now--but they do fly...I suspect ours are annually replenished as they take off from where they've been 'planted' for tourist purposes at a couple of public sights; when they wise up to the wider waterworld options around them, they scoot, and the city has to bring in new birds...)

If the winter isn't too bad, they might do OK by sticking around (and the juvenile heron, likewise; the other birds seem to have left him to fend for himself, and he doesn't seem to be in any hurry to leave; he wasn't out yesterday, but I got several videos of him the day before (and missed two cool fly-offs: he startled me so much I couldn't get the camera up and in place to catch his take-off, squawking to announce his flight plan to Bird Traffic Control, which mostly consists of about three clusters of ducks and a few lone geese tooling about.

I'm also getting mad at whomever is disturbing all the places the ducks like to sleep and forage in: do-gooder bio-phyto-zenophobes seem to think it's their bounden duty to uproot or cut down all the kudzu and so on they can find--thus denuding the ground around the river, taking out the roots that hold the soil in place, and bothering the birds, who have scrammed from all the places they were thronging to earlier this summer.

If they were planting alternative green stuff, I'd have less of a problem with it, but they're not. So the stuff they are trying to eradicate is just going to come back more hardily and handily, the banks of the rivers will get flatter and muddier and more spare, and the ducks, geese, turtles, and other critters (like the stray beaver, haven't seen him since the one sighting a month ago) will go find other, more protected areas (where I won't get to enjoy them--obviously, this is all about me...).

OK, rant over, that's been building, more typing and editing to do, just had to take a bird break and rest my brain for a bit.

M. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on September 29, 2021, 09:40:05 AM
Quote from: mamselle on September 29, 2021, 08:57:58 AM
Oddly, I'm still seeing swans (two mature birds, still 'Family A' I think) around; I sort-of thought they'd migrated, at least a bit. (I know they're heavy--especially these two, they're huge now--but they do fly...I suspect ours are annually replenished as they take off from where they've been 'planted' for tourist purposes at a couple of public sights; when they wise up to the wider waterworld options around them, they scoot, and the city has to bring in new birds...)

Mute swans (what we have) don't migrate-- they are non-native, and were introduced from Europe as decorative birds, but now reproduce and live year round in areas of the US including New England. Although pretty, they are environmentally problematic as they can displace native birds.
I'm quite sure bringing in swans is now illegal-- it is all natural reproduction.

Geese in MA likewise generally do not migrate, and you will see them in the winter in large numbers, especially in areas where water is not frozen over.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 29, 2021, 09:50:49 AM
Thanks. Interesting. I thought I'd read somewhere that these swans did migrate, so I guess I got that wrong!

If the 60 geese still honking overhead most mornings are any indication, I'd say they are pretty much holding their own (in fact, there is an egg-addling campaign going on since they like to forage in the nearby school athletic fields a lot, and are--angrily, at times, or aggressively--taking over parts of the riverside as well). 

In fact, of the three swan families I was following early in the summer, only this one has consistently appeared in the past month--perhaps the floods wiped the others out, although I was hoping they had just moved on somewhere.

I'm doing more pictures of the ducks as a result. Someone said there were some wood ducks hanging out as well as the mallards, but I haven't seen them yet.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: clean on October 14, 2021, 04:30:20 PM
Today, while reviewing and replying to these fora, I heard a very loud Bang on my house. I could not determine if it was the front door or the back windows.  I figured I d look out back first, and sure enough, there were feathers still floating about. 

Scanning the back yard, I saw a White Wing Dove (about the size of a small pigeon) in the grass.  I went outside to see if I could help it on its way. I tried to scoop it up and it fluttered frantically and moved a few feet forward.  As the grass is really wet from today's storms, I wasnt going to chase the bird around the soaked yard. 

Ill check later and either put it out of its misery , dispose of the evidence , or cheer its survival!

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 14, 2021, 05:36:32 PM
Poor bird. I hope it made it.

I keep mentioning the swans, herons, etc. on other threads--notably the weather thread, I guess--for which, apologies.

Still seeing the same two mature swans, "Family A" in my nomenclature, that I've seen since March, and have talked with a couple other afficionadoes who were following all three families and concluded, as I had, that B and C were either in other parts of the (longish) river system, or had been wiped out by one of the two or three major flooding storms we've seen since spring.

There were four herons, all told--a mature pair, a second-yearling, and a yearling; the first three seem to be gone, the yearling is still around--saw and photographed him yesterday, doing the bill-poking-out thing to tease fish up who think it's a water-strider, then, "Gulp! Dinner! Sorry, guys!"

Several ducks, still; about 20 geese but that's 40 fewer (by actual count) than before--they must have gone somewhere....

Also a blue jay seen twice now at the same time each AM methodically going along the same house's front gutter and tossing out twigs, and leaves, probably looking for bugs and doing a bit of housecleaning while he's at it. I got a few snaps of him, leaves in mid-air.

A catbird was within reaching distance, trying out his cardinal, about three days ago; yesterday, too, something swished hard and fast out of a tree overhanding the river, followed by another of its kind--too fast to see, flying flat over the water, then up and out of sight.

Big enough to be a kingfisher, and I've seen and heard one before along there, so that's what I'm calling it unless it introduces itself to me and tells me I'm wrong someday.

M.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: clean on October 15, 2021, 09:33:35 AM
I am happy to report that the 'house crasher' most likely survived!  I tried to find him/her last night by shining a flashlight   through the window, and didnt see the bird.  This morning, it is clearly gone!  (And no pile of feathers to indicate that it became a 'critter treat' in the night!)

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 15, 2021, 09:42:07 AM
Good news.

Yes, they sometimes get stunned, then recover and go on.

Glad that's what it looks like here.

I worked at one place that had a breezeway between two buildings; part of one building was a pre-school for the faculty there.

One of their projects each spring was to cut out and color a new bunch of paper birds to tape up on the windows so birds would realize it was a solid and not just open air and try to fly through.

The maintenance crew did such a good job that the glass was particularly transparent, in fact, so it was an ongoing problem.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Morden on October 15, 2021, 10:22:45 AM
Yesterday, dozens of magpies gathered to complain about the juvenile bald eagle sitting at the top of our spruce tree. It was fascinating to watch the different magpie personalities (and risk tolerance) as some complained from a safe distance, others did fly-bys, and one brave bird was trying to hover right in the eagle's personal space.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: clean on October 15, 2021, 03:21:16 PM
BIRD UPDATE...

I mowed the back yard today. 
The prior notice of a happy bird ending, was premature. 

Not that it wasnt a happy ending, but not for the bird.  I found the pile of feathers under a chair in the corner of the yard.  It looks like it was a Very Good Evening for another critter.


So it is a matter of perspective... Some Celebrate Sully Sullenberger for the Miracle on the Hudson, while geese world wide mark the event as The Massacre on the Hudson!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 17, 2021, 07:08:31 AM
Red shouldered hawk sat on my fence yesterday, about 6 feet from the side of the house.  I've seen it perch on nearby trees but never this close.  Wonder what it found interesting in my side yard?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: waterboy on October 17, 2021, 10:32:26 AM
A bald eagle and an osprey, all within 30 minutes. Made my day.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 17, 2021, 01:31:46 PM
Geese, swans and ducks, all in one frame.

And beautiful fall tree colors starting up...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 19, 2021, 07:13:53 AM
While walking at the park a little after dawn I heard an owl call several times nearby.  I was just about to locate it when it ceased.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on October 19, 2021, 07:56:49 AM
The other day I was walking along the river path at dusk when something suddenly hit me in the head. My first thought was that I had somehow walked into an overhanging branch, but there was none. Then I saw an owl glide just in front of me and land in a nearby tree! I have no idea if it somehow mistook my head for prey, or wasn't watching where it was going, but we both seemed quite surprised by this close encounter. I think it was an Eastern Screech Owl, but not certain
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 20, 2021, 06:45:11 AM
Quote from: Puget on October 19, 2021, 07:56:49 AM
The other day I was walking along the river path at dusk when something suddenly hit me in the head. My first thought was that I had somehow walked into an overhanging branch, but there was none. Then I saw an owl glide just in front of me and land in a nearby tree! I have no idea if it somehow mistook my head for prey, or wasn't watching where it was going, but we both seemed quite surprised by this close encounter. I think it was an Eastern Screech Owl, but not certain

Did you screech?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on October 20, 2021, 06:55:16 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on October 20, 2021, 06:45:11 AM
Quote from: Puget on October 19, 2021, 07:56:49 AM
The other day I was walking along the river path at dusk when something suddenly hit me in the head. My first thought was that I had somehow walked into an overhanging branch, but there was none. Then I saw an owl glide just in front of me and land in a nearby tree! I have no idea if it somehow mistook my head for prey, or wasn't watching where it was going, but we both seemed quite surprised by this close encounter. I think it was an Eastern Screech Owl, but not certain

Did you screech?

I see what you did there! Neither of us screeched but I certainly jumped.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on November 01, 2021, 05:52:25 AM
The juncos are back!  And hungry. They were scavenging seeds (I assume) from between the bricks on the patio when I saw them this morning and are now scarfing down the nijer I threw out (squirrels don't like it).  That should tide them over until I can get the feeder cleaned and up.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on November 01, 2021, 08:26:45 AM
Yes!  I saw a couple of juncos yesterday, too, for the first time this fall.  Now I'm waiting for the white-throated sparrows.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 02, 2021, 06:21:13 AM
Thanks for mentioning juncos.  I have them flitting around and always forget the name!  They are not year 'round here.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on November 02, 2021, 06:51:43 AM
Lots of bird activity this morning—perhaps because we're suppose to get frost tonight?  Carolina wrens, juncos, chickadees, robins, house sparrows, song sparrows, tufted titmice, downy woodpeckers, cedar waxwings—all have appeared at various times over the last couple of hours, especially in the tree across the way which seems to have berries that they like.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Morden on November 02, 2021, 10:55:59 AM
Yesterday as we walked by a hedge, there was a flurry of sparrows, and then a little falcon (I couldn't tell what type) who made it through a surprising small gap in a fence.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on November 02, 2021, 03:19:50 PM
I saw a hawk yesterday land on a telephone pole, followed by some squawking crows and blue jays, but by the time I got my camera out, they'd all moved off...

They followed him across the town line and kept up the racket.

M. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 03, 2021, 05:54:25 AM
Quote from: cathwen on November 02, 2021, 06:51:43 AM
Lots of bird activity this morning—perhaps because we're suppose to get frost tonight?  Carolina wrens, juncos, chickadees, robins, house sparrows, song sparrows, tufted titmice, downy woodpeckers, cedar waxwings—all have appeared at various times over the last couple of hours, especially in the tree across the way which seems to have berries that they like.

All of those (except cedar waxwings) plus towhees, one (confused) myrtle warble, and big flashy blue jays.  And we had frost last night.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on November 04, 2021, 07:12:53 AM
Lately we've had only a couple of crows in a large shopping center parking lot where once we had a whole flock of them (Or "murder," as the technical term seems to be.  Not sure why, unless it's a reference to the fact that being around large flocks of crows can make you feel like killing some of them).  Having fewer crows to watch and listen to is rather nice.  But I do wonder what's happened to the rest of them.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on November 04, 2021, 05:00:24 PM
Crows are considered a harbinger of death - hence a 'Murder of Crows' in the time of overblown animal group names (e.g. an Ostentation of Peacocks or a Bloat of Hippopotamuses (Hippopotomoi?))
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 05, 2021, 05:57:09 AM
Quote from: FishProf on November 04, 2021, 05:00:24 PM
Crows are considered a harbinger of death - hence a 'Murder of Crows' in the time of overblown animal group names (e.g. an Ostentation of Peacocks or a Bloat of Hippopotamuses (Hippopotomoi?))

I really like crows.  if they are truly harbingers of death, I'm dead ten times over for the past decade, since I've been living in the country!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on November 05, 2021, 07:13:44 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on November 05, 2021, 05:57:09 AM
Quote from: FishProf on November 04, 2021, 05:00:24 PM
Crows are considered a harbinger of death - hence a 'Murder of Crows' in the time of overblown animal group names (e.g. an Ostentation of Peacocks or a Bloat of Hippopotamuses (Hippopotomoi?))

I really like crows.  if they are truly harbingers of death, I'm dead ten times over for the past decade, since I've been living in the country!

I kind of like them too.  It's just that sometimes it feels like we have too much of a good thing.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on December 21, 2021, 07:19:05 AM
A formation of geese flew directly over me as I walked to work this morning.  Looks like they've decided that winter has been cancelled and are flying north again.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Parasaurolophus on December 21, 2021, 07:22:07 AM
There was a bald eagle in a tree by the river, and another very large bird, too. At first I thought it was a baldie too, but then I saw it had a dark head. Couldn't see it well apart from that. Maybe a golden eagle?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on December 21, 2021, 07:55:16 AM
Quote from: apl68 on December 21, 2021, 07:19:05 AM
A formation of geese flew directly over me as I walked to work this morning.  Looks like they've decided that winter has been cancelled and are flying north again.

Tell 'em to turn around and go back.

It's freezing up here (literally, just tuned 37 degrees, after a glacial 19-25 degrees last night...)

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on December 21, 2021, 11:29:04 AM
Quote from: mamselle on December 21, 2021, 07:55:16 AM
Quote from: apl68 on December 21, 2021, 07:19:05 AM
A formation of geese flew directly over me as I walked to work this morning.  Looks like they've decided that winter has been cancelled and are flying north again.

Tell 'em to turn around and go back.

It's freezing up here (literally, just tuned 37 degrees, after a glacial 19-25 degrees last night...)

M.

Can't blame the geese for being confused.  This weather has us all feeling that way.

I've seen wood ducks at the city park a few times lately.  And was honked at by the park's tame geese this morning.  Their wild cousins are SO much more inspiring!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on December 21, 2021, 01:17:19 PM
Earlier this afternoon, I caught a glance of something with dark-brown-and-white wings that looked a bit like a ruffed grouse flying up onto a low branch in the park next to my house.

By the time I'd stopped the car and looked back, it was gone.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on December 21, 2021, 03:49:55 PM
Quote from: paultuttle on December 21, 2021, 01:17:19 PM
Earlier this afternoon, I caught a glance of something with dark-brown-and-white wings that looked a bit like a ruffed grouse flying up onto a low branch in the park next to my house.

By the time I'd stopped the car and looked back, it was gone.

Was it this?

   https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2021/12/20/rare-asian-sea-eagle-massachusetts/

(kidding)...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on December 24, 2021, 06:23:59 AM
Wood storks and ospreys in Winter Quarters....and as with Summer Quarters:  chickadees.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: sinenomine on January 04, 2022, 01:07:10 PM
I encountered a bald eagle this morning while running errands; it was standing in the road, all of 20 feet in front of my car, and then flew off through an apple orchard. Very cool!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on January 04, 2022, 01:50:19 PM
Quote from: sinenomine on January 04, 2022, 01:07:10 PM
I encountered a bald eagle this morning while running errands; it was standing in the road, all of 20 feet in front of my car, and then flew off through an apple orchard. Very cool!

Definitely cool!

I saw five black vultures (looked like they were eating something on the side of the road) and, what I think were, two red shouldered hawks.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 04, 2022, 03:05:23 PM
I saw, first one and then several waterbirds with a lot of white and black...at first I thought possibly wood ducks, but looking them up, all the illustrations show more maroon and green and gold than I recall seeing.

They floated rather low in the water, and seemed smaller than the mallards I usually see...only other thing I could think of was a kingfisher but the only one I've seen in that area was much larger, and I think the colors are different, again, so....

Mystery bird, what art thou?

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on January 05, 2022, 06:10:11 AM
Several possibilities come to mind—scaups, goldeneyes, buffleheads, mergansers.  I used țo see all of these in winter when I lived in the Finger Lakes region.  Were they diving (disappearing under the water and reappearing) or dabbling (head underwater, rear sticking out above)?

If they were swimming in the water, they would not have been kingfishers.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on January 05, 2022, 06:53:05 AM
Quote from: mamselle on January 04, 2022, 03:05:23 PM
I saw, first one and then several waterbirds with a lot of white and black...at first I thought possibly wood ducks, but looking them up, all the illustrations show more maroon and green and gold than I recall seeing.

They floated rather low in the water, and seemed smaller than the mallards I usually see...only other thing I could think of was a kingfisher but the only one I've seen in that area was much larger, and I think the colors are different, again, so....

Mystery bird, what art thou?

M.

Knowing where you probably were, likely Common Mergansers. They are petty distinctive the way the float low in the water, and are certainly common there in the winter, often in company of mallards. Only the males are black and white though. The females have more of brown head and grey body.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 05, 2022, 09:41:30 AM
Aha, thanks, yes, I forgot about mergansers....

The hooded merganser, here, is what I saw...or a very near cousin....

   https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/hooded-merganser

And they were definitely diving and tipping back up again like little seesaws.

Fora-wisdom does it again, thanks!

A friend who is a naturalist used to talk about seeing them out on a northern lake where we were both camp counselors (and did a 4 AM loon watch once, that was cool, too...) but I didn't see them then, myself.

In looking up options, earlier, I did identify as Mandarin ducks some very, very colorful waterbirds seen in Northern France a few years back, too.

Apparently imported, they were hanging about an open-air zoo near a very early watermill race (I'd been researching its 12th c. establishment as a bakery site for the nearby cathedral canons; a friend drove us to go see some of the early foundations for which there are account-book references in the archives)

Always had wondered what those were!

If I kept a life-list, I'd obviously add those to it...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on January 06, 2022, 06:07:49 AM
Seeing lots of mergansers in Winter Quarters....and one Bald Eagle.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on January 23, 2022, 09:19:20 AM
We have a good number of songbirds and other wildlife in the area- including Downy Woodpeckers. Unfortunately, I think there's one of the little shits making a nest cavity in my house. I love birds- really I do! I just don't want to share my house with them.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 23, 2022, 11:46:47 AM
We had squirrels get into the attic via the eaves above our bedroom when we were kids; it took a bit of doing to get them out.

One place I lived, a few years back, was in the 2nd floor of a house. I kept hearing something scrabbling about over my head near the bathroom one winter. I stopped using the washer/dryer unit which backed up to it, until it could be seen to, figuring it was a bird's nest in the vent. 

The heat might have caught a nest on fire, it seemed to me, although everyone else pooh-poohed the idea.

Turned out it was the shower vent: my neighbors saw a starling go in with twigs one day, and a worm the next; the scrabbling was the babies in the nest hatching and moving about (the ceiling was too well-insulated, so I hadn't heard them cheep).

The repair guy carefully escorted them to a nearby tree, nest and all, then put square thick wire over all the vents.

When he checked the other vent, there was an old, dry nest in there, too.

I was glad I'd stopped using the dryer....

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on January 26, 2022, 06:07:07 AM
A flock of about two dozen Brandt geese mostly in the water; a few of them were launching themselves from the rocks into the water. There were, in addition, groups of four to six swimming in other parts of the same stretch of water. Some of them were also foraging for food, plant-based, on the algae covering the rocks. The usual gulls were there in large numbers, happily eating whatever live morsels brought in by the tide.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on January 26, 2022, 06:34:24 AM
Kingfishers patrolling the creek when I scouted a hike this weekend.   (Not a bird, but I saw the fattest beaver I've ever seen swimming upstream a few minutes later)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on January 26, 2022, 11:26:59 AM
A bunch of geese were rather tightly packed into a small brook where I don't usually see geese. Its usually smaller g
Birds--ducks, the mergansers, the herons, and a cormorant, once--who show up there.

I was puzzled as to why the geese had chosen to cram themselves together Ike that, until I passed the confluence with the wider river where they usually hang out...er, swim around.

It was frozen solid. Not a waterbird in sight anywhere.

Suddenly, it all made sense.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 08, 2022, 08:15:35 PM
I had the displeasure of witnessing a hawk (red shouldered?), that had just caught a red-winged blackbird, process its kill in my backyard. That was a few days ago.

I also saw about 20 black vultures standing in someone's yard as if they were having some kind of ceremony.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on February 08, 2022, 09:24:21 PM
To mix group names, a congregation of vultures?

(Or else something large had died there and they were preparing for lunch...?)

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on February 09, 2022, 06:50:25 AM
Quote from: mamselle on February 08, 2022, 09:24:21 PM
To mix group names, a congregation of vultures?

(Or else something large had died there and they were preparing for lunch...?)

M.

I looked it up and a group of vultures is called a wake. Fitting.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on February 10, 2022, 05:50:34 AM
For some reason, I am rather fond of vultures.  Lots of road kill deer around here, so vultures are well fed.

Yesterday, a bald eagle flew about 15 over my head.  Wow!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on February 10, 2022, 07:14:35 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on February 10, 2022, 05:50:34 AM
For some reason, I am rather fond of vultures.  Lots of road kill deer around here, so vultures are well fed.

Yesterday, a bald eagle flew about 15 over my head.  Wow!

In the city, so squirrels, not deer, and crows, not vultures, but otherwise, same.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on February 15, 2022, 11:45:01 AM
It's getting to be Spring:  bluebirds started singing last weekend & a male pine warbler in gorgeous plumage bested an aggressive yellow-rump warbler in the feeder.  Also saw a golden-crowned kinglet!  Ruby-crowned are far more common, so I was thrilled.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on February 15, 2022, 03:51:14 PM
Wow, you get spring early.

It was 7 F when I arose this AM, warmed up to 22 around noon.

I haven't been out for a bit, and only to run errands when I was out last; the walkways I usually take to see the birds get slick, slippery, and slimy in various iterations of snow, sleet and rain, and I'm still wary of anything that could destabilize an upright walking figure the way it did a couple years ago! (Silly, really, I know, but there it is. I did NOT enjoy my time spent in a cast....)

We won't see spring for at least two months yet, maybe three.

So---Enjoy it for me!!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on February 17, 2022, 04:11:19 PM
Our buffleheads are back! At least for a while. It's so cool to watch them dive and hang out underwater, well,  too cold to watch the underwater part. They bob around much more than other ducks. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on February 17, 2022, 04:13:43 PM
I had to look that up.

Now I'm wondering if that's what I was seeing, rather than mergansers?

Are they related?

Now I'll have to look THAT up!

Tres cool.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on February 18, 2022, 05:13:18 AM
When I lived in Upstate NY, my husband and I used to drive up one of the lakes to watch the winter waterfowl.  My favorites were always the buffleheads.  Such cuties!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on February 27, 2022, 08:51:47 AM
Bird Alert!  Beautiful underwater view of an Anhinga hunting in Biscayne Bay / Port Miami this morning.  It's at 10:46:27 live-stream time - clock is in the lower left corner.  Will only be there for either 11 or 12 hours before it rolls off the live stream.  If you miss it, I'm almost positive it'll be reposted on various social media.

Coral City Camera:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8ARjIeM2k
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on February 27, 2022, 05:13:15 PM
I saw what looked like an Angel Fish, in terms of its flat, vertical body, but all silver, at that time--but no birds.

Was it diving, or is there an above-water view as well?

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on February 28, 2022, 07:04:37 AM
Quote from: mamselle on February 27, 2022, 05:13:15 PM
I saw what looked like an Angel Fish, in terms of its flat, vertical body, but all silver, at that time--but no birds.

Was it diving, or is there an above-water view as well?

M.

It was diving, swimming just above the rocks from L to R, looking between them for small fish.  Sorry you missed it!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Parasaurolophus on February 28, 2022, 09:58:58 AM
My partner saw a peregrine falcon eviscerating a living grey jay yesterday.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on February 28, 2022, 12:48:15 PM
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on February 28, 2022, 09:58:58 AM
My partner saw a peregrine falcon eviscerating a living grey jay yesterday.

I can now hear my older daughter's voice, dripping with sarcasm, saying:  "Isn't nature byooooo-ti-ful?"  When she was a teenager, she loved to point out the more horrifying aspects of the natural world. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on February 28, 2022, 01:47:54 PM
I once saw a hawk rising above an historic marker site with a bloodied rabbit dangling from its talons.

I had a similar response to that of your daughter.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mahagonny on March 06, 2022, 06:33:49 AM
Well, we had snow awhile back so wife made sure the bird feeders were full. Some of the seed gets knocked to the ground though, attracting rats. So I'm making coffee again and raising the blinds for some more rat watching.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 08, 2022, 02:11:24 PM
Lots of bluebirds.  A kestrel.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on March 08, 2022, 03:10:10 PM
The red-winged blackbirds have returned, so spring is coming!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Parasaurolophus on March 08, 2022, 04:50:19 PM
Quote from: cathwen on February 28, 2022, 12:48:15 PM
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on February 28, 2022, 09:58:58 AM
My partner saw a peregrine falcon eviscerating a living grey jay yesterday.

I can now hear my older daughter's voice, dripping with sarcasm, saying:  "Isn't nature byooooo-ti-ful?"  When she was a teenager, she loved to point out the more horrifying aspects of the natural world.

Quote from: mamselle on February 28, 2022, 01:47:54 PM
I once saw a hawk rising above an historic marker site with a bloodied rabbit dangling from its talons.

I had a similar response to that of your daughter.

M.

At my FIL's house, we once saw--from the kitchen--a hawk drape at least five feet of rat (?) intestines from a branch. 0_o
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on March 10, 2022, 10:47:59 AM
It is spring, complete with impending hard freeze!  The chickadees have nearly completed their very deep and detailed nest in the downy woodpecker box.  I don't think the early eggs will be harmed by to cold - not with that much insulation around them.  I just hope that no starlings decide they want that box....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 13, 2022, 06:57:13 PM
I saw a merlin swoop down on a smaller bird in the scrubby area. He flew up again, birdless, and then swooped down into another part of the underbrush. I've never seen a merlin at such close quarters.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on March 13, 2022, 08:46:53 PM
Did he have a dripping, bejeweled sword under one wing?

;--》

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on March 14, 2022, 12:23:08 PM
Migration has started!  Male Black and white warbler foraging around the patio on Saturday - right before the really cold night.  I hope it handled that ok....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 14, 2022, 05:21:25 PM
It was a good birding day. There were several mute swans, solos and pairs in the various ponds. The highlight was a swan flying in a wide circle overhead, honking the entire time. This was just an appetizer of sorts as soon afterward there were other swans flying and honking--probably a mating ritual. Then a pair of honking swans swooped quite low and were just a few feet above my head, much to my dismay and the amusement of the people nearby. They made several circles and then flew past the ponds and trails I could see. There were also several egrets, assorted ducks, warblers, a heron, and only three birds of prey despite this area attracting several species of birds of prey. At another location nearby, I saw several sapsuckers, warblers, nuthatches, bluejays, sparrows (not the common ones), cardinals, one of which had the reddest head I'd ever seen, and a host of other birds. Carolina wrens were everywhere as were the robins.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 15, 2022, 07:16:50 AM
To Langue_doc....WOW!  Would have loved to have been with you.

Ospreys are nesting here.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 15, 2022, 06:58:24 PM
nebo113, I'm in the birding mecca, in honor of Spring Break. If you're in an area that is home to ospreys in summer, you can probably guess the location.

More birds today, including the honking swans flying overhead. The sound was reminiscent of a locomotive of the steam era, so I'm not sure if the sound was the honking or the flapping of the wings. You hear the sound before the swan appears overhead.

According to the park ranger, the ospreys aren't here yet. She thought that it was too early. However, a couple of years ago this week (Spring Break) I had parked on a street near the park entrance which was barricaded because of Covid when I heard an osprey's squawk above me. There he was with a fish probably twice his size. The osprey settled down on a lamppost across the street from me with his talons on the fish which now looked like a large slab of something and started chomping on his meal. I sat down on some steps and watched him for about 20 minutes. The park ranger also told me to look for merlins along a couple of trails and for bald eagles who now prey on ducks (the fish settle to the bottom in winter, hence the feeding on ducks).

More refuge areas and trails tomorrow; as for the smaller birds, I recognized most of them but couldn't identify them, so will have to look them up in my bird books when I get home.

ETA: I just looked at the osprey picutes; the fish was lengthwise the same size as the osprey.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 16, 2022, 06:26:43 AM
Langue_doc......Never seen one with food in it's beak or claws, but manoman that beak!  I drive across a bridge where they often sit, and bridge speed is slow, so I get a good look at the beak.  Fierce!

Thanks for mentioning merlins.  I see the occasional kestrel but have not seen a merlin, though the range map shows non-breeding.

And wood storks!  Almost primeval looking.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on March 16, 2022, 09:16:46 AM
I've seen lots of meadowlarks lately driving to daughter's country house--probably a dozen over the past week, perched on utility poles or in trees along the road.  I've never seen one in town; she lives only about 10 miles north of me, but it's all fields and pastures and creeks.

On that same drive, I've seen turkey buzzards having lunch two different times.  And on the way home yesterday afternoon, a red tailed hawk grabbed a squirrel on the shoulder of the blacktop as I drove past.

The robins and cardinals are back in force and singing their heads off in our yard.  Yesterday I had ALHS take off the leaves that we always use to mulch my flower beds, so the robins are busy pulling out worms as long as they are (almost)!

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Morden on March 16, 2022, 10:26:09 AM
QuoteHowever, a couple of years ago this week (Spring Break) I had parked on a street near the park entrance which was barricaded because of Covid when I heard an osprey's squawk above me. There he was with a fish probably twice his size.
Have you ever seen them dive for their supper? It's amazing.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 16, 2022, 06:21:51 PM
Morden, yes; ospreys belong to my list of favorite birds. In summer I have the good fortune to spend a few days in prime osprey country where I can see osprey platforms, osprey chicks of assorted ages (this depends on the month/week of my visit) and ospreys diving into the water for food and also osprey parents squawking if they think you're too close to their nest. The parents take off from the nest but remain nearby until they think that the danger is over. In my neck of the woods, we can see them along some of the main drags where they sometimes sit on lamposts along the water looking for food. There are also osprey platforms in the state wildlife refuges in the city--the wildlife centers used to have osprey walks in addition to bird walks. I hope they resume these walks now that the covid-related restrictions have been lifted.

Today I must have seen at least 50 bird species. There were the usual swans, egrets, the turkey vultures overhead, robins, bluejays, woodpeckers I couldn't identify because they were on the other side of the tree trunk, the ubiquitous Carolina wrens, assorted warblers and other small birds that I have to look up in my bird books, three oystercatchers on the shore, a lone sanderling--I saw a flock of small birds fly along the shoreline, so I'm assuming that they must have been sanderlings, and a bald eagle.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 18, 2022, 08:38:45 AM
Saw a marsh hen/moor hen/rail yesterday!   I hear them frequently in the marsh, but they are impossible to spot.  Yesterday, I was driving around in the golf cart, so going slowly, when one dashed across the road, from one marsh to another.   Made my day.

On Wednesday, crossing the bridge (25 mph speed limit), I saw an osprey with a fish, sitting on the bridge railing.  Not a bad day.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: fleabite on March 19, 2022, 07:12:31 PM
After reading Puget's recent post mentioning the arrival of red-winged blackbirds, I pedaled off to check out the place where they hang out in my area. Sure enough, they were there. But the reason I'm posting about it was because the visuals were so striking.

Setting: Two blackbirds were calling to one another—one high in a tree and the other in tall cattails near the edge of a small lake.

The one by the lake was facing me. Every time it trilled out a response, it opened its wings slightly as if spreading out the two sides of a black cloak. As it did so, the red bars on its wings became visible on its shoulders, looking for all the world like epaulets. As the bird's vocalization ended, it relaxed its wings at its sides and the red epaulets disappeared. It was quite a show.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on March 20, 2022, 06:30:13 AM
In a mangrove in Key West Florida, a Great White Heron!  (Technically a Great Blue, white morph)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 20, 2022, 08:19:45 AM
It's mating season for the red-winged blackbirds, hence the display. I saw several active ones along most of the trails. The females though look quite unlike their male counterparts in color and in size. I'm still a newbie at identifying the females so couldn't decide if the ones I saw were the female counterparts (https://ebird.org/species/rewbla) of the noisy males or some species of sparrows.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: fleabite on March 20, 2022, 11:15:48 AM
I didn't know that the females looked so different. I will try and spot them; thank you for the pictures. I could only see one half of the pair of birds that I reported on in my previous post because the other member of the pair was high up in a tree and hidden from me by branches.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 22, 2022, 10:15:27 AM
Not real birds, but saw the poster Birdhouse Subways by John Parra on the subway today.

It's the first picture on the website below (this was the best reproduction that I could find online)

https://johnparraart.com/2021/05/5-26-21/

If you're in the city and would like to see the local birds and the birding hotspots, here's a map for birding by subway, courtesy of the NYC Audubon.

https://www.nycaudubon.org/events-birding/birding-resources/birding-by-subway
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on March 22, 2022, 10:51:23 AM
How cool!

That's almost like the "Highway Geology" series from a couple decades back.

It identifies the outcroppings you see as you whiz by on the Interstate, and the parks and shores you can visit to see specific formations up close.

Sorry, this is for the birds.

Back to your regularly-scheduled bird-watching....

:--}

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 25, 2022, 05:05:27 AM
A pair of Northern mockingbirds doing a little dance outside the front door (this is an urban environment) as I was coming in. When they saw me, each of them hopped on the two planters by the door. I saw at least a couple more perched on a neighbor's fence.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on March 26, 2022, 05:46:17 AM
I haven't seen them yet, but I can definitely hear them- an Eastern Towhee doing its eponymous call and cardinals doing their little chirps.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 26, 2022, 12:47:01 PM
Ospreys galore, today; not quite galore, but still aplenty considering that this was in a NYC park.

First we saw an osprey on a tree eating a fish. Not long after that, we saw another osprey flying overhead, and then another. All three of them flew to the osprey platform on the other side of the trail, which was practically bare and looked as though it had been uninhabited for at least the last couple of years. Then the osprey with the fish flew off the platform and onto a post near the water. There were several crows on the platform and also flying overhead, trying to get the fish and probably stake their claim to the platform. The ospreys flew off, but then there were five of them overhead, including the one with the fish. More jostling for position on the platform. On the next platform were two more ospreys which promptly started to mate.

We also saw assorted ducks including buffleheads, a lesser scaup, and mergansers. A solitary cormorant on one of the pilings, and a few flying overhead. Plenty of red-winged blackbirds, all males. Assorted sparrows, juncos and other birds. The highlight was a ring-necked pheasant who we could hear long before he made an appearance.

I'll probably go back to the park to see how the five ospreys resolved the one-platform problem. There are other platforms in or near state and city parks, so I hope they find their new home and a partner.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on March 26, 2022, 02:13:55 PM
Identity confusion on the way home from my walk this AM:

One close-to-good imitation cardinal, preceded by a number of arrhythmic warm-up churr-ippps, that were a giveaway to the mockingbird I could see at the top of a very tall pine as I walked past. (Real cardinals do their warm-ups in a strict Scottish flip rhythm...)

A block later, from a different direction, a similar imitation cardinal call sounded from a housetop on the other side of the street.

Both call-and-responded to each other for several exchanges--perhaps each thought the other was a real cardinal and they were either learning from, or fooling it.

I didn't get involved, although my "cardinal" is better than either of theirs.

For one thing, someone on this thread on the Old Forum said it stresses them, which I hadn't realized before.

For another, it was too funny hearing them both replying and apparently thinking they were getting away with something.

Also saw two swans, several geese, a few ducks, and many sparrows. Oh, and three turtles out sunning, all about the same size, 6-8 inches--they must be finished hibernating.

Haven't yet seen the big 15-in turtle this season, nor had anyone else I met along the path who knows the turtles in the area.

There might have also been a swallow dipping along but it was too swift, and too quickly out of sight, to be sure.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 27, 2022, 10:39:01 AM
More ospreys, this time on their usual platforms in the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. There was a nesting pair in the first platform, and then on the second, a single osprey. I saw another one not far away, swoop down on the water, fly up and around, then swoop down again, this time presumably with a fish, and then land on the nest, and take off soon after. Not sure if the osprey was fishing on behalf of its mate. I didn't check out the other platforms but saw a pair on a platform by the road as I was driving away from the refuge.

Whole flocks of snow geese--the last time I saw them was a year ago, in the same location. The usual brants which, like the snow geese, winter in along the shores in the city. Alongside were several gulls flying up, dropping shellfish, and then dropping down to eat the innards. They kept at it for quite a while. Several other birds, including very tame mocking birds that didn't fly off when I was near them.

The downside was the realization that the current administration seems to have given up on maintaining the wildlife preserves. Pre-pandemic the center would be staffed Wednesdays through Sundays in winter, and probably all week in summer. Now the center continues to be closed, which means no more ranger-led bird walks and other activities. This, despite our state getting oodles of pandemic relief funds.

ETA: Someone just posted on ebird that they saw 40 snow geese and 400 brant at this location today; the latter must be getting ready to fly home.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on April 02, 2022, 02:47:32 PM
Another good birding day. An osprey flying overhead, two kingfishers in two different locations, assorted waterfowl--horned grebes, red-necked grebes, red-throated loons, buffleheads and other ducks, herring gulls, Bonaparte's gulls, and other gulls, oystercatchers, the usual brants, several species of warblers, an egret with only its neck showing above what looked like a temporary dam, a creeper or two, a pileated woodpecker, and several other birds.

The highlight was seeing flocks of gannets, well into the thousands, some (hundreds) of them flying over the water, others (hundreds again) diving with such vigor that they created long wakes, and more in another part of the ocean, diving for fish. There must have been hundreds in each group diving for thousands of fish. I've never seen so many gannets in one spot. You needed a scope to see the diving gannets properly as they were far from the shore. Someone in the group, as usual, adjusted their scope so that I could see the gannets. I doubt if I'll ever see this sight again!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 02, 2022, 03:50:32 PM
Something really, really fast cut past my vision on my AM walk today; I was getting a goose in focus and suddenly it just sliced right through the air about 8 inches above the river's surface.

I tried to follow it with the camera, couldn't, saw a bit more, looking up; it had what looked like a longish bill, was flat-out racing over the water, and its wing action would have made Jonathan Livingston weep.

Kingfisher? I don't know them well enough to guess for sure.

Otherwise, a very young hawk circled for a moment but decided there were more interesting targets elsewhere (I did get a bit of video of its flight) and two newer-looking swans appeared--younger, less spread-out, a bit more sprightly, I'd say, than the pair that's been around all winter--but no heron, only a few geese, some ducks, and a lot of cheepy, peepy sparrows everywhere.

Onwards and upwards...

M. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mahagonny on April 02, 2022, 06:57:12 PM
monarchfisher, perhaps
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 03, 2022, 05:41:23 AM
Hmm, not finding that anywhere...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on April 04, 2022, 10:00:12 AM
Kid #1 lives in the country north of us, near an abandoned coal-fired electric plant and its large cooling lake.  Saturday the farm fields around her were white with seagulls.  I had to stop a couple of times on the gravel road off the blacktop toward her house--the gulls just sat there and looked at me, rather than move!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 04, 2022, 10:55:41 AM
Crusty little beggars, aren't they?

I had to give a shore-side talk on a tour boat once and they threatened to drown me out several times...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on April 04, 2022, 11:13:43 AM
Hummingbirds have arrived, chickadees are sitting on eggs, Carolina wrens are feeding nestlings.  Time to go put up some snake-deterrents!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on April 04, 2022, 11:40:35 AM
I've heard the characteristic "hoo-dee-hoo-hoo-hoo" of a great horned owl several times around my neighborhood in the past 6-8 weeks.

Looking forward to seeing it (I hope).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on April 04, 2022, 12:37:03 PM
Discovered a nest in our garage [!] yesterday. No idea how/when it got there without us noticing any activity.

Initially assumed it belonged to some kind of rodent because there's a small gap at the bottom of the garage door where the slab settled.  Upon donning a mask and taking it down, I saw four small, speckled eggs inside. Put it back. 

Probably belongs to a(n invasive) house sparrow, but could also be a Carolina wren or something.  Didn't get a great look.  Have never seen Mom on the nest.  Don't know if the eggs are viable, but I'll assume so until I figure out otherwise.  I just hope Mom is cool with our presence; given that we didn't notice any of the nest-building or egg-laying activity, she must be pretty stealthy, but that could change once she starts incubating/tending to babies. 

Fingers crossed all goes well.  Hoping the fledglings will be able to find their way out.  May need to leave the garage door open for a while once the hatchlings are at that stage.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 05, 2022, 02:22:13 PM
Just saw young male cardinal feed young female cardinal seed from my bird feeder.  I've also seen birds feed very young offspring the same way.

Might someone explain?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on April 05, 2022, 02:46:31 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on April 05, 2022, 02:22:13 PM
Just saw young male cardinal feed young female cardinal seed from my bird feeder.  I've also seen birds feed very young offspring the same way.

Might someone explain?

Feeding is a common part of courtship behavior in many species. Likewise, many species continue to feed fledglings for some time after leave the nest. It may seem odd when the seed is right there for them to pick up themselves, but of course that isn't normal in the environment and most birds' behavioral repertoires aren't that flexible.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 06, 2022, 06:02:31 AM
Quote from: Puget on April 05, 2022, 02:46:31 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on April 05, 2022, 02:22:13 PM
Just saw young male cardinal feed young female cardinal seed from my bird feeder.  I've also seen birds feed very young offspring the same way.

Might someone explain?

Feeding is a common part of courtship behavior in many species. Likewise, many species continue to feed fledglings for some time after leave the nest. It may seem odd when the seed is right there for them to pick up themselves, but of course that isn't normal in the environment and most birds' behavioral repertoires aren't that flexible.

Thank you.  It's delightful to watch.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 06, 2022, 06:39:50 AM
I can think of some human males who might have thought of this when asking someone out (implying a nice dinner) and then being surprised that the expectation was for a little more than "a burger and fries," you know?

;--》

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on April 06, 2022, 11:10:25 AM
Quote from: namazu on April 04, 2022, 12:37:03 PM
Discovered a nest in our garage [!] yesterday. No idea how/when it got there without us noticing any activity.

Initially assumed it belonged to some kind of rodent because there's a small gap at the bottom of the garage door where the slab settled.  Upon donning a mask and taking it down, I saw four small, speckled eggs inside. Put it back. 

Probably belongs to a(n invasive) house sparrow, but could also be a Carolina wren or something.  Didn't get a great look.  Have never seen Mom on the nest.  Don't know if the eggs are viable, but I'll assume so until I figure out otherwise.  I just hope Mom is cool with our presence; given that we didn't notice any of the nest-building or egg-laying activity, she must be pretty stealthy, but that could change once she starts incubating/tending to babies. 

Fingers crossed all goes well.  Hoping the fledglings will be able to find their way out.  May need to leave the garage door open for a while once the hatchlings are at that stage.

It could well be a Carolina wren - they are likely to find that gap and explore it.  I've learned not to leave the patio sliding door slightly gapped open for ventilation unless I'm around, b/c they'll come in - and I have cats!

In other news, my Carolina wrens fledged yesterday afternoon.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 08, 2022, 06:53:02 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on April 06, 2022, 11:10:25 AM
Quote from: namazu on April 04, 2022, 12:37:03 PM
Discovered a nest in our garage [!] yesterday. No idea how/when it got there without us noticing any activity.

Initially assumed it belonged to some kind of rodent because there's a small gap at the bottom of the garage door where the slab settled.  Upon donning a mask and taking it down, I saw four small, speckled eggs inside. Put it back. 

Probably belongs to a(n invasive) house sparrow, but could also be a Carolina wren or something.  Didn't get a great look.  Have never seen Mom on the nest.  Don't know if the eggs are viable, but I'll assume so until I figure out otherwise.  I just hope Mom is cool with our presence; given that we didn't notice any of the nest-building or egg-laying activity, she must be pretty stealthy, but that could change once she starts incubating/tending to babies. 

Fingers crossed all goes well.  Hoping the fledglings will be able to find their way out.  May need to leave the garage door open for a while once the hatchlings are at that stage.

It could well be a Carolina wren - they are likely to find that gap and explore it.  I've learned not to leave the patio sliding door slightly gapped open for ventilation unless I'm around, b/c they'll come in - and I have cats!

In other news, my Carolina wrens fledged yesterday afternoon.

They love potted plants!!!  Unfortunately.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on April 09, 2022, 08:35:34 AM
Yesterday while my husband and I were driving home, a glorious bald eagle soared overhead.  I couldn't help but gasp.  It's been a while since I've seen one! 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 11, 2022, 07:54:09 AM
Colors in the east
Awakening geese calling
To form the day's flock
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Morden on April 21, 2022, 03:33:19 PM
Speaking of geese--a Canada goose has usurped an osprey nest platform here. What does it think the goslings are going to do?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 21, 2022, 05:00:04 PM
Well, don't geese learn to fly early on as much as any other bird?

I suppose at some point they'll get pushed out of the nest and required to flap their wings, won't they?

I mean, they don't just do land and water, they're all-purpose birds...

;--}

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Morden on April 21, 2022, 06:02:08 PM
They usually nest on the ground because the goslings can't fly for the first few months.  They can walk and swim much earlier.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 21, 2022, 06:08:11 PM
Ah, thanks.

I stand (or sit, or fly) corrected...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on April 22, 2022, 10:32:48 AM
Our campus has been overrun with Canada geese since it was built in the 1960s.  Periodically they used to have a local woman bring in her border collie to patrol (apparently the geese are scared of only that breed of dog?).  But our nest in the raised flower beds, near our lake, in the middle of walkways, and particularly on the roofs of our buildings. Every spring there are security alerts to keep students away from the various nests, and the cops put up barricades to keep people away from the nests in common areas.

Every year, there's a nest on the corner of the third-floor roof of our library building, and when fledging time comes, mom or dad lines up the fluff-balls on the edge of the roof and pushes them off one by one.  They hit the pavement below (without much flapping of wings), catch their breath, then waddle off uninjured. These are some tough geese!

In other news, ALHS took off the cover from our window AC in the bedroom yesterday, to find a sturdy mud-mortared robin's nest with three eggs in it.  I've kept telling Little Cat lately that there's a bird outside the window; now there will be a family!  Mom sat in the trees and watched us work around that window yesterday as we moved garden soil, etc., but she didn't divebomb or get excited. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on April 23, 2022, 05:27:41 AM
While sitting in a daze trying to wake up with morning coffee, staring mindlessly out our picture window, a Great Blue Heron flew low across the condo rooflines.  Such a treat!  (My husband, who missed it, said, "Make it come back!"  Alas, I couldn't.)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 23, 2022, 05:32:57 AM
They are soooo cool!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on April 23, 2022, 07:23:12 AM
I visited my parents over break and we went to the local wildlife refuge. Bald eagles are pretty much guaranteed but were especially plentiful -- at least 6 individuals (2 mature and and 4 immature who are probably last year's offspring). Also several herons and various wildfowl (my duck categories are generally mallard and not-a-mallard, but my dad can identify them all).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 23, 2022, 07:47:42 AM
I'm sad to say that of all the swans, ducks, and herons spotted last year around this time, on my walks in the same area so far this year, I've only seen 2 swans (there were 8, at least, last spring), a few geese (they'll show up later, I'm not worried about them), very few ducks (there were two or three small families, I'm just seeing a couple pairs right now) and no herons (and there were definitely four, one of which hung on throughout most of the winter but disappeared about a month or so ago; I haven't seen him/her since).

The Boffleheads (love that name) have not reappeared; I did see a couple of tiny titmice the other day, and of course many sparrows, robins, red-winged blackbirds, and crows.

No hawks or owls (which sometimes hang out in the trees in a nearby cemetery), either, but they eat all the little critters on the ground, and those are all gone, thanks to the overzealous zenophytophobes who've cleared out all the underbrush along the riverbank where they, the duck families, the swans, and at least one of the herons hung out last year.

The idiocy is that, OK, fine, they were invasive, but their roots were holding the banks in and providing ground cover for the moles, voles, and mice in the area. And only in one area--where a concerned resident got proactive and raised a bunch of seedlings, then planted them with sleeves to keep the rabbits from snacking on them--has anyone seemed to consider what will happen if they just leave all those drying reeds around in piles* and don't replace them with something whose roots can do the same thing.

But nature is having its own back: the canebreaks (I think it's kudzu, but whatever) are re-populating themselves wherever they were cleared before, popping up everywhere, and in a couple weeks, they'll probably be back. And the guys who were working on the (necessary, but still disruptive) sewage/freshwater splitting pipes at the confluence seem to be nearly out of there, so maybe the swans will come back to the nest they had at that spot, as well (if they made it through the winter or didn't go somewhere else).

Anyway, that's how it looks from here for the moment.

M.

*Tearing them down didn't lead to clearing them, for which I'm actually grateful...I'm guessing whoever got a grant to do the first round ran out of funds to pay for clearance, so the piles of broken-down stalks will provide the smaller rodents with new homes, and maybe things will right themselves shortly.

And the underlying issue is, native plants obviously can't survive there or the invasives wouldn't have gotten a root-hold in the first place. And that's not going to resolve as long as the main roadway that parallels the brook is as full of cars as it always, ever, is, so the native plants are unlikely to return, and we'll just end up with barren, eroding banks. Grrrrr.......if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on April 24, 2022, 09:17:56 AM
That's sad, Mamselle.  Having good intentions isn't the same thing as actually knowing what actually needs to be done & how to do it.

Migration seems odd this year - seeing very few of the usual species that stop by while in transit.  However, I have a catbird hanging around & have seen the first great-crested flycatcher.  Chickadees fledged a few days ago, too.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on April 24, 2022, 09:58:43 AM
Hummingbird feeders are up--two in front, one in back yard. 

Illinois has told everyone to empty the birdbaths and take in the seed feeders until the end of May, due to the bird flu.  They did say that hummingbird and oriole feeders are OK, though.  (Birdbaths can be used if they're cleaned with bleach weekly.)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 26, 2022, 06:39:22 AM
My birding goal for this summer:  learn to distinguish between downies and hairies!!!  Yes, I know the textbook distinction so now want to put it into practice in the real world....my back porch.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on April 26, 2022, 11:54:05 AM
A first spring male Indigo bunting has been hanging around.  He's in the middle of molting from drab brown into blue & is the blotchiest bird around - small patches of both colors, scattered over bird as individual feathers are replaced!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on April 26, 2022, 12:29:50 PM
Saw a few pairs of Bonaparte's gulls--the remarkable part was that I was able to identify them. I saw one a few days ago, on one of the main drags in my neighborhood, perched on a lamppost above my car, and all I could think of was "gull, don't pxxp on my car". There were the usual herring gulls too, but now I can tell the first-year gulls from the third-year ones, and the adults. Identifying the second-year gulls still needs some work.

There were several flocks of brant too--thought that they would have flown north much earlier.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Juvenal on April 29, 2022, 04:02:02 PM
Who marks a handful of days as," Now let's move on to the next milestone," and listens for the sound of the returning Common Oriole?  Here (NY Metro), it's about the end of the first week in May.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on April 30, 2022, 06:49:36 AM
Saw a small flock of killdeer strutting around on a playing field in a park by the shoreline earlier this week. I didn't recognize them at first other than assuming that they were shorebirds because of their legs, so had to look them up in my bird book after getting home. In other bird news, saw a small bird chase a cooper's hawk in the same park. Earlier, in the same park, a group of birds (couldn't identify them other than their black color) were chasing a red-tailed hawk.

On my way home, when making a left turn, saw a mockingbird chasing a larger bird, probably a red-winged blackbird. The mockingbird then proclaimed his victory by strutting around in flight and landing on a chimney top.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on April 30, 2022, 01:33:50 PM
My guess would be crows chasing the hawk.

I've seen them gang up on a hawk or an owl, yelling bloody murder (yes) and then taking off after the offending bird, pecking at it and flapping their wings in front of it while all involved were in flight.

They really HATE big birds (and what they do to their chicks).

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on April 30, 2022, 03:15:54 PM
We took a walk around the neighborhood and saw a red-shouldered hawk sitting in the low branch of a tree. Apparently some cardinals, and other birds, were very unhappy to see it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 01, 2022, 05:29:06 PM
Went on a bird walk this morning--these walks usually start at the crack of dawn, but the advantage is having a knowledgeable birder identity birds for you.

In addition to the usual blue jays, cardinals, starlings, robins (including a robin on a nest), grackles, red-winged blackbirds, warblers that I couldn't identify, and assorted sparrows, we saw three or four great egrets overhead at different locations and stages of the walk.
Downy woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, and yellow-shafted northern flickers.
Three brown-headed cowbirds, a male and two females
Chimney swifts flying overhead
A couple of crows, couldn't tell if they were fish crows or the regular American crows.
A gloriously red scarlet tanager, later joined by a comrade.
Over a hundred or so each of the black and white warblers and the yellow-rumped warblers.
A few hermit thrushes, an ovenbird, and other birds feeding on the ground.
Prairie warblers, northern parulas, Baltimore orioles (the first ones for me this season), cedar waxwings, ruby-crowned kinglets.
New to me: a few blackburnian warblers and black-throated green warblers
Other warblers: didn't write them down, but will see the entire list when the organizer sends out the bird list for this walk.

On the way home, as I was sitting on a bench overlooking one of the ponds, a downy kept flying back and forth among the branches of the tree in front of me. I was quite pleased with myself at recognizing this as a female.

The walk was in the northern parts of Central Park.

As for the birds chasing the red-tailed hawk in my posting above, these were most definitely not crows, but most likely grackles or red-winged blackbirds.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on May 02, 2022, 09:01:31 AM
What a fabulous collection of bird sightings, Langue_doc! 

People who don't live there don't realize how rich Manhattan is in bird life—all they see is cars and concrete.  When I lived there, I belonged to a birding group in Battery Park City.  I was always amazed at the variety of birds we would see on our walks. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 02, 2022, 09:18:10 AM
As far as birds are concerned, NYC is one of the service plazas along the bird interstate.

Battery Park has free bird walks this month (and probably early next month as well). I'm looking forward to the end of the semester to go on a couple. Bryant Park also has free bird walks in the evening hours during migration. Given the size of both parks, especially the latter, it's surprising to see such a variety and such large numbers.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 03, 2022, 07:29:28 AM
I spent last week vacationing up north.  I saw gulls at the Great Lakes, and geese almost everywhere I went.  I think every motel I stayed at had at least a couple of geese stopping over on any green space they could find nearby.  Even if there were no bodies of water nearby.  Who knew that geese liked to stop over near motels on their way north in the spring?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Parasaurolophus on May 04, 2022, 10:38:24 AM
Just saw a bald eagle and a crow... racing?... along the highway. It didn't look like the eagle was being chased off or anything, and they were mostly parallel.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: ohnoes on May 04, 2022, 12:25:35 PM
There are a ton of Canada geese nesting near my home.  I saw the first batch of fuzzy goslings today.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 05, 2022, 06:07:22 AM
Baby titmouse on bird feeder.  Fuzzy tuft.  Chirping madly.  Looking nervous....of course, most birds tend to look that way when feeding.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 05, 2022, 10:50:59 AM
Barred owl yesterday morning, in broad daylight, swooped down & landed on the vertical trunk of a pine, then spent several minutes surveying the yard.  Of course, I didn't have a camera handy!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on May 05, 2022, 12:41:35 PM
Oh, how cool, TC!

The barred owlets on the Cornell/WBU webcam are close to fledging.

I finally removed the wren or sparrow nest from the garage after no sign of activity for over a month.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 06, 2022, 10:05:52 AM
Yesterday morning I was about to approach a metal footbridge on the trail at the city park when I saw something odd.  One of the park's resident pond ducks was perched on the narrow metal rail.  I've never seen a duck perch on a narrow spot like that before.  That their feet would even make it possible for them to do so was a surprise. 

The duck perched there and watched me as I crossed the bridge within arm's reach of it.  I was glad I didn't spook it as I passed.  This morning the ducks were all on the water or on the bank as usual.  I wonder if that duck finds a higher perch on a regular basis, or if it just figured it out that one time?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 07, 2022, 03:23:24 PM
It's migration season so there are bird walks galore.

This morning, the bird walk was in Greenwood Cemetery, in pouring rain. The forecast did call for rain all day, and the organizers reminded those of us who had registered that these were "rain or shine" walks, and so would not be rescheduled.

We saw around 55 species. In addition to the usual cardinals, catbirds, robins, and mockingbirds, we saw a couple of black-throated blue warblers, rose-breasted grosbeaks, Cape May warblers, magnolia warblers, yellow warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, black and white warblers, one brown-headed cowbird, obviously female, two or three ovenbirds, a few chipping sparrows, a ruby-crowned kinglet, a veery or two, a solitary spotted sandpiper, a lone great egret, several chimney swifts flying overhead, a red-tailed hawk on a tree, and a couple more soaring overhead.

This was my first bird walk wearing a long rain coat and a waterproof hat, trying to see birds with an umbrella in one hand, and binoculars in the other. The other birders likewise had their hands full, with some of them setting their fully open umbrellas on the paths while they tried to look through their binoculars.

This was my first visit to Greenwood Cemetery, which is one of NYC's birding hotspots. The cemetery predates Central Park by about 30 years. You can park on any of the roads inside the cemetery, so I will be going on some more trips to explore the art, see more birds, and just walk.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: namazu on May 07, 2022, 03:27:54 PM
Sounds like a lovely bird walk, Langue_doc!

We found an inhabited cardinal nest with eggs in our coral honeysuckle.  Yay!  I hope they do well.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on May 07, 2022, 03:33:17 PM
I saw a blue jay building a new nest in the place where there was an nest last spring--that had blown down by the end of the winter.

He (?she, but it was fairly bright) even let me get a quick photo, at a distance.

M.   
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 08, 2022, 06:39:22 AM
Raccoons are back, so must remove feeders from back porch at night.  They never clean out the feeders on the front porch or in the yard......selective!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on May 08, 2022, 06:47:54 AM
Pair of swans, definitely nesting at the confluence between the brook and the small river near me.

The water is low right now, I hope 5he nest is high enough not to be washed out as the one in the same place last year was.

It looks like it's been built up a bit, but I gather swans can be both dumb and stubborn about nesting sites.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 14, 2022, 12:27:34 PM
Pair of Summer Tanagers in the feeder this morning!  He managed to figure out how to eat from the suet, she may not have; both got drinks.  I hope they stay around!!!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 14, 2022, 06:07:00 PM
Today's bird walk was on Governor's Island which is a short ferry ride from the Battery.

According to the list posted on ebird, we saw 44 species and 381 individual birds (approximate).

The interesting birds were an egret flying overhead, a couple of hawks sitting on two branches of the same tree, tree swallows, barn swallows, American crows, fish crows, catbirds, mocking birds, a wood thrush, a song sparrow, a brown-headed cowbird, a couple of vireos (warbling and red-eyed), American goldfinch, Baltimore oriole, black and white warbler, American redstart, common yellowthroat, yellow warbler, blackpoll warbler, Northern parula, killdeer (I saw these a couple of weeks ago in the same spot), American black ducks, terns, and the usual cormorants. I was also surprised to see a large flock of brant geese as these usually go home north much earlier in the season. Several red-winged blackbirds, mostly male, but a few females as well. A pair decide to mate in front of us. Not far from this area, we were chased by a male who obviously had a nest in that area--apparently these birds nest on the ground. Several of these birds were quite close to us, sitting on trees and bushes along the paths and also at eye level. The yellow birds were just so colorful, as also the other birds that we could see quite clearly. This is one of my favorite birding spots--it takes a couple of subways and a ferry ride to get there, but it's worth the trip, especially in the off-season (not summer).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 16, 2022, 07:15:21 AM
The bluebirds that have been nesting in the neighbors' yard in recent years are back.  I get to seem them forage in my back yard.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on May 16, 2022, 10:20:46 AM
We have at least a pair-and-a-spare of hummingbirds so far.

Kid #2 was talking to me in my home office over the weekend when a robin flew up and tried to make itself at home in my hanging basket, along with the white geranium and 4 red begonias already there.  Pushy!  Kid rapped on the window, which made Bird snuggle in more firmly; he took off when she opened the window and shooed him.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 18, 2022, 07:55:52 PM
Went on a spring migration walk yesterday in Central Park. You have to get there before 7:30! That's the only downside.

We saw now-familiar-to-me birds such as the following:
veery, Swainson's thrush (I can identify both now), red-eyed and warbling vireos, Baltimore thrush (one was spectacularly colored, sitting in the middle of green branches), an egret, another one flying overhead, Eastern kingbirds, downy woodpeckers, cedar waxwings, mockingbirds, catbirds, cardinals, and several other common birds

warblers: several American redstarts, male and female, ovenbirds, red-winged blackbirds, northern parulas, yellow-rumped (aka myrtle), black-throated blue, magnolia, blackpoll, blackburnian, chestnut-sided, black and white, yellow, and a couple of other warblers that I don't recall now

uncommon warblers: Wilson's, Canada (I took a good look at several of both) and bay breasted warblers

Sightings reported, but we didn't see: a Tennessee warbler or two, and a great horned owl

On one of the paths we came across a hatch out (my first encounter with this word), with newly hatched insects swarming out of a dead log, which attracted several birds. We stood there for a while, looking at (and identifying) the various warblers feasting on the termites. We heard that there were three or four other hatch outs that morning in other parts of the park.

It was a productive four hours.

I'm registered for next Tuesday's walk, so hope to see other migrants, and also be able to identify some more birds.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 19, 2022, 10:20:06 AM
Langue_doc your birding walks sound glorious!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 21, 2022, 08:22:39 AM
Feel free to join one of the walks if you are in town, Thursday's_Child.

Yesterday's adventure. Went to the Botanic gardens in the Bronx, just to get away from the crowds and also do some birding. Saw a flock of cedar waxwings alighting on a tree and then taking off. There were several yellowish warblers (at least three different species) on a hawthorn bush that was covered with flowers and also leaves. I couldn't get a close look because of the vegetation and also because the birds refused to stay in one spot.

The highlight was when I was sitting on one of the benches in the azalea garden eating lunch. On the grass just across the path from me were some sparrows, three mourning doves, a Northern water thrush, and a red-winged blackbird waiting to be fed. I felt quite fortunate to be able to see the blackbird quite clearly because he was so close to me and also was sitting there for quite some time, chirping or squeaking to be fed, and then left to look for a more cooperative victim.

Soon after, I heard a loud and insistent chirping coming from just behind my shoulder. There was the red-winged blackbird perched on the bench practically on my shoulder, demanding to be fed. There were at least two different calls by the same bird, one short and the other much longer.

As soon as he flew off I thought I should share some of my grapes with the birds (I don't feed birds or wildlife) so threw some on the grass. Down swooped a red-bellied woodpecker from one of the trees on the grass, but didn't get any food because the mourning doves chased him off. Round 2 went to the woodpecker who once again flew down as soon as he saw me throw some more grapes. He kept flying down, looking for more food. The water thrush also stayed put for some time. I had to look at the Merlin app to identify the water thrush. I saw another one sitting on one of the bushes in the marsh not far from the bench I was sitting on.

On the way back, on the platform waiting for the train (train, not subway), I saw bluejays on the trees behind the opposite platform. Some of the branches were so low that they were touching the train (Metro North, going to New Haven, according to the signs on the window) that had stopped at this station for some inexplicable reason, so I could see the birds quite clearly. Just behind the platform on my side was a community garden of sorts, with some straggling plants, a few banana trees (about 4-5 feet tall), and a coop with a rooster and hen. The coop was about 4x6 feet. Someone has also placed a loaf of bread still in its wrapper on a tiny shelf near the coop and also what looked like breakfast cereal on a dish by the side of the coop. There were birds feeding at both. Not bird-related, but as I was waiting for my train, there was another Metro North going to Stamford, CT rushing past on the express tracks, and soon after that another one going to New Canaan, CT going even faster.

The station is just across the road from the botanic gardens, so seeing birds while waiting for your train is not uncommon. I've seen red-tailed hawks on previous trips while waiting on this platform.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on May 21, 2022, 10:06:58 AM
Just saw this online:

   https://www.npr.org/2022/05/19/1100203220/christian-cooper-bird-watcher-national-geographic-tv-show

This is the fellow who was "reported" for birdwatching: now he has his own show.

;--》

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 21, 2022, 12:00:39 PM
Quote from: mamselle on May 21, 2022, 10:06:58 AM
Just saw this online:

   https://www.npr.org/2022/05/19/1100203220/christian-cooper-bird-watcher-national-geographic-tv-show

This is the fellow who was "reported" for birdwatching: now he has his own show.

;--》

M.

This "fellow" has been on the Board of Directors of the NYC Audubon for some time now! He was a fellow birder on one of the walks prior to the encounter reported in the media.

He is quite the gentleman.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on May 21, 2022, 12:04:40 PM
Good to know.

That whole scenario (with the police report) was just stupid (among other things...).

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on May 21, 2022, 02:59:42 PM
Sorry, double here, but perhaps of interest...

   https://www.wcvb.com/article/barnstable-massachusetts-no-july-4th-fireworks-piping-plovers-least-terns/40060015

Some folks care about the birds...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Morden on May 22, 2022, 11:08:06 AM
Update on the goose-occupied osprey nest: After causing multiple power outages in the neighbourhood because they kept trying to build a nest on the power poles beside the occupied nest, the osprey are back where they belong. No sign of the offending geese. So I assume the goslings dropped and hopefully survived.
I also saw a huge V of geese heading north today--which is really late.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 23, 2022, 07:30:32 AM
Overcast morning
Across the still pond waters
A wood duck's call sounds
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 24, 2022, 07:14:33 PM
Another crack-of-dawn bird walk in Central Park.

We went looking for a mourning warbler https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Warbler/id that had been sighted at The Point, and were fortunate enough to see it there. It didn't appear to be "shy and skulking" as described in the Peterson book.

There weren't many birds flying though this year--I recall seeing many more species last year in the much smaller Battery Park during previous migrations.

Other birds of interest were Canada, magnolia, and blackpoll warblers, red-eyed vireos, a great crested flycatcher, and a Baltimore oriole sitting on a tree near what we thought was its nest. The nest was obviously an oriole's.

After the walk, a few of the die-hard birders went looking for some other sightings such as a Kentucky warbler, a Mississippi kite, a yellow-billed cuckoo (I saw one or two in Governor's Island either last year or before the pandemic), and a great horned owl.

Yesterday I saw several swallows flying over the lakes in Greenwood Cemetery. These were at least three different species, probably tree, bank, and barn swallows. They would swoop down on the surface of the lake and take sips of water without pausing in flight.

The goslings I saw a week ago seem to be thriving--at least they are still there and looking much bigger.

We saw a goose family this morning with two goslings. The third gosling that one of the birders saw a few days ago must have been eaten by either a turtle or a raccoon. We saw two raccoons on a tree--one was climbing up the trunk to meet its mate sitting further up. Last week we saw a raccoon fast asleep in the crook of another tree.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 25, 2022, 03:07:50 PM
Double post--

The highlight of today's 7:30 AM walk in Central Park with a different organization and a different meeting place was being introduced to a celebrity by our walk leader. The celebrity is Al Levantin, one of the three protagonists in the book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession. He was sitting on a bench in one of the prime birding spots in the park. Steve Martin plays his character in the movie version of the book. I'd heard about the book but haven't read it or seen the movie. I ordered the book as soon as I got home.

The other highlight was seeing the great horned owl https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/overview. The walk leader knew where to look for it as she was checking the sightings/location reports. It looked like a round ball from below, more or less like a rather large oriole nest. After a while we could see a faint bird shape as it decided to stick out, just a wee bit, its head and tail. We looked for it yesterday and last Tuesday (with another group) but couldn't find it.

This is the end of migration, so probably the end of bird walks for me for some time.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on May 29, 2022, 08:28:40 PM
On a recent walk far away from home: more brown pelicans than I have ever seen together flying up and down the coast in formation, patrolling for fish. So cool.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on June 05, 2022, 11:42:35 AM
On a bird walk this morning, we saw a red-tailed hawk fly rather low overhead and then land on a tree just in front of us. Up a few branches on that tree was its nest, with a chick sitting on it. Later in the morning, we saw a Baltimore oriole which then flew to its nest and start feeding the chicks which weren't visible to us because they were probably still quite small. Its mate soon joined it. Then we encountered a swan couple with their two to three-week-old cygnets feeding on whatever was at the bottom of the water, quite close to the shore. There were also robins on their nests.

Bird drama earlier this week. Near the cafe in the Botanical garden, I heard a cacophony of grackle squawks and saw the birds harass a red-tailed hawk that had settled on a low branch. They kept at it for some time. When the hawk eventually flew off, the grackles followed it to make sure that it had left their territory. Later that day, in another part of the garden, a hawk landed on a tree only to be chased by a couple of small birds one of which was a cardinal. In the azalea garden, a blue jay was mercilessly chased by robins, a pair of which had a nest in a nearby tree. Reinforcements soon arrived so whenever the blue jay landed on any of the trees near the one with the nest, the entire robin flock would chase it.

Migration is over now. During the next few walks this month we will be looking for breeding birds.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on June 05, 2022, 12:22:42 PM
Great sightings, Langue_doc!

My husband and I also went on a bird walk this morning at an Audubon Center we had never been to before (there are several in our state).  The trails led through fields and woods and one branch (which we took) paralleled a stream. About midway along, there was a barn with indoor displays and trail maps, plus an outdoor balcony with high chairs where we could sit and watch the birds in the field, on the feeder, and in the surrounding trees.  We saw many of the common birds (blue jays, cardinals, house finches, white-breasted nuthatches, black-capped chickadees, mourning doves), but also several rose-breasted grosbeaks and two bluebirds!  I haven't seen bluebirds in a long time, so that was quite a thrill. (And my husband had never seen one before.)  We also saw a red-shouldered hawk being pursued by four turkey vultures.  Along the river, we saw a female common merganser with her babies and a Louisiana waterthrush.  Towards the end of our walk, a house wren obligingly made an appearance.  (We usually see Carolina wrens.). Tree swallows swooped over the fields.

Birds that Merlin Bird ID picked up which we heard but did not see:  Goldfinch, American redstart, great crested flycatcher, tufted titmouse, eastern wood peewee, red-eyed vireo, wood thrush, common yellowthroat.

A good day!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 07, 2022, 08:55:53 AM
Gold finches at the yellow feeder.  Hummers at the red feeder (clear juice).   But no blue birds at the blue meal worm feeder.  Are bluebirds color blind?!?!?  Just a joke, folks.  I was struck by what seems to me to be  a marketing gimmick, although I know birds see color.  Except perhaps for the hummers, does color on feeders attract them?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on June 07, 2022, 10:43:02 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 07, 2022, 08:55:53 AM
Gold finches at the yellow feeder.  Hummers at the red feeder (clear juice).   But no blue birds at the blue meal worm feeder.  Are bluebirds color blind?!?!?  Just a joke, folks.  I was struck by what seems to me to be  a marketing gimmick, although I know birds see color.  Except perhaps for the hummers, does color on feeders attract them?

Seems like I read somewhere once that blue birds prefer brown meal worms to blue meal worms.  So you wouldn't expect to see blue birds at a blue meal worm feeder.  It's a common mistake, like expecting cardinals to like red meal worms.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 08, 2022, 07:56:30 AM
Quote from: apl68 on June 07, 2022, 10:43:02 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 07, 2022, 08:55:53 AM
Gold finches at the yellow feeder.  Hummers at the red feeder (clear juice).   But no blue birds at the blue meal worm feeder.  Are bluebirds color blind?!?!?  Just a joke, folks.  I was struck by what seems to me to be  a marketing gimmick, although I know birds see color.  Except perhaps for the hummers, does color on feeders attract them?

Seems like I read somewhere once that blue birds prefer brown meal worms to blue meal worms.  So you wouldn't expect to see blue birds at a blue meal worm feeder.  It's a common mistake, like expecting cardinals to like red meal worms.

I thought you were pulling my leg about blue meal worms!!!! 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 08, 2022, 09:19:34 AM
More nesting drama, this time with a huge swan, all puffed up and going after a couple goose families on the opposite bank from where his partner snoozed, incubating their egg(s).

I got video of him streaking across the water at one of the adult geese, while the other 3 adults and 6-8 gosling literally high-tailed it up the bank to get away.

He had his neck fully extended as if to snap at them, and I thought, "....hmmm, didn't realize swans were carnivores," because he was close enough to have caught a goose-leg there.

They did get away, the silvery-white flame-like wing feathers subsided to cloak his body more closely, and things quieted down.

The pen slept on.

M.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on June 08, 2022, 10:34:12 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 08, 2022, 07:56:30 AM
Quote from: apl68 on June 07, 2022, 10:43:02 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 07, 2022, 08:55:53 AM
Gold finches at the yellow feeder.  Hummers at the red feeder (clear juice).   But no blue birds at the blue meal worm feeder.  Are bluebirds color blind?!?!?  Just a joke, folks.  I was struck by what seems to me to be  a marketing gimmick, although I know birds see color.  Except perhaps for the hummers, does color on feeders attract them?

Seems like I read somewhere once that blue birds prefer brown meal worms to blue meal worms.  So you wouldn't expect to see blue birds at a blue meal worm feeder.  It's a common mistake, like expecting cardinals to like red meal worms.

I thought you were pulling my leg about blue meal worms!!!!

Me, pull somebody's leg?  You'd better believe it!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 09, 2022, 06:35:23 AM
Quote from: apl68 on June 08, 2022, 10:34:12 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 08, 2022, 07:56:30 AM
Quote from: apl68 on June 07, 2022, 10:43:02 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 07, 2022, 08:55:53 AM
Gold finches at the yellow feeder.  Hummers at the red feeder (clear juice).   But no blue birds at the blue meal worm feeder.  Are bluebirds color blind?!?!?  Just a joke, folks.  I was struck by what seems to me to be  a marketing gimmick, although I know birds see color.  Except perhaps for the hummers, does color on feeders attract them?

Seems like I read somewhere once that blue birds prefer brown meal worms to blue meal worms.  So you wouldn't expect to see blue birds at a blue meal worm feeder.  It's a common mistake, like expecting cardinals to like red meal worms.

I thought you were pulling my leg about blue meal worms!!!!

Me, pull somebody's leg?  You'd better believe it!

Apparently, blue/rainbow meal worms are a thing, though. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on June 20, 2022, 07:38:11 AM
During the bird walk yesterday, we had a good view of a great crested flycatcher sitting on one of the trees in the parking lot. The crest was clearly visible because of the angle, and the fact that the bird remained in the same position for some time.

Then, on the mudflats (low tide) we saw several night herons, black-crested and yellow-crested ones. There were several juveniles, year-olds, that were distinguishable from the adults because of the lighter plumage. Some of them were standing in arrested poses reminiscent of the Egyptian friezes looking into the water/mud for prey. One of the herons caught several fish as we were watching. There were also the usual gulls, a few ducks, and a snowy egret. There were several vantage points to see this stretch of water/shoreline/mudflats. At a different location in the same park, we saw four brant geese which I found surprising because I thought these were migratory birds that only wintered in our areas.

We also saw several barn swallows fly rather low, displaying their plumage, and chimney swifts above. We could hear a warbling vireo and eventually found it sitting on a nest on one of the leafy trees. In addition to the usual birds, there were several cedar waxwings in different areas in the park, an Eastern kingbird flying above us, a couple of willow flycatchers, a few yellow warblers, and at least a couple of indigo buntings, one of which was chasing a barn swallow.

We walked past some cottonwood trees that had seeded, so there were clumps of cotton with seeds on the trees as well as on the bushes below the trees. We also helped ourselves to mulberries, the purple and the white ones during the walk.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 20, 2022, 09:22:45 AM
The swan has hatched her eggs; I didn't see them, and they're already out swimming these days, it seems, but ran into someone who had a couple photos, and they're all one could hope for a little trio of cygnets.

A few more ducks and geese around, but the herons haven't appeared at all, so far this year, and no bobbleheads yet, either.

Maybe later.

More walking tomorrow.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on June 20, 2022, 03:12:55 PM
My department has been temporarily relocated across campus while work is done on our building, and our new space is on the 5th floor with trees below. The view from my new office window now regularly features a show by a pair of Coopers hawks, who must have a nest in one of those trees (though I haven't spotted it). Herons also sometimes fly past (cutting off a bend in the nearby river perhaps?). It is delightful if rather distracting!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 20, 2022, 03:35:24 PM
I used to work on the 4th floor of a building with a large pipe-rail balcony; we regularly had one (and once, two) hawks ensconced on the railing, peering down at the greensward below for all the little mice and voles to be seen.

Occasionally, the bird would lift off and swoop down, and someone would say, "...oops, there goes another one..."

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on June 21, 2022, 11:16:33 AM
Puget, can I visit your office?

In today's birding news--
On my way home from a medical appointment, I decided to walk through Central Park. Along the pond at the south end, I first saw a Great Egret flying across the pond. He was quite active and flew across the pond several times, and then settled on a rock at the far end. A great blue heron soon followed the first flight of the heron. He too flew to several locations, all of them on the other side of the pond. On one of the low branches of a tree on the other side of the pond was a black-crested night heron, who unlike his fellow fishing birds stayed in the same spot. A solitary double-crested cormorant was diving and surfacing along the length of the pond. I knew I'd see at least one of these birds at this spot, but seeing two of them move from one vantage point to the next was quite a treat.

It was quite a satisfactory long way to the subway station interlude.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 21, 2022, 12:06:00 PM
I saw all four swans...two parents, two cygnets.

I got photos. Swoon.....(or, swaaan?)

The babies are a week old today, and they already have the "crook your neck before going for food underwater" rule down.

A bit hard to do with a fluffy, scrawny little 2-inch neck, while trying to keep your dignity, but they did so swanfully.

I might be just a little bit in love.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on June 22, 2022, 01:02:39 PM
Treated myself to more birding in Central Park. I had a few errands in Manhattan and then walked 25 blocks to the pond in Central Park. The black-crested night heron (probably a different one as this one was larger than the one I saw yesterday) was sitting on a low branch and then hopped onto the rock below the tree, poking around for fish. I could see the bird swallow what appeared to be fish several times. This bird was much more active than the one I saw yesterday. There was also a great blue heron, lurking in the undergrowth.

Just off the path on a low branch was a robin sitting in its nest. There were sparrow fledglings almost the size of the adults, hopping behind the parents, mouths wide open, wanting to be fed. I saw several fledglings yesterday as well, and robin fledglings on previous saunters and walks.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 22, 2022, 01:24:29 PM
I bet you've got our herons....

;--}

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on June 28, 2022, 10:21:13 AM
A red-headed woodpecker stopped by the feeder the other day!  I was thrilled b/c they are not common here, but it hasn't returned.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 28, 2022, 10:48:42 AM
Cormorant on yesterday's walk. (Still almost no ducks or geese, and the swans' nest looked OK, even had some more down in it, but they weren't around either).

I got a couple pictures of the cormorant, though, and then he dove.

I can NEVER figure out how far to move the camera forward to catch them when they come up.

He was much further downstream when he finally did come up than I allowed for....of course.

M.

P.S., Old Abner the ?50-year-old turtle must have a younger, thinner friend.

I'm going to call her Adele, perhaps about 35?... she was just about at the place I saw Abner scooting for the river after I freed him from the plastic fencing the construction guys had left up. (I've checked x3 days now, he hasn't been back there)

She was doing fine, just sunning, so I took a couple of snaps and left her to it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on June 28, 2022, 12:45:22 PM
At first I read that as "750 year old turtle."  That would be old, even for a turtle.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 28, 2022, 01:02:23 PM
Oh, sorry, yeah, maybe I could have left a space between the ? and the 50...!

But his shell is really thick and mottled, so I don't think I'm overestimating.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Juvenal on June 28, 2022, 05:31:41 PM
For the first time ever (and that means about fifty years) sitting on my stoop, brooding on the Universe (not quite a full-time job), I am seeing against the sky the dartings-around of what must be hummingbirds, and more than one pair.  Years ago, elsewhere, sitting on another stoop, wearing white athletic sox with a red stripe, was investigated by a hummer hovering at my ankle.  Sorry Humbert--nothing there for you.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on June 28, 2022, 07:18:05 PM
Northern mockingbirds are everywhere. Most of my neighbors have them--rather, their trees host them. This morning, on my way out, there was a persistent call from one of them. I looked up to see him sitting on a neighbor's roof. I think he wanted the attention because he stopped chattering as soon as I looked up. The other day I saw one feeding on mulberries in another neighbor's yard. He didn't seem to be bothered by the people passing by despite the proximity of the branch he was sitting on. During an outing over the weekend, we saw more mockingbirds in the park. One was sitting on a rather low nest; the nest was larger than those of robins' nests, but not quite tidy.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: ohnoes on June 30, 2022, 06:38:36 AM
There are three young swallows who have found our front porch.  They're young enough to still get an occasional meal from Mom and Dad but old enough to be out of the nest, so they have been spending the night fairly well sheltered.
They're very cute and very messy.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on June 30, 2022, 10:25:46 AM
Another Double-crested Cormorant appearance on the Coral City Camera livestream:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8ARjIeM2k

You'll need to scroll back to 11.46.26 camera time (use the clock in the lower left corner of the image) & bird comes in from the right, often partly hidden behind all the startled fish.  Also note that it's only available for 12 hours....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on June 30, 2022, 10:46:58 AM
I was just going through last year's photos to get them off my phone.

Many water birds on my walks, then.

Today, none. No swans, no cormorant, no ducks, no geese, and there haven't been any herons for awhile now.

There were robins, red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, etc., but none of the bigger water birds.

I'm very concerned it's either the construction campaigns going on nearby, or avian flu, or both.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on June 30, 2022, 12:33:42 PM
Quote from: mamselle on June 30, 2022, 10:46:58 AM
I was just going through last year's photos to get them off my phone.

Many water birds on my walks, then.

Today, none. No swans, no cormorant, no ducks, no geese, and there haven't been any herons for awhile now.

There were robins, red-winged blackbirds, sparrows, etc., but none of the bigger water birds.

I'm very concerned it's either the construction campaigns going on nearby, or avian flu, or both.

M.

We've got plenty up-stream-- yours probably just relocated until the neighborhood quiets down again.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on July 11, 2022, 11:43:51 AM
Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 11, 2022, 02:39:36 PM
Finally, a heron--he flashed past so quickly I couldn't even get the camera up to get a shot, and I had a meeting so couldn't walk further upriver to catch him wherever he landed.

But at least he's there.

The small swan family has moved downriver slightly (someone left an updated note on the tree a bit away from their nest so as not to draw too much attention to it, or attract its readers too close by).

They do come back upriver to see us, thankfully, also; I got several good photos and a couple of short video clips: the babies are 3 weeks old now, and the four of them hang close in the water.

One of the nearby town's environmental officers had mentioned there were several swans down that direction, so there must be better pickings (or fewer visitors) in that direction.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on July 13, 2022, 09:17:16 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on July 11, 2022, 11:43:51 AM
Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

Sounds like a wren to me!  Their choices of nest sites include human structures with amazing frequency - I'm trying to figure out how to rig a suitable sunshade so I can hang out an old pair of leaky rubber boots for their inspection (the boots will be sideways & toes down, with a few new holes added for ventilation).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on July 14, 2022, 06:39:12 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on July 13, 2022, 09:17:16 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on July 11, 2022, 11:43:51 AM
Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

Sounds like a wren to me!  Their choices of nest sites include human structures with amazing frequency - I'm trying to figure out how to rig a suitable sunshade so I can hang out an old pair of leaky rubber boots for their inspection (the boots will be sideways & toes down, with a few new holes added for ventilation).

I thought it might be a wren's nest until I found examples online.  It was mostly sticks, not twigs, about 2 - 2.5 inches long, which, even though unfinished, does make me wonder if it was another bird.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 14, 2022, 07:02:29 AM
Got photos of the heron. Yea!

No swans, though, and still no geese or ducks.

The little duckling family I saw a week ago hasn't been back and the two-or-three geese families (4 or 6 adults, couldn't see in the brush on the opposite riverbank, at least 8-9 gosling visible) haven't been around, either.

We need rain, too, got a smattering last night, but I can see the bottom of the brook, which is usually well-filled.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on July 14, 2022, 07:21:07 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on July 14, 2022, 06:39:12 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on July 13, 2022, 09:17:16 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on July 11, 2022, 11:43:51 AM
Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

Sounds like a wren to me!  Their choices of nest sites include human structures with amazing frequency - I'm trying to figure out how to rig a suitable sunshade so I can hang out an old pair of leaky rubber boots for their inspection (the boots will be sideways & toes down, with a few new holes added for ventilation).

I thought it might be a wren's nest until I found examples online.  It was mostly sticks, not twigs, about 2 - 2.5 inches long, which, even though unfinished, does make me wonder if it was another bird.

Could it be a Northern mockingbird? Their nests look like an amateurish collection of sticks.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 14, 2022, 08:41:50 AM
We should have a bird-watching meet-up sometime...

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on July 14, 2022, 09:29:32 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on July 14, 2022, 07:21:07 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on July 14, 2022, 06:39:12 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on July 13, 2022, 09:17:16 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on July 11, 2022, 11:43:51 AM
Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

Sounds like a wren to me!  Their choices of nest sites include human structures with amazing frequency - I'm trying to figure out how to rig a suitable sunshade so I can hang out an old pair of leaky rubber boots for their inspection (the boots will be sideways & toes down, with a few new holes added for ventilation).

I thought it might be a wren's nest until I found examples online.  It was mostly sticks, not twigs, about 2 - 2.5 inches long, which, even though unfinished, does make me wonder if it was another bird.

Could it be a Northern mockingbird? Their nests look like an amateurish collection of sticks.

Yes, although the two mocker nests I can remember seeing included longer materials.  Mourning dove might also be a possibility, if there is room for them to easily enter & sit in the bag.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on July 15, 2022, 04:55:21 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on July 14, 2022, 09:29:32 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on July 14, 2022, 07:21:07 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on July 14, 2022, 06:39:12 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on July 13, 2022, 09:17:16 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on July 11, 2022, 11:43:51 AM
Birds nest in my clothespin bag.....fortunately no eggs.

Sounds like a wren to me!  Their choices of nest sites include human structures with amazing frequency - I'm trying to figure out how to rig a suitable sunshade so I can hang out an old pair of leaky rubber boots for their inspection (the boots will be sideways & toes down, with a few new holes added for ventilation).

I thought it might be a wren's nest until I found examples online.  It was mostly sticks, not twigs, about 2 - 2.5 inches long, which, even though unfinished, does make me wonder if it was another bird.

Could it be a Northern mockingbird? Their nests look like an amateurish collection of sticks.

Yes, although the two mocker nests I can remember seeing included longer materials.  Mourning dove might also be a possibility, if there is room for them to easily enter & sit in the bag.

"Tis  a puzzle.  The angle of the bag seems to have been too small for a mocker or dove, but the size may have been why the nest was most likely abandoned.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 16, 2022, 07:19:47 AM
One lone duck, toiling upstream.

One beaver leaving another ve-ee -- -- behind him in the water.

One kingfisher--flash! Grab! Zoom! Wingaway! ...on the lam.

Bright sun, cool breeze, friendly people.

Nice walk.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on July 27, 2022, 05:34:57 AM
Saw a Least sandpiper poking around in a mud flat during yesterday's walk; a goldfinch on the feeder during dinner. Saw grackles, red-bellied woodpeckers, bluejays, a cardinal, and other birds in the yard and trees across the street while having lunch on the patio the day before. Hope to see more birds today and tomorrow.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 27, 2022, 07:14:24 AM
Six goldfinches,
Five sparrows, brown
Four swans, two in down...
Three baby ducks
Two loud geese,
And a cardinal loudly cheering from a pole!

(Well...it sorta scans...)

One major coolness: the heron hung out of a log for at least eadt 1/2 hr this AM.

One major nonsense: I have just heard some soft Blue Jay sounds, trying to locate the nest, when a guy walking his dog comes by.

"HEY, WHATCHA DOIN', TAKIN' A PICTURE OF MY HOUSE?" he asks, louldly.

I turned around, quietly said, "There are two blue jays up there..."

"YEAH, WE GOT A FEW OF THEM AROUND. SO LONG AS YOU'RE NOT..."

"They flew away," I said as I turned to go.

AWWW...YOU LIKE BIRDS?

I was halfway down the block, disgusted; saying, "yes," faintly I turned agan to go.

So does my wife," he said, finally quieter.

But the delight had gone, and he knew it...he went and closed the door.

Much better this AM, when another riparene aficionado and I stood talking quietly, taking photos of the heron as it preeened, then taking our leave quietly when he'd done...

Takes all kinds...

M.



Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on July 27, 2022, 07:19:48 AM
Some people are just oblivious (or obnoxious, or both) buttheads, mamselle.

One of the ruby-throated humming birds (female I think) just flew up to my kitchen window, hovered and looked at me! If it's the same one, then she has done this in the past. I know I just changed the hummingbird feeder sugar-charged water. Maybe she's telling me that it needs to be refilled?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on July 27, 2022, 09:39:45 AM
They're learning from cats how to train their human servants, it sounds like...!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on August 07, 2022, 08:04:15 PM
Bird sightings from a week or so ago.

Cardinals, bluejays, grackles, and a couple of downy woodpeckers flying across the street and in the neighbor's yard when we were having lunch in the yard. More birds at the feeder, including goldfinches. The following day we saw a Least sandpiper poking around in the mud in a marshy area. I thought it was a fortuitous sighting, because according to the Cornell Lab,
QuoteLeast Sandpipers breed in the tundra of the far north, so most people see them during migration (April to May and July to October) or winter.

A couple of days later, in a different location, there were ospreys aplenty, including a couple of chicks in a nest on one of the platforms. Also great egrets, cormorants, ducks, other waterfowl, and a swan. I saw the partner, deceased, by the shore.

Back in the city, just as I got out of the car near one of the library branches, I heard what sounded like car alarms, and then ambulance sirens. It was only a northern mockingbird, enjoying the morning.

Bird walk schedules, Fall 22-Spring 23, for one of the organizations are now online. The other organization will be posting its walks next Friday. Yippee!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 08, 2022, 08:17:38 AM
Construction along the brook has blocked the path, and I'm sure has scared away all the waterfowl that were still braving what was left of the water (the 6-in-deep rivulet is at least a foot lower than usual by my observation of the mud layers and tree roots along the banks.

Past the confluence, along the river, one duck.

...that's it.

Oh, and a couple of goldfinches along the road on the walk home.

it's sad how suddenly and how completely the winged and webbed populations have fled.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on August 08, 2022, 01:40:37 PM
One of the local barred owls has learned that it can land on my elevated birdbath and get a drink!  I've seen it twice now, in the late afternoon.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on August 08, 2022, 01:50:00 PM
My husband and I were out driving yesterday evening after supper and saw a juvenile red-tailed hawk on a post in a nearby church's garden. We had to stop, roll down the window, and try to take some pictures.

It perched on the post for a few minutes, then flew down to perch on the edge of a raised planter box. After a moment, it went to the next box and hid among the green Bell peppers. Finally, it took off and landed in a nearby tree.

What a magnificent bird! And its wingspan!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 08, 2022, 03:14:33 PM
I think they're photo-mavens; I have probably 20 or more shots of one sitting on a gravestone near a fence just staring at all the people staring at it (and taking pictures as they passed by) several years ago.

A couple of crows tried to flap their wings in its face, but they didn't get very far; it just stared them down, shifted a bit as if to go after them, and they retreated.

It was still sitting there (on a different stone) when I went past about a half-hour later. I have photos of that as well.

It really is amazing how large they get (and how much one presumes they must consume to maintain that size).

M. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on August 09, 2022, 01:34:22 PM
A pair of northern mockingbirds were flying (more like hopping) back and forth across the sidewalk between the fence and the rearview mirror of my car earlier this morning. They were obviously having a good time.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 09, 2022, 03:27:28 PM
Goldfinches playing swoop-n-dive between the tall pines on one side of the street and the telephone wires on the opposite side.

A tag game might have also been involved, but my Goldfinch is rusty.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on August 10, 2022, 04:43:14 AM
Quote from: mamselle on August 09, 2022, 03:27:28 PM
...but my Goldfinch is rusty.

That's just a female, maybe even a lesser one - See HERE (https://www.birdzilla.com/images/stories/lesser-goldfinch-f-260.jpg)

:)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 10, 2022, 10:30:30 AM
Quote from: FishProf on August 10, 2022, 04:43:14 AM
Quote from: mamselle on August 09, 2022, 03:27:28 PM
...but my Goldfinch is rusty.

That's just a female, maybe even a lesser one - See HERE (https://www.birdzilla.com/images/stories/lesser-goldfinch-f-260.jpg)

:)

Yep, at first I thought it was a sparrow with the beige-grey markings, then a little flick of yellow appeared.

They've been in that area the past 3 years that I know of, they really like that tall pine.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on August 11, 2022, 07:25:19 AM
We've had some rain over the past couple of days, and likely more today.  That seems to encourage the herons that used to haunt the pond at the city park to visit again.  This morning I saw a grey heron and a large egret perched by the bank of the pond within a few yards of each other.  They're such beautiful birds!

Then, toward the end of my circuit of the pond, I saw a mother duck leading around two downy chicks.  I didn't know that we had young water fowl at the pond right now.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 11, 2022, 09:03:44 AM
Aww--they're so funny.

Did I already mention the day I was walking upriver, saw the 6 baby ducks, that had been swimming around with their mother the day before, all by themselves...and then 10 min. later saw two adult ducks swimming under the bridge doing a staccato 'distress quack,' apparently trying to find them.

The babies were fine, just chirping along by themselves; the adults were clearly upset.

Couldn't figure out anything I could do to help them; I hope they found each other!!

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on August 12, 2022, 07:18:29 AM
I saw the grey heron and duck family again this morning.  The ducklings are now learning how to swim.  Which is presumably not much of a challenge for them.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: sinenomine on August 14, 2022, 07:52:10 AM
I had a hawk get trapped on my screened porch this morning after crashing through a screen. Fortunately I was able to prop the door to the outside open and herd him out by walking around the perimeter until he found the door.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 18, 2022, 10:25:52 AM
Yesterday's delight: the swan family was back, with the cygnets nearly 3/4 their probable adult size.

They're still dark grey, and they're still lined up between their parents--cute little 4-swan defile' there--but it was nice to see them back again. I gather the downriver area they moved to suits them well.

They'd also apparently gone up on the beach earlier, there were a number of white feathers all over the place on the path.

Happy.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on August 18, 2022, 02:48:08 PM
Two parakeets visited my neighbors suet feeder this morning. I've posted on Nextdoor but so far no one has reported them missing. I'm sure they are having the adventure of a lifetime right now, but the poor things can't survive a winter outdoors here, and more immediately are probably not being to savvy about evading the local Coopers hawks.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on August 19, 2022, 07:47:46 AM
This must be a season for escaped domestic birds.  Early this morning I saw a stray hen chicken at the city park.  She was heading down toward the pond, seemingly at a loss what to do next.  I heard a rooster crowing nearby, and found him perched in the bushes beside a fence a couple minutes' walk farther along. 

People keep chickens here and there in town, so it wasn't a huge shock.  The runaways still somehow managed to travel the equivalent of several blocks and cross at least one street to get where I saw them.  That's quite a distance for a yardbird.  Still not as impressive as the one that I once saw that had somehow managed to get all the way across to the other side of the pond.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on August 19, 2022, 08:46:25 AM
This morning I got some lovely backlit photos of the heron by the river.

I also got a shot of an urban turkey feather on the sidewalk where I saw the (?turkeyhen) and her 3 chicks a week or so ag--so they're back, too.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 01, 2022, 07:09:44 AM
I got about the closest approach I've ever managed to the great egret that sometimes hangs around the city park.  Not long ago I had a more distant view of two of them.  I've also continued intermittently seeing grey herons there.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 01, 2022, 07:13:44 AM
I have it on good authority that one of the two large waterbirds I saw yesterday was a night heron, which I mistook for a hawk (given its hooked beak and flight pattern), or (rather unlikely, really, no blue on it) a kingfisher.

The other was the same, persistent, consistent, lonely juvenile heron--the last of four larger birds seen over the past two years--I keep wondering where the others got to.

No swans, a few ducks; I saw the geese later: they were all in the ball field, on my way home. 

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on September 11, 2022, 05:54:08 PM
It's been a good couple of weeks for bird sightings.

Yesterday, on my way home after a bird walk, I came upon a great blue heron (one doesn't "see" birds; rather, birds decide to make an appearance) standing quite majestically on the shore of the small lake in the park. He seemed unfazed by the people taking his/her picture. A week earlier, on my drive home on Labor Day, sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic, a great blue heron flew quite low across the expressway. That weekend I saw yet another great blue in the bird sanctuary, standing in the pond, and then slowly wending his or her way upstream, looking for fish.

Bird sightings last weekend in the bird sanctuary yielded in addition to the usual cardinals, bluejays, red-winged blackbirds, grackles, catbirds, and other familiar birds, some green herons, wood ducks, a warbling vireo, a belted kingfisher, a solitary sandpiper, a pileated woodpecker, Eastern wood peewees, and common yellowthroats. On one of those days I also saw a red-tailed hawk fly just over the top of my car as I was parking in the sanctuary.

During the same weekend, I was sitting on the porch in a rural part of the state when I heard a buzzing by my ear. It was a ruby-throated hummingbird, saying "pay attention to me". After hovering in front of me for a few minutes, he flew off into one of the trees in the yard. The other highlight of that weekend was seeing an osprey in yet another nature preserve; I heard the calls first, and then saw the bird swoop down to settle on the platform.

On the bird walk yesterday, we saw several American redstarts, northern wood peewees, a red-bellied woodpecker, a downy, a northern flicker, a few chestnut-sided warblers, a Cape May warbler, a northern waterthrush, a very, a black and white warbler, and assorted other birds. There were also three or four raccoons leisurely climbing down a tall tree.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 16, 2022, 12:29:25 PM
Besides the shy, feathery-headed, neck-bobbing duck-like creature I saw this AM while walking at one end of the brook, I was startled by the night heron giving a "squawk" under the bridge at the other end, near the confluence.

He didn't quite get the timing right--the old blue heron with the huge wingspread would do it just as he was in the middle of the passage, so it really echoed--first time I heard it I jumped--but it was a reasonable attempt and I was glad to see him again.

He turned downriver, though, and took off, so I didn't get to confirm it was him, that's just been his 'spot' for the last few days, so I guessed it was and went on.

M. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on September 17, 2022, 06:02:44 AM
Perhaps the "feathery-headed, neck-bobbing duck-like creature" was a merganser?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 17, 2022, 09:00:11 AM
I'll look that up, thanks!!

Without knowing where to start, I didn't try to figure it out.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 30, 2022, 08:05:30 AM
Sitting on a park bench, watching the dawn sky across the park pond, mind filled with troubling thoughts about yesterday, and the coming day's concerns.  Hearing early bird song as the sky grows lighter.  Then a heron flies high overhead, providing a timely reminder that:

He, who, from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,
In the long way that I must trace alone,
Will lead my steps aright.

You helped make my day, my feathered friend.  "Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given/And shall not soon depart" indeed.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on September 30, 2022, 12:50:52 PM
Glad it spoke to you, in that way.

This piece is a bit spine-stiffening, at times, too...written by a musician who was also a cleric:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4lSauxyFWo

Words here (slightly different translation):

   https://hymnary.org/text/the_spacious_firmament_on_high

Simpler (read-as-you-hear) version here:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwqqfbinUDY

I agree, it only takes one heron...

M.

P.S., another bird-themed meditation (Psalms, I think):

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCIKdjVooQ0

Also here:

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLGs_l6tFuA
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 01, 2022, 06:06:21 AM
Yesterday morning I awoke before dawn dreaming of a cat that kept making odd noises.  Then I realized that the odd noises were actually the sound of a nearby screech owl.  Funny how sounds can invade your dreams like that.

This morning I awoke before dawn to hear a hoot owl in the distance.  We're well-supplied with owls locally.  Appropriately enough, we have a children's program about owls coming up at the library the week after next.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 02, 2022, 05:40:25 PM
Canine barking madly on porch.  After awhile, I go out to see what's happening.  Little bird cornered but not reachable but no escape route.  Desperately attempt to melt into porch floor.  I put a thin cloth over the terrified creature, place gently on a bush....and it flies off in a flash.  Small titmouse.  No idea how it ended up on floor of porch, tucked between flower pots.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 21, 2022, 07:24:10 AM
Had a very nice view of one of our big egrets on my morning walk.  I haven't seen any grey herons at the park lately, though.

Lately I've been reaching the far end of the pond a little after dawn.  I'll sit on a bench for a few minutes and watch the sky grow lighter.  As I do so, I hear birds start to wake up and sing.  There's also something that begins stirring in the brush behind the bench around that same time.  At times it sounds almost like human footsteps back there, but I know that they surely aren't.  I suspect it's probably just a little bird stirring around.  The relative quiet makes it sound louder and bigger than it really is.  Whatever it is, it starts stirring at about the same time each morning.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: mamselle on October 21, 2022, 08:48:12 AM
Lovely image.

Thank you for that.

M.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 21, 2022, 01:30:22 PM
apl68.....  I was totally unaware of a grey heron until your post.  How were you able to distinguish it?  I must pay more attention.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 21, 2022, 03:14:39 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on October 21, 2022, 01:30:22 PM
apl68.....  I was totally unaware of a grey heron until your post.  How were you able to distinguish it?  I must pay more attention.

Technically they'd be great blue herons--actual grey herons live in the Old World.  "Blue" herons have different coloring schemes.  The ones I see tend to look more grey than blue, so I incorrectly call them grey herons.

The egrets I'm talking about are great egrets--the big kind.  We also see smaller egrets around here.  They tend to be seen in cow pastures, so they're often called "cowbirds." 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on October 22, 2022, 05:47:04 AM
Quote from: apl68 on October 21, 2022, 03:14:39 PM
The egrets I'm talking about are great egrets--the big kind.  We also see smaller egrets around here.  They tend to be seen in cow pastures, so they're often called "cowbirds."

Not to be confused with actual cowbirds (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/overview)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 22, 2022, 06:03:19 AM
Quote from: FishProf on October 22, 2022, 05:47:04 AM
Quote from: apl68 on October 21, 2022, 03:14:39 PM
The egrets I'm talking about are great egrets--the big kind.  We also see smaller egrets around here.  They tend to be seen in cow pastures, so they're often called "cowbirds."

Not to be confused with actual cowbirds (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Brown-headed_Cowbird/overview)

No, definitely not!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 22, 2022, 06:06:27 AM
Quote from: apl68 on October 21, 2022, 03:14:39 PM
Quote from: nebo113 on October 21, 2022, 01:30:22 PM
apl68.....  I was totally unaware of a grey heron until your post.  How were you able to distinguish it?  I must pay more attention.

Technically they'd be great blue herons--actual grey herons live in the Old World.  "Blue" herons have different coloring schemes.  The ones I see tend to look more grey than blue, so I incorrectly call them grey herons.

The egrets I'm talking about are great egrets--the big kind.  We also see smaller egrets around here.  They tend to be seen in cow pastures, so they're often called "cowbirds."

Perhaps we need an old world bird watching excursion!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on October 26, 2022, 04:03:30 AM
Myrtle warblers seem to be moving through.  I will probably meet up with them in winter quarters.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on November 04, 2022, 01:44:14 PM
Can't remember if I previously posted about this, but we have a pair of Quaker parrots that moved into the neighborhood this summer and seem to have made our block their permanent home. We think they are ferrel (maybe got blown off course from a colony south of here?) rather than escaped pets-- they have no leg bands, act like wild birds, and certainly have no interest in being caught by humans (though they do eat at feeders). It is just sort of surreal to have these birds that I think of as tropical/pets just flying around with the regular backyard birds. And they are LOUD! Holy smokes, I can't imagine someone voluntarily living with those guys inside their house.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 04, 2022, 02:14:36 PM
Quote from: Puget on November 04, 2022, 01:44:14 PM
Can't remember if I previously posted about this, but we have a pair of Quaker parrots that moved into the neighborhood this summer and seem to have made our block their permanent home. We think they are ferrel (maybe got blown off course from a colony south of here?) rather than escaped pets-- they have no leg bands, act like wild birds, and certainly have no interest in being caught by humans (though they do eat at feeders). It is just sort of surreal to have these birds that I think of as tropical/pets just flying around with the regular backyard birds. And they are LOUD! Holy smokes, I can't imagine someone voluntarily living with those guys inside their house.

Do the females wear white bonnets?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on November 04, 2022, 02:29:08 PM
Quote from: Puget on November 04, 2022, 01:44:14 PM
Can't remember if I previously posted about this, but we have a pair of Quaker parrots that moved into the neighborhood this summer and seem to have made our block their permanent home. We think they are ferrel (maybe got blown off course from a colony south of here?) rather than escaped pets-- they have no leg bands, act like wild birds, and certainly have no interest in being caught by humans (though they do eat at feeders). It is just sort of surreal to have these birds that I think of as tropical/pets just flying around with the regular backyard birds. And they are LOUD! Holy smokes, I can't imagine someone voluntarily living with those guys inside their house.

These are the monk parakeets that have taken over some of the streets and also the main entrance to Greenwood Cemetery. https://www.exp1.com/blog/untold-nyc-history-brooklyn-parrots/ Their nests are like high-rise apartment buildings along some of the streets. According to local legend, they are escapees from a shipment:

QuoteUrban legend has it (now documented) that c.1967 a large, live shipment of monk parakeets left their native South American home in route to the pet shops of lower Manhattan. Shortly after landing at JFK airport the large crates fell and broke releasing the parakeets who took off in all directions.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on November 04, 2022, 03:02:56 PM
Quote from: Langue_doc on November 04, 2022, 02:29:08 PM
Quote from: Puget on November 04, 2022, 01:44:14 PM
Can't remember if I previously posted about this, but we have a pair of Quaker parrots that moved into the neighborhood this summer and seem to have made our block their permanent home. We think they are ferrel (maybe got blown off course from a colony south of here?) rather than escaped pets-- they have no leg bands, act like wild birds, and certainly have no interest in being caught by humans (though they do eat at feeders). It is just sort of surreal to have these birds that I think of as tropical/pets just flying around with the regular backyard birds. And they are LOUD! Holy smokes, I can't imagine someone voluntarily living with those guys inside their house.

These are the monk parakeets that have taken over some of the streets and also the main entrance to Greenwood Cemetery. https://www.exp1.com/blog/untold-nyc-history-brooklyn-parrots/ Their nests are like high-rise apartment buildings along some of the streets. According to local legend, they are escapees from a shipment:

QuoteUrban legend has it (now documented) that c.1967 a large, live shipment of monk parakeets left their native South American home in route to the pet shops of lower Manhattan. Shortly after landing at JFK airport the large crates fell and broke releasing the parakeets who took off in all directions.

Yes, apparently the names Quaker parrots and monk parakeets are used interchangeably (or maybe there is regional variation?). Since they've arrived I've learned about the colonies all over the US (the SF ones are famous of course). I am quite a bit north of NYC, but they hav apparently been spotted in smaller numbers closer to here. So far we've only got the 2. We'll see how they fare this winter.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on November 05, 2022, 06:51:14 AM
Reportedly, there are monk parakeets inhabiting my area of southern New England, although I have never seen one.

Two days ago I saw my first juncos of the season!  Can the white-throated sparrows be far behind?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on November 05, 2022, 09:22:12 AM
QuoteYes, apparently the names Quaker parrots and monk parakeets are used interchangeably (or maybe there is regional variation?). Since they've arrived I've learned about the colonies all over the US (the SF ones are famous of course). I am quite a bit north of NYC, but they hav apparently been spotted in smaller numbers closer to here. So far we've only got the 2. We'll see how they fare this winter.

Apparently, ours are seeking greener and less urban pastures. This morning, I saw a couple rebuilding their nests atop one of the spires in Greenwood Cemetery. If you haven't been there, do think of a trip there as you can park anywhere inside the premises. Ask the security guard at one of the entrances for a map.

QuoteTwo days ago I saw my first juncos of the season!  Can the white-throated sparrows be far behind?

We've (in NYC) been seeing both for several weeks now--as a matter of fact, I saw both this morning. I've been meaning to post a list of the interesting birds I've seen on the bird walks from mid-September through October. I'll do so once I've reviewed all my lists.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on November 25, 2022, 11:19:59 AM
Saw several pileated woodpeckers https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/overview in the nature preserve this morning. They are quite loud, not only with their pecking, but also because the pecking dislodges bits and pieces of the tree which fall down quite noisily.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on November 25, 2022, 02:18:33 PM
Quote from: Langue_doc on November 25, 2022, 11:19:59 AM
Saw several pileated woodpeckers https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Pileated_Woodpecker/overview in the nature preserve this morning. They are quite loud, not only with their pecking, but also because the pecking dislodges bits and pieces of the tree which fall down quite noisily.

And they love my log house because of the carpenter bee larvae snugged away in the logs.  Even though I put. Up juice on the house, one day, I will awaken to see the sky🙃
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on November 26, 2022, 10:15:31 AM
Not a single pileated in sight today, but saw a hairy woodpecker in that spot, and later on, a female in another spot.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on November 29, 2022, 05:58:14 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on November 26, 2022, 10:15:31 AM
Not a single pileated in sight today, but saw a hairy woodpecker in that spot, and later on, a female in another spot.

Saw another pileated the same afternoon in another nature area. I heard the bird long before I saw it. They are loud!

Other birds over the long weekend: a pair of eastern bluebirds in the backyard, flocks of black-capped chickadees in the front yard and also in the trees in the backyard, a few tufted titmice, black-capped chickadees on the feeder at the Thanksgiving dinner hosts' place, a downy, a red-tailed hawk taking off from the road (country road), and in the nature preserve, a belted kingfisher, presumably male because of the absence of the brown band across the stomach, and a cooper's hawk that landed on a tree in the bird feeder area.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on November 29, 2022, 06:28:08 AM
My husband and I went for an afternoon walk yesterday on a near-by trail.  We took our binoculars, even though the time of year and the time of day were not favorable for interesting bird sightings.  But we did see a red-bellied woodpecker, a white-throated sparrow (tan variant), and a red-tailed hawk, as well as the usual black-capped chickadees, tufted titmice, robins, and cardinals.  I keep hoping for another glimpse of a pileated woodpecker—I have seen them on that trail a couple of times. One of these days...
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on November 29, 2022, 07:27:44 AM
Didn't spot them, but I heard wood ducks out on the pond at the city park this morning.  Guess that makes up for seeing one through the mist but not hearing it yesterday morning.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on December 16, 2022, 08:09:42 AM
The owl I've been hearing at the park around sunrise was very talkative this morning.  I heard it hooting steadily the whole time I sat by the bank of the pond watching the morning sky.

Later, after it had gotten lighter, I saw a blue heron light only a few feet away from the park's gaggle of honking tame geese.  I'd never seen a heron that close to the geese.  I'd always supposed that they didn't like the noisy things.  As soon as the heron came down, the geese waddled down into the water and started paddling away.  Maybe it is they who don't like being around the heron.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on December 17, 2022, 09:04:48 AM
Most years, the White-throated Sparrows feed on the ground.  This year, I have one who likes the elevated feeder.  I think it's discovered the peanut pieces. :)))
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on December 17, 2022, 10:24:48 AM
A red tailed hawk eating a rabbit right next to the walking path along the river. I got some close-up photos as I walked by--it was not at all frightened of me, but did jump on top of carcass and give me hard glare, just in case I was thinking about trying to take its dinner from it. Nature red in tooth and claw indeed!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on December 21, 2022, 10:07:06 AM
A whole mixed flock bopping around in the trees this morning!  Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Juncos, Chipping Sparrows, & I'm not sure what all else.

With this impending winter storm, I'm about to go get lots more birdfood!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on December 22, 2022, 08:47:36 AM
Late yesterday afternoon, I hung 8 suet cakes, 2 thistle sock feeders, 2 feeders with a mix of cracked corn and sunflower, and a 5-pound feeder of just sunflower seed, in addition to putting out more ear corn for the squirrels this morning.  There were grackles around this morning (and it's OK--they need to eat, too, as cold as it's going to get); saw a cardinal on the sunflower feeder. And the squirrels were already carrying away the corn. I'll have to make sure they have some warm water too over the next few days.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on December 22, 2022, 08:58:28 AM
Down in southern Arizona currently-- lots of birds at the feeders, but most notably spotted a road runner yesterday--running on the road of course.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on December 23, 2022, 04:28:23 AM
Quote from: Puget on December 22, 2022, 08:58:28 AM
Down in southern Arizona currently-- lots of birds at the feeders, but most notably spotted a road runner yesterday--running on the road of course.

Envious that you are in my favorite area. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on December 24, 2022, 08:43:51 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on December 23, 2022, 04:28:23 AM
Quote from: Puget on December 22, 2022, 08:58:28 AM
Down in southern Arizona currently-- lots of birds at the feeders, but most notably spotted a road runner yesterday--running on the road of course.

Envious that you are in my favorite area.

I'm only a very causal bird watcher (I'm more interested in their behavior than IDing them), but my grandmother who I'm visiting is quite the birder. Since she's 95, her birding these days is mostly limited to what comes to her feeders. A few years back I gave her the perpetual gift of a monthly delivery of birdseed to help keep the show going for her.
Frequent visitors this week:
Gila woodpeckers (they nest in a nearby saguaro)
Phainopeplas
Cardinals
Qual
About 3 kinds of doves
House finches
Curve-billed thrashers (make a huge mess!)
Cactus wrens
Various sparrows
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on December 24, 2022, 11:05:14 AM
Phainopeplas!  Never spell it correctly when I want to look it up!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on December 28, 2022, 06:26:06 AM
Recently we've had a little flock of about a dozen something-or-others flying around the neighborhood.  Between my poor eyesight and my limited bird-spotting know-how, I can't tell you what they are.  Whatever they are, they're close-knit.  I see them flying around or perched on phone lines as a unit.  Yesterday afternoon I saw them making rounds of the street in formation.  It's amazing how they can turn, dip, rise, and all go to ground in unison.  They did have a bit of trouble when they swooped down around the branches of a tree at one point.  Then they got away from that entanglement and promptly re-established the formation.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on December 28, 2022, 06:38:00 AM
After a critter-less cold snap, we once again have jays and sparrows (and squirrels).

CatTV is really popular these days.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on December 28, 2022, 09:43:24 AM
Quote from: apl68 on December 28, 2022, 06:26:06 AM
Recently we've had a little flock of about a dozen something-or-others flying around the neighborhood.  Between my poor eyesight and my limited bird-spotting know-how, I can't tell you what they are.  Whatever they are, they're close-knit.  I see them flying around or perched on phone lines as a unit.  Yesterday afternoon I saw them making rounds of the street in formation.  It's amazing how they can turn, dip, rise, and all go to ground in unison.  They did have a bit of trouble when they swooped down around the branches of a tree at one point.  Then they got away from that entanglement and promptly re-established the formation.

Might be Cedar Waxwings if you're lucky, or Starlings if you're not.  Do they call?  A single high-pitched note is one way to recognize the Waxwings.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on December 28, 2022, 10:29:31 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on December 28, 2022, 09:43:24 AM
Quote from: apl68 on December 28, 2022, 06:26:06 AM
Recently we've had a little flock of about a dozen something-or-others flying around the neighborhood.  Between my poor eyesight and my limited bird-spotting know-how, I can't tell you what they are.  Whatever they are, they're close-knit.  I see them flying around or perched on phone lines as a unit.  Yesterday afternoon I saw them making rounds of the street in formation.  It's amazing how they can turn, dip, rise, and all go to ground in unison.  They did have a bit of trouble when they swooped down around the branches of a tree at one point.  Then they got away from that entanglement and promptly re-established the formation.

Might be Cedar Waxwings if you're lucky, or Starlings if you're not.  Do they call?  A single high-pitched note is one way to recognize the Waxwings.

I haven't heard them call so far.  They're bigger than starlings, and their flock is nowhere near as big as starling flocks normally are.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on December 29, 2022, 06:43:15 AM
Once it warmed up (i.e., above single digits during the days), I've had several kinds of finches and sparrows, a nuthatch, titmice, and a hairy woodpecker at the feeders outside my home office window.  And grackles, always the grackles.  It's OK--they need to eat, too.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on December 29, 2022, 03:03:13 PM
Because we have skunks and other critters that like to eat bird seed our condo will allow only thistle (and that is after I begged and let them know squirrels won't go near it). We also don't have many trees, so I get only Carolina wrens, house and purple finches, and mostly juncos. We do have the odd hawk though.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on January 04, 2023, 05:37:39 PM
On one of my favorite walks in a vast park-like area, I saw a peregrine falcon swoop down by the water's edge, then get into the water to take a bath, hop out to dry its wings, throw its head back and open its mouth wide, and then get back into the water for another bath. This bathing, drying out, throwing the head back and opening the mouth was repeated three times. I must have ventured a bit too close for comfort, so the falcon took off and perched on a tree branch where it stayed for quite some time. This was my New Year's Day treat!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on January 09, 2023, 01:08:33 PM
Quote from: Langue_doc on January 04, 2023, 05:37:39 PM
On one of my favorite walks in a vast park-like area, I saw a peregrine falcon swoop down by the water's edge, then get into the water to take a bath, hop out to dry its wings, throw its head back and open its mouth wide, and then get back into the water for another bath. This bathing, drying out, throwing the head back and opening the mouth was repeated three times. I must have ventured a bit too close for comfort, so the falcon took off and perched on a tree branch where it stayed for quite some time. This was my New Year's Day treat!

Sounds like a wonderful way to begin the year!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on January 09, 2023, 01:13:34 PM
We sometimes see and hear raptors flying over our town.  We also sometimes have skies crisscrossed with condensation trails from military jet aircraft practicing maneuvers.  I've always supposed that this was because our local timber products mill--a large industrial complex located far from any large population centers or major airline flight lanes--made a handy place to practice simulated attacks and defenses.

Anyway, this afternoon while walking back from lunch, I observed both.


Screeching bird of prey
Above my head, yet below
The dueling aircraft
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: the_geneticist on January 09, 2023, 02:24:16 PM
We have a black Phoebe that likes to hang out near the compost pile and catch flying insects.  I love their little crest that they can pop up and the "tee hee! tee hee!" call.  Drives our cats bonkers.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on January 10, 2023, 05:31:32 AM
A pair of red-tailed hawks were circling above buildings on a very busy street for quite some time, probably taking advantage of the wind currents. I was on an architectural tour, so was half listening to the information about the historic buildings on that street because watching the hawks having fun was far more interesting, given the location. The buildings were quite interesting too, as they were formerly mansions which now have been subdivided into four to six apartments.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on January 22, 2023, 06:19:38 PM
More bird sightings in the vast park-like expanse--last Sunday was relatively quiet, other than a few tufted titmice, white-breasted nuthatches, the usual blue jays, a couple of northern mockingbirds, a few black-capped chickadees, and a couple of red-tailed hawks flying overhead. On the small island in the middle of the man-made lake, skulking among the tall dried grasses was a great blue heron, standing still for the longest time. I saw him in the same spot as I was going up several paths, and also when I was coming down on yet another path. He was also there, in the same spot yesterday morning and also today.

Yesterday was a very active birdy morning, as I could hear all kinds of chirps and cheeps as soon as I opened the car door. The first was a red-bellied woodpecker, looking for food just above my head. In addition to the heron above, and the usual birds, I came upon what looked like a juvenile red-tailed hawk sitting on a branch by the feeder that had birds flying in and out of it. The hawk kept swiveling its head in every which way whenever a bird alighted on the feeder, took off, or was just flying past it, reminiscent of a baby moving its head to look at objects above its crib. The hawk then flew down and got its talons tangled in a twig which he managed to shake off. He then took off, with his foot tangled in yet another twig. Later in the walk, I heard a couple of crows cawing loudly--they were chasing a red-tailed hawk away from what might have been their nest. Today, in addition to the heron and the assorted birds, I saw a peregrine falcon land on one of the topmost branches of a pine tree, then hop up the branches to the very top from where he surveyed his domain. After sitting there for more than a couple of minutes, he took off and landed on a branch of another tree. There were also the usual woodpeckers on the tree trunks and birds of prey flying overhead.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on January 23, 2023, 07:26:17 AM
I didn't spot any of our local herons on my morning walk, but I did hear one croaking at one point.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on February 11, 2023, 07:25:18 AM
Last weekend was prime time for bluebird territorial fights and investigation of potential housing.  I think the titmice may have started nesting, too.

Also, there was a brief but excellent visit to my fave underwater camera by a double-crested cormorant this morning.  Scroll back to 8.32.20 for the fish reactions to the predator - bird shows up 8.32.30.  Find the correct time using the clock in the lower left corner.  Navigation is a bit different b/c this ISN"T a video - it's a live stream, so the previous 12 hours are usually available.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8ARjIeM2k
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on February 24, 2023, 07:13:13 AM
Saw what appeared to be five herons flying over the city park on my morning walk.  I've never seen more than two or three at one time before.  I also heard geese passing through last night.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on February 25, 2023, 04:03:21 PM
Purple finches at the feeder, woodpeckers hammering away, redwing black birds singing, and lots of other birds.  Despite the cold today the woods were loud, even at 2 in the afternoon.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on February 25, 2023, 05:09:55 PM
Saw several species of ducks on today's walk. There were flocks of long-tailed ducks https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-tailed_Duck/id that would simultaneously dive and then surface. Other ducks were buffleheads, great scaups, scoters, red-breasted mergansers, hooded mergansers https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Merganser/, and assorted others that I don't recall at the moment.

There were also the usual bluejays, tufted titmice, white-breasted nuthatches, a junco, blackheaded chickadees, a grackle, a cardinal, mourning doves, robins (I think these were the first I've seen this year) and an entire flock of red-winged blackbirds. And of course, the usual gulls, this being a park along the shores.

The highlight was seeing a barred owl, which we were informed, tended to roost on one the trees in the area we were in. He (or should I say hu) was rather large for an owl. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/barred_owl

We also saw seals perched on rocks in the water, and much to my surprise, two solitary deer (this is a NYC park).

Half way during the walk, as predicted, it started to snow--it was just snow showers, and quite beautiful. Temperatures tomorrow are going to be in the mid forties.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on April 19, 2023, 04:30:17 AM
It's migration time so we're seeing birds either on their way further north or here for the summer. We saw a bittern standing in the same spot for over three hours on a recent bird walk, wood ducks, a pair of American black ducks in the same spot a few days ago, a Wilson's snipe huddling under a bush on the far shore of the same body of water on Saturday, an American woodcock in another area, an osprey flying with a goldfish in its mouth (there is a koi pond in this area), flickers that are coming in, and palm warblers aplenty. We recorded forty species on Saturday--this was a low number for this time of the year. The winds and high temperatures on the two previous days resulted in several species flying north.

Here are the descriptions:
bittern https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Bittern/overview
wood duck https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wood_duck
American black duck https://ebird.org/species/ambduc
snipe https://ebird.org/species/wilsni1
woodcock https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Woodcock
palm warbler https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Palm_Warbler
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 19, 2023, 06:38:13 AM
I heard them singing everywhere on my morning walk.  We have a great crop of spring birds.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on April 20, 2023, 09:55:22 AM
I saw my first red wing blackbird out in the country by Kid's farmhouse last weekend.  That's the earliest I've ever seen one around here.

We have several pairs of cardinals and robins here in town, with lots of other birds as well.

I'll probably put out a hummingbird feeder, just so one is ready, this weekend/early next week.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: fleabite on April 20, 2023, 07:36:01 PM
I saw my first robin of the season on Saturday—only one, although I'd been looking for robins throughout a long bike ride. However, tonight I went for a walk in a park in my neighborhood and the robins had arrived in full force. Spring has sprung!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on April 21, 2023, 04:51:32 AM
Quote from: AmLitHist on April 20, 2023, 09:55:22 AM
I saw my first red wing blackbird out in the country by Kid's farmhouse last weekend.  That's the earliest I've ever seen one around here.

We have several pairs of cardinals and robins here in town, with lots of other birds as well.

I'll probably put out a hummingbird feeder, just so one is ready, this weekend/early next week.

I put mine out and have had one hummer.  They may still be just passing through my area.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: cathwen on April 21, 2023, 10:07:00 AM
On our walk today we saw a red-shouldered hawk and a green heron!  Two days ago, on the same trail, a sweet little ruby-crowned kinglet put on quite a show for us, hopping around in a bush at the edge of the trail, and stopping as if to pose for pictures.  And all the Usual Suspects were there, too: cardinals, red-winged blackbirds, chickadees, song sparrows, robins, crows (not sure whether American Crows or Fish Crows), grackles, white-throated sparrows.  I'm probably forgetting some.  We saw a gazillion turtles, too—I may post in the Fauna thread.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on April 21, 2023, 10:23:35 AM
A mockingbird was harassing a crow this morning, but - oddly enough - stopped when the crow landed & started collecting nesting material.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on April 21, 2023, 11:35:18 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on April 21, 2023, 10:23:35 AM
A mockingbird was harassing a crow this morning, but - oddly enough - stopped when the crow landed & started collecting nesting material.

Maybe it realized it wasn't a threat at that point? Mockingbirds are pretty smart.
There was one outside my window the other day doing a dead on impression of a car alarm-- it went through the whole cycle of car alarm sounds repeatedly. Much more endearing than the actual thing though!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on April 22, 2023, 11:20:45 AM
Quote from: Puget on April 21, 2023, 11:35:18 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on April 21, 2023, 10:23:35 AM
A mockingbird was harassing a crow this morning, but - oddly enough - stopped when the crow landed & started collecting nesting material.

Maybe it realized it wasn't a threat at that point? Mockingbirds are pretty smart.
There was one outside my window the other day doing a dead on impression of a car alarm-- it went through the whole cycle of car alarm sounds repeatedly. Much more endearing than the actual thing though!

I'd love to have a mockingbird again!  We haven't had any for a number of years.  I will pay postage if anyone cares to send me one.  :-)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on April 22, 2023, 05:53:09 PM
On the bird walk this morning we saw in addition to the usual cardinals, robins, bluejays, assorted sparrows, swans, geese, etc., a green heron perched on a log that was hanging over the water, a few ruddy ducks that were still here in the city, red-winged blackbirds, a couple of grackles, palm warblers, yellow-rumped warblers, downy woodpeckers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, a hairy woodpecker, a blue-eyed vireo, and a leucistic robin (this is the best picture I could find). http://www.windowtowildlife.com/tag/leucistic-american-robin/
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 24, 2023, 07:42:44 AM
We've not had the flocks of geese passing over town this season like we normally do.  Is it due to permanent shifts in migration, or simply a result of conditions particular to this year?  We've had previous years when they didn't come over like usual, but were back the next year.

Anyway, I did spot a stray pair of wild geese taking off from the pond at the city park this morning.  They must have been heading out after pausing overnight.  Here's wishing them a good journey back north!  Or bon voyage, if they happen to be Canada geese from Quebec.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on April 28, 2023, 07:23:10 AM
The wild geese have flown
Leaving behind the tame geese
Leading silly lives
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: waterboy on April 28, 2023, 10:17:57 AM
Nothing bugs me more that hearing "Canadian geese"...unless, of course, they actually are, you know, Canadian.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on April 28, 2023, 11:28:39 AM
Quote from: waterboy on April 28, 2023, 10:17:57 AM
Nothing bugs me more that hearing "Canadian geese"...unless, of course, they actually are, you know, Canadian.

They are worse. (https://www.narcity.com/9-canada-geese-memes-that-are-honking-hilarious)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on April 28, 2023, 03:56:26 PM
Sunday morning, during a drizzle, saw a heron flying over a marshy pond. The heron then met up with another one on a tree top, after which they both flew off. There must be a nest somewhere in the area. Soon after that saw an egret on the far side of a nearby pond.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on May 02, 2023, 09:15:07 AM
A nest full of baby birds is right outside my father's laundry room window. He has already taken some videos of the little ones being fed by mama, and he's shown those to my mother (who is now in a skilled nursing facility--more on that later). She loved the videos--even saying with a smile that she remembers feeding her sons 50 years ago, but (of course) not with her beak. :)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on May 02, 2023, 06:49:01 PM
A kingfisher, one of my favorite birds, patrols a creek in a nearby park.  I love his [?] undulating flight, sort of like a swimmer doing butterfly.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: ohnoes on May 03, 2023, 02:08:28 PM
First batch of goslings!  6-8 tiny little fuzzies.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 05, 2023, 10:27:08 AM
First sets of Carolina Wrens fully fledged; Titmice obviously feeding nestlings; yesterday a male Cardinal left with a beak full of mealworms; Great Crested Flycatchers and Mississippi Kites have arrived
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on May 05, 2023, 12:55:24 PM
Quote from: paultuttle on May 02, 2023, 09:15:07 AM
A nest full of baby birds is right outside my father's laundry room window. He has already taken some videos of the little ones being fed by mama, and he's shown those to my mother (who is now in a skilled nursing facility--more on that later). She loved the videos--even saying with a smile that she remembers feeding her sons 50 years ago, but (of course) not with her beak. :)

Update: In just the past few days, the baby birds have graduated from standing up and fluffing out their feathers to (apparently) flying away.

(Dad tells me the nest is now empty and the birds nowhere to be seen.)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on May 20, 2023, 09:36:15 AM
On the bird walk this morning, while holding an umbrella, I saw various birds. An osprey on its nest, with its mate perched on a pole nearby; mate later flew up to the nest and handed what looked like a fish to the mate who must have been sitting on eggs. Saw another osprey on another nest. Several egrets flew back and forth across the marsh and also a black-crowned night heron. Assorted warblers and flycatchers, a marsh wren, a clapper rail (my first), a willet that flew quite low back and forth, an oystercatcher, and three glossy ibises that put on quite a performance as they circled over the marsh before landing gracefully. What with the rain, the small group (leader and three of us participants), and the leader who I know from previous walks, it turned out to be a very profitable morning outing.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clapper_Rail/id#
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/glossy_ibis
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/marsh_wren
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Oystercatcher
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 23, 2023, 07:10:48 AM
This morning at the city park I saw a small egret and a big blue heron.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 24, 2023, 11:30:26 AM
I have a female tanager hanging around.  She'll peck at the suet (very clumsily...) but doesn't really seem comfortable at the feeder yet.  I obviously need to expand my offerings, but to what?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on May 25, 2023, 03:42:37 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on May 24, 2023, 11:30:26 AM
I have a female tanager hanging around.  She'll peck at the suet (very clumsily...) but doesn't really seem comfortable at the feeder yet.  I obviously need to expand my offerings, but to what?

Dried mealworms.  And a Birdbath.

It may be a teenager tanager and is just learning to feed on suet.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on May 25, 2023, 07:09:11 AM
Quote from: FishProf on May 25, 2023, 03:42:37 AM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on May 24, 2023, 11:30:26 AM
I have a female tanager hanging around.  She'll peck at the suet (very clumsily...) but doesn't really seem comfortable at the feeder yet.  I obviously need to expand my offerings, but to what?

Dried mealworms.  And a Birdbath.

It may be a teenager tanager and is just learning to feed on suet.

TY!

Birdbaths are available - elevated and ground level!  I don't do dried mealworms, but could try putting the live ones on the same pole as the other feeders.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 26, 2023, 07:36:09 AM
This morning at the park I saw five tame geese cruising across the pond in formation--squawking their silly goose heads off.  Such a pretty sight, such an ugly sound to accompany it.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on May 28, 2023, 08:01:41 AM
Towhee and thrasher grazing about two feet apart on the ground....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on May 30, 2023, 07:38:09 AM
I spent Memorial Day visiting the Arkansas Post National Memorial, which I'd managed never to visit before despite living in-state for most of my life.  The park's picnic area sits on a bayou.  I went by there long before lunch, and had the place all to myself.  I sat by the water's edge and took in the scene.  Soon I heard and saw a hummingbird buzzing around the flowers growing in the shallow water.  Then I saw other small birds dipping in and out of the plants.  Can't say what they were, as I'm not that much of a naturalist and my vision is too poor to make out details very well.  I'd be a lousy birdwatcher.

And lots of dragonflies.  And more.  It was a wonderfully tranquil scene on a pleasant late morning.  Lots of opportunity to appreciate God's sheer inventiveness in creating all these creatures (However many eons it might have taken).  I really needed that.

The historic site was interesting too.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on June 12, 2023, 07:55:11 AM
A great egret sitting on a rather short bushy tree, preening its feathers for at least 15 minutes yesterday. The same egret slowly and with deliberate footsteps walked its way around the same pond last Monday.

At least two red-tailed hawks were being chased by smaller birds in different areas of the same heavily wooded preserve.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 12, 2023, 07:59:45 AM
Langue_doc.....slowly and with deliberate footsteps    Is there any other way for a great egret
to ambulate?  :)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on June 12, 2023, 10:11:02 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 12, 2023, 07:59:45 AM
Langue_doc.....slowly and with deliberate footsteps    Is there any other way for a great egret
to ambulate?  :)

"Awkwardly, like a newbie in stiletto heels" comes to mind.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on June 12, 2023, 10:48:05 AM
Sunday before getting ready for church I took a long bicycle ride.  While passing a stretch of woods, I saw a hawk come out of the trees and wing its way along the edge of the road, parallel to my travel.  It shrieked a couple of times.  Then it crossed the road and passed directly overhead.  I thanked it for the little show as it flew away.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on June 12, 2023, 01:33:40 PM
Quote from: FishProf on June 12, 2023, 10:11:02 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on June 12, 2023, 07:59:45 AMLangue_doc.....slowly and with deliberate footsteps    Is there any other way for a great egret
to ambulate?  :)

"Awkwardly, like a newbie in stiletto heels" comes to mind.

Why would anyone wish this on the egret, elegance personified? 😉

nebo113, I've seen egrets and herons do their dignified walks, but this was the first time I'd seen one walk around the entire shoreline of a body of water. He was also taking his time yesterday grooming--the head would disappear into the feathers, come up for a brief moment, look around, and then you could see disturbance in the bird's body where the beak would be combing the feathers.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on June 13, 2023, 05:36:56 AM
During the above walk--three miles, approximately an hour and a half--I saw more than 15 northern mockingbirds which I duly listed on ebird. Now ebird is upset because according to them--rather the individual who emailed me--this is a high count, and wants to make sure that I know how to identify this particular species. Aargh! They are quite common in not only the parks and nature preserves but also in my neighborhood, on my street as well as adjacent streets. I've seen them on fences, sitting in a nest on a low branch of a tree on the next street, and on one occasion a pair just outside the front door, doing a little dance, which they continued after moving to the planters on either side of the door.

Pardon the garbled syntax, I'm still fuming at the thought of responding to the email.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 13, 2023, 11:31:51 AM
Cedar waxwings hanging out in the yard.  Don't know why I find them so intriguing.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on June 25, 2023, 03:53:15 PM
Wrens are squatting in the bluebird box. 
What?!?!?!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on June 26, 2023, 07:08:53 AM
Bird report from the last couple of weeks: The Canada goose family seems to be thriving--both goslings are doing well, with one of them chasing sparrows. Tragedy seems to have struck the mallard family. There were three duckings about a couple of weeks ago, but only one last week. The pond they frequent has huge snapping turtles, some of them a foot long, and all of which seem to like munching on chicks. The last time I saw the lone duckling, it seemed to be doing well, but I wasn't happy with Mama duck, because she was teaching her duckling to cadge for food--they were both practically at my feet, looking up hopefully for some goodies. The egret is still there, still walking instead of skulking behind the bushy tree that hangs over the water, but not as methodically as on the day I stood mesmerized.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on June 26, 2023, 08:15:26 AM
I was out with a class when we spotted a Scarlet Tanager.

One student kept asking, which part is the tan part?  I only see black and red.

When other students asked what she meant, she said its not scarlet and tan, it a scarlet and black ajer.

A quick perusal of a guidebook sorted that out.

Now I wonder what other critter names I have failed to successfully transmit.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on June 27, 2023, 09:53:02 AM
Quote from: FishProf on June 26, 2023, 08:15:26 AMOne student kept asking, which part is the tan part?  I only see black and red.

When other students asked what she meant, she said its not scarlet and tan, it's a scarlet and black ajer.

Major vocabulary fail. Did Stu explain what an "ajer" was? I'm still banging my head over this one.
 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on June 27, 2023, 11:31:20 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on June 27, 2023, 09:53:02 AM
Quote from: FishProf on June 26, 2023, 08:15:26 AMOne student kept asking, which part is the tan part?  I only see black and red.

When other students asked what she meant, she said its not scarlet and tan, it's a scarlet and black ajer.

Major vocabulary fail. Did Stu explain what an "ajer" was? I'm still banging my head over this one.
 

Yeah, she said 'it's just another kind of bird isn't it?  Like a tit, or a jay, or a sparrow'.....or an ajer, apparently. (I'm paraphrasing)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on June 27, 2023, 12:32:12 PM
Quote from: FishProf on June 27, 2023, 11:31:20 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on June 27, 2023, 09:53:02 AM
Quote from: FishProf on June 26, 2023, 08:15:26 AMOne student kept asking, which part is the tan part?  I only see black and red.

When other students asked what she meant, she said its not scarlet and tan, it's a scarlet and black ajer.

Major vocabulary fail. Did Stu explain what an "ajer" was? I'm still banging my head over this one.
 

Yeah, she said 'it's just another kind of bird isn't it?  Like a tit, or a jay, or a sparrow'.....or an ajer, apparently. (I'm paraphrasing)

I've never seen a copy of the American Journal of Engineering Research that could fly before....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on June 27, 2023, 01:48:05 PM
More of an aggressive falling, really....
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on July 03, 2023, 07:36:44 AM
Once again my favorite underwater livestream has a bird!  An anhinga this time, slowly moving along the reef looking for a meal.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7i8ARjIeM2k & scroll back to 10.16.22 by the clock in the lower L corner.  It'll remain available on the stream for 12 hours.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on July 03, 2023, 09:54:50 AM
A great egret flying majestically over the parkway earlier today. There's a body of water alongside this parkway, so it isn't unusual to see egrets and/or herons flying across or alongside. In other news, we have a resident Northern Mockingbird on our street, who just like good neighbors (the kind that stick their noses into everybody's business) alights on the fence whenever he/she sees me getting in or out of my car, noisily making its presence felt. The mourning doves who used to hang out on the trees and rooftops across the street have now moved next door, surveying the going-ons from their perch on the neighbor's roof.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on July 03, 2023, 10:19:45 AM
While out walking before church early yesterday morning, I saw birds flying against a backdrop of majestic clouds.  Then I saw a bolt of lightning stabbing down from those clouds.  It didn't seem to bother the birds.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on July 03, 2023, 12:01:30 PM
I took advantage of the cool(er) morning to clean up the garden this morning, including pruning the tomatoes and zucchini, tying up things the storms had blown over, and pulling the beets and kale and romaine (the latter of which were bolting and getting tough/bitter).  As I sat in the shade to cool off and catch my breath, I saw a young speckled robin hopping around, feasting on the bugs and worms I'd stirred up for him!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on July 03, 2023, 12:45:12 PM
A bobolink, first heard, then seen in the bushes near my karate dojo.  One of my favorite songs, as it is so metallic and 'clinky'

Bobolink song (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N32LdaoHoJw)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: waterboy on July 03, 2023, 04:15:41 PM
We are flush with bluebirds this spring/summer.  And they're nesting in our new box!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on July 06, 2023, 05:37:20 AM
The egret was still at his post under a bushy tree by the water's edge. He did short forays away from the water, but returned to the same spot. Fishing must have been good, or he might have just eaten, because he didn't seem to be looking for anything in the water. The goslings are now miniatures of their parents--they've outgrown the yellow fuzz, and look like proper geese.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Harlow2 on July 06, 2023, 07:34:50 AM
Lots of prairie warblers in the woods not too far away.  Wood thrushes too, so beautiful.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: fleabite on July 06, 2023, 01:46:39 PM
Bicycling at the end of the day on July 4, I saw my first ever yellow-crowned night heron—such dramatic coloring (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/assets/photo/70693841-1280px.jpg (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/assets/photo/70693841-1280px.jpg)). The one I saw was hunting at low tide in an estuary.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on July 07, 2023, 05:19:43 AM
Quote from: fleabite on July 06, 2023, 01:46:39 PMBicycling at the end of the day on July 4, I saw my first ever yellow-crowned night heron—such dramatic coloring (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/assets/photo/70693841-1280px.jpg (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/assets/photo/70693841-1280px.jpg)). The one I saw was hunting at low tide in an estuary.

We came across what looked like an entire flock (these are solitary birds) rooting around in the mud at low tide on one of the bird walks.

Another egret flying across the parkway yesterday--same parkway as in the earlier post, but at a different location, so it must have been a different bird.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: fleabite on July 07, 2023, 08:28:01 PM
Quote from: Langue_doc on July 07, 2023, 05:19:43 AM
Quote from: fleabite on July 06, 2023, 01:46:39 PMBicycling at the end of the day on July 4, I saw my first ever yellow-crowned night heron—such dramatic coloring (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/assets/photo/70693841-1280px.jpg (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/assets/photo/70693841-1280px.jpg)). The one I saw was hunting at low tide in an estuary.

We came across what looked like an entire flock (these are solitary birds) rooting around in the mud at low tide on one of the bird walks.

Another egret flying across the parkway yesterday--same parkway as in the earlier post, but at a different location, so it must have been a different bird.

I have seen black-crowned night herons on occasion but only in the singular, so they must be quite solitary too. A flock of the yellow-crowned ones sounds lovely.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on July 09, 2023, 10:48:22 AM
Goslings are thriving, and the egret was still walking around his favorite spot by the edge of the pond. He seems to favor the cedars and other bushes by the edge of the pond, so doesn't move around much farther anymore.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on July 10, 2023, 10:14:56 AM
We have a big ugly duck among the tame waterfowl at the city park whom I've seen in various odd locations around the park now and then.  Evidently the duck is trying to stay away from the gaggle of tame geese who go around the pond and park squawking and assaulting anybody who passes by.  Can't say as I blame the duck.

I also saw a big egret at the pond for the first time in a while.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on July 10, 2023, 02:19:30 PM
When out for a walk in a wooded area yesterday I came across two young red tails who must have very recently fledged. They were fully feathered and adult size or nearly so, but not really flying yet, instead hopping and flapping about on the ground in a most comically uncoordinated way.

I read that after leaving the nest they stay on the ground or in low branches near their nest for 2-3 weeks before they can really fly, and the parents continue to feed them during this time. Which is good, because this pair were clearly not ready to fend for themselves!

One of them did seem to be practicing hunting by repeatedly pouncing on sticks and pine cones and grabbing them with its talons.

They were not at all perturbed by me standing about 20 feet away watching and recording them for at least 5 minutes-- I guess they really have no predators to speak of.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on July 30, 2023, 04:57:24 PM
Birds aplenty during my travels. Several ospreys flying over the water earlier in the week, one with a fish in its beak.

Back at my birding hotspot after about three weeks, the egret was missing from its usual pond, but I happened across him and a great blue heron drying themselves on the branches of a fallen dead brush on another pond. They were standing quite close to each other, busily combing their feathers. Later I saw either the same heron or a different one standing near the adjacent pond. How he got there was a mystery, because when I looked up after updating my checklist on ebird, there he was. He stood still contemplating the water for quite some time, then with his neck extended forward, took one slow step after another for a short time. The shoreline across the pond must have looked more promising, so the heron took off and landed there gracefully. He had moved a quarter of the way around the pond as I was leaving; he was so near the road that I could almost reach out from the window and pat his head (needless to say, I didn't think this was in the best interests of the bird).

A warbling vireo, a blue-gray gnatcatcher (heard him first on the Merlin app, and then saw him) a couple of eastern kingbirds, red-winged blackbirds, male and female, woodpeckers, a downy and a red-belly, as osprey flying overhead, a cooper's hawk, and the usual summer birds.

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on August 02, 2023, 10:48:53 AM
Three Pileated Woodpeckers yesterday!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on August 02, 2023, 02:14:11 PM
Quote from: Thursday's_Child on August 02, 2023, 10:48:53 AMThree Pileated Woodpeckers yesterday!

Sounds raucous as well as gorgeous. They are the noisiest birds I've encountered.

In other news, the Northern mockingbird on our street continues to keep track of people's goings and comings. He flew down to the lamppost across the street as soon as I had parked, then stayed there as I was unloading the car (last week, after my trip). I later saw him perched on the roof, surveying the neighborhood.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on August 06, 2023, 10:05:52 AM
On my bird walk this morning, saw the great blue heron perched in the same place as last week--on the branches of a dead bush/tree in one of the ponds--first crouched down so that he could see beneath the surface of the water, and then in various poses as I discovered from the camera of a birder I briefly chatted with later in my walk. There were American goldfinches aplenty in that spot, three red-bellied woodpeckers, an adult and two chicks as I learned when pointing them out to a group who wanted to know if I had seen any interesting birds. They directed me to the Northern waterthrush in that pond. In addition to the usual birds, there were several Eastern kingbirds, chimney swifts, and a red-tailed hawk circling overhead. No sight of the great egret today in either of the two ponds he likes to frequent.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on August 06, 2023, 04:44:18 PM
TIL that cattle egrets hang out together in the morning.  I spooked a group (flock?) of about 20 this morning on a golf course.  They all flew off, but in different directions.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on August 07, 2023, 05:14:17 AM
Speaking of egrets, I was taking the train back from the Cape yesterday evening around dusk and it went through a wetland area where dozens and dozens of Snowy Egrets were settling into low trees for the night- I had never seen so many at once! Glimpses like this are one of the reasons I love trains.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on August 07, 2023, 07:33:52 AM
This morning I saw a large raptor flying over the neighborhood.  It appeared to have a white head.  Was it possibly a bald eagle?  I'm a terrible bird spotter, with my lousy distance vision.  We do have a a wildlife refuge a few miles away where bald eagles can be seen.  But they're most likely to be here during the winter, and the town is several miles from any body of water more substantial than the big pond at the city park.  Maybe it was in transit between refuges?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on August 09, 2023, 07:40:55 AM
Quote from: apl68 on August 07, 2023, 07:33:52 AMThis morning I saw a large raptor flying over the neighborhood.  It appeared to have a white head.  Was it possibly a bald eagle?  I'm a terrible bird spotter, with my lousy distance vision.  We do have a a wildlife refuge a few miles away where bald eagles can be seen.  But they're most likely to be here during the winter, and the town is several miles from any body of water more substantial than the big pond at the city park.  Maybe it was in transit between refuges?

Probably an osprey https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/id or a red-tailed hawk https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/id unless it was actually a bald eagle. You can also see if bald eagles or other raptors were sighted in your neighborhood by looking up the hotspots or nearby wildlife refuges or even county parks on ebird https://ebird.org/explore
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on August 09, 2023, 10:52:01 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on August 09, 2023, 07:40:55 AM
Quote from: apl68 on August 07, 2023, 07:33:52 AMThis morning I saw a large raptor flying over the neighborhood.  It appeared to have a white head.  Was it possibly a bald eagle?  I'm a terrible bird spotter, with my lousy distance vision.  We do have a a wildlife refuge a few miles away where bald eagles can be seen.  But they're most likely to be here during the winter, and the town is several miles from any body of water more substantial than the big pond at the city park.  Maybe it was in transit between refuges?

Probably an osprey https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/id or a red-tailed hawk https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/id unless it was actually a bald eagle. You can also see if bald eagles or other raptors were sighted in your neighborhood by looking up the hotspots or nearby wildlife refuges or even county parks on ebird https://ebird.org/explore

Thanks for the tips!  Honestly, it could have been any of them--all three are found in this region.  If it wasn't a bald eagle, I'm leaning toward having seen an osprey.  Like I said, with my eyesight I can't spot bird species worth a flip.  I do know it was quite an impressive-looking raptor.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on August 09, 2023, 06:48:39 PM
Went to the zoo today and saw a secretary bird kill and eat a lizard.

I liked it.  Nearby children were traumatized.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on August 13, 2023, 01:11:46 PM
The great blue heron was in its usual spot, perched on the branches of a dead bush/tree in a shallow pond. On the other side of the pond, standing on a stone outcropping was a double-crested cormorant, rather usual in this particular area despite its prevalence in other parts of the city. Along the shore of the adjacent pond stood a small green heron, majestically walking along the pond's edge, not particularly looking for food, perhaps just out on a ramble. I saw him as soon as I had put away my birding equipment, but quickly grabbed them before he could take off--he never did, as he was still on his slow and measured ambulatory pace as I was driving away.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on August 14, 2023, 07:30:50 AM
I heard whippoorwills over the weekend for the first time in a very long time.  I grew up hearing them, but logging has devastated the area where I grew up so thoroughly that there's very little variety of birds left.  I don't believe I've ever heard one near the town where I now live.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 01, 2023, 07:23:40 AM
I've occasionally heard owls in the woods on the edge of town near my house, and in the woods at or near the city park.  This morning was the first time I've heard them in both places!  There have been a pair of them roosting in my neighborhood--not just in the nearby woods--this week.  And now a completely different owl with a completely different call at the park.  Maybe the moon has them feeling more active and expressive.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on September 04, 2023, 08:23:09 AM
A green heron yesterday and today in the same area in a pond, what could be either a juvenile little blue heron or a snowy egret, yesterday and today in the same pond, and a very active red-tailed hawk today. The latter first settled on a structure by the pond, then flew quite low across the pond, settled on another structure, then flew back and settled on a traffic sign by the pond. I must have walked too close to him because he took off again, flew across the pond, and sat by the edge. People were walking close to him, taking pictures. The green heron was on a low tree branch overhanging the pond yesterday, and then he flew down to the rocky edge, and disappeared among the small rocks. Today I saw ripples in the pond in the same area, and then the heron with a fish or frog in its mouth, after which he once again walked out of sight.

I usually run into birders from one or more of my walks in other parts of the city and surroundings here. It isn't unusual for one or more of the birders I encounter in this area to say something along the lines of "Didn't I see you at such and such location/walk?" or "Didn't I see you at such and such organization's bird walk?" Yesterday I had three such encounters within a 15-minute period.

ETA That was a juvenile little blue heron; a couple of birders reported seeing this bird at the same location, and had also posted photos of the bird.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Little_Blue_Heron/photo-gallery/304483031
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 07, 2023, 07:14:32 AM
I saw one of our local grey herons this morning at the city park.  It was the first time I'd seen one in some time.  I wonder where they go during these periods when they aren't here?  Some years they've been here all year round, sometimes they'll go away for weeks or months at a time, then suddenly reappear.  Since we've had a mostly wet summer this year, I figure they've had other wet areas they could go to nearby.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on September 10, 2023, 05:30:03 PM
Rather dull bird walk yesterday, due to the winds blowing in the wrong direction, but we did see a couple of inebriated house sparrows. Some of us thought that they were injured because they were bopping around, apparently unable to fly, but then we were informed that they had feasted on the fruit that had fallen from the tree above them, and hence were drunk as the proverbial skunks. I'll have to find out the name of that tree the next time I'm on an outing with this particular leader.

This morning the juvenile little blue heron was still in the same spot. We also saw the green heron in an adjacent body of water, an osprey flying overhead, and a couple of red-tailed hawks trying to get comfortable on the branch of a tree in pouring rain. The highlight was seeing a mourning warbler (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Warbler/id) that was walking in and out of bushy undergrowth. The chest wasn't quite as black as the one in the illustration. I saw one a year or so ago during migration, but wouldn't have identified it today unless it had been pointed out to me. On my way out, I saw a great blue heron land on a tree by yet another body of water.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 13, 2023, 06:29:12 AM
From my umbrella
I saw an egret striding
At the water's edge
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on September 16, 2023, 03:22:58 PM
We saw several migrating warblers on the walk today. The highlight was a hooded warbler (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Hooded_Warbler/photo-gallery/297027781) that put on quite a display not far from the path.

The juvenile little blue heron was still in its usual little pond. Other birds included a not-very-common Connecticut Warbler (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Connecticut_Warbler), several ovenbirds (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/ovenbird), on the ground and also on trees, several American Redstarts (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/american_redstart), and the usual migrating birds. We also saw several raptors--an osprey, one or more peregrine falcons, merlins, kestrels, red-tailed hawks and a Broad-winged hawk (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-winged_Hawk/photo-gallery/71534291) coasting on air currants.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 18, 2023, 07:32:27 AM
Yesterday afternoon I was sitting out in back in the shade and noticed that the feathered tribe were having quite a good day in our neighborhood.  I heard many different birds singing.  The bluebirds that nest nearby were showing themselves in my yard.  And that eagle/osprey/red-tailed hawk was circling high overhead. 

Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on September 26, 2023, 07:22:08 AM
This morning around dawn I heard one of our ducks at the city park quacking its head off, over and over again.  Usually the ducks leave all the vocalizing to the park's geese.  It made me wonder whether the duck was in some kind of distress.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on September 26, 2023, 07:38:01 AM
Quote from: apl68 on September 26, 2023, 07:22:08 AMThis morning around dawn I heard one of our ducks at the city park quacking its head off, over and over again.  Usually the ducks leave all the vocalizing to the park's geese.  It made me wonder whether the duck was in some kind of distress.

probably just Anas-hole

[I'll show myself out]
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 05, 2023, 07:57:28 AM
Clouds mask the dawn light
An unseen heron croaking
Near the rainy trail
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on October 06, 2023, 07:09:36 AM
We've had a lot of rain and flooding, so the ponds where the herons and egrets hang out are overflowing. The juvenile little blue heron has been missing since I saw him last Wednesday--the entire area was flooded on Friday. I didn't see him on Sunday or yesterday, but saw a juvenile great blue heron walking along the edge of one of the ponds, sticking his nose into the water with each step, bringing up a small squirming fish or tadpole in its beak, and then swallowing it before taking another step and repeating the performance. I watched him walk around almost half the pond's circumference before I had to leave.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 06, 2023, 07:24:15 AM
I thought I heard geese before dawn this morning.  I wouldn't have thought it would be cool enough yet for them to get this far south.  They've rarely passed near us at all in recent years.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 07, 2023, 06:10:01 AM
I heard more geese early yesterday evening--and saw them fly over!  I guess fall is finally coming.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: fleabite on October 07, 2023, 07:10:03 AM
I think I saw a juvenile great blue heron while out bicycling at the end of the day yesterday! It flew away just as I stopped my bike to get a closer look, but there was only a bit of white on the head and the bill wasn't yellow.

I've only seen a great blue heron once before, in a different location. I worked my way slowly around the pond to get close to it, but the minute I did, a fisherman cast a line and scared it away.  :(
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on October 08, 2023, 06:07:31 AM
Three pileated woodpeckers are zooming around the deck while I work on this cool fall morning.  I've never seen them in any kind of group before.

The downy woodpeckers seem confused/concerned.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on October 08, 2023, 12:05:50 PM
QuoteThree pileated woodpeckers are zooming around the deck while I work on this cool fall morning.

They're quite raucous, aren't they? I saw a group of three last year in a bird preserve. They were initially on a couple of trees near one of the paths and then saw them later on another tree quite far from the first location.

On the bird walk today--listed as a hawk watch, on a platform around 80 steps high--we saw several ospreys, a juvenile bald eagle, a kestrel, a merlin, a few warblers, and later, while walking along the ocean, some black-bellied plovers--my first sighting of these birds. While on the platform looking at the ocean, we saw a large school of dolphins, very close to the shore. Later on in the walk, we ran into a bird expert who recorded around 100 ospreys just this morning. This is migration time for ospreys, so the ones that were on their journey were flying quite high as opposed to the ones who were wintering here that were flying quite low. For those of you who are interested in wind directions, the wind was from the west which wasn't too conducive to migration, as opposed to winds from the northwest when one tends to see large numbers of birds migrating.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 09, 2023, 07:23:38 AM
I didn't know that ospreys migrated en masse like that.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on October 15, 2023, 10:35:24 AM
QuoteI didn't know that ospreys migrated en masse like that.
This wasn't a flock, but just individuals or small groups taking advantage of the wind to fly south.

The great blue heron (either the juvenile from last week all grown up or a different one) was walking around the same pond--he would take a step forward, then look down, then stick his bill into the water, come up with a small squirming whitish fish, swallow it, take another step forward, and repeat the process until he was more than halfway around the pond. I stood still so was able to see him walk past me just three feet away. The fish were too small for a meal--he would have had to eat more than a hundred of them because of their size. Perhaps a snack? Like us munching on nuts? Later on during the walk I heard a flock of birds angrily squawking, so looked up to see a Cooper's hawk circling above them, and a red-tailed hawk above them all.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: fleabite on October 16, 2023, 09:29:06 PM
First-time sighting of a bay-breasted warbler! It must have been near the beginning of its migration journey to Central America. It was so tiny for a bird that makes such a long trip—the size of a little chickadee–with bright white wing bars and a small red spot on the top of the head. I didn't see any other red on it, probably because this is not breeding season. It was almost dark when I spotted it, and I would love to try and find it again tomorrow, but unfortunately I will be out of town for a few days. It will probably have continued its migration by the time I return.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 17, 2023, 07:33:05 AM
I got closer than usual to a big blue heron at the city park this morning.  They seem to be less inclined to bolt whenever a human passes nearby than they used to be. 

I also heard a hoot owl a few times at the park this morning.  Minutes later, I heard day birds begin to sing.  The night shift was giving way to the day shift.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on October 22, 2023, 04:53:44 PM
Saw a great blue heron on another pond yesterday. I don't think he was the same one that was walking around the edge of a nearby pond last week, nonchalantly dipping his beak into the water and coming up with a squirming fish which he proceeded to swallow quite methodically. This one was standing still, occasionally stretching all out in full yoga pose and then retreating. I think he had a nest in there among the vegetation in the pond because he settled down with only his head showing.

In other news, our neighborhood watch northern mockingbird is still patrolling our street, as he landed on a neighbor's tree as soon as he saw me come out the front door, and stayed there, noisily making his presence known until I drove off.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on October 23, 2023, 07:09:12 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on October 22, 2023, 04:53:44 PMIn other news, our neighborhood watch northern mockingbird is still patrolling our street, as he landed on a neighbor's tree as soon as he saw me come out the front door, and stayed there, noisily making his presence known until I drove off.

Is that a mockingbird? (https://www.tiktok.com/@7up_24/video/7280623669661928746?lang=en)
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on October 23, 2023, 07:55:34 AM
I was sitting on the bank at the pond at the city park around dawn this morning when I heard an outburst of avian ruckus some distance away.  There seemed to be multiple species involved.  The only one I could make out for sure was a screech owl that suddenly started screeching.  Maybe the others had interrupted it as it was trying to bed down for the day?  Then everything got quiet again.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on October 23, 2023, 04:58:15 PM
Quote from: FishProf on October 23, 2023, 07:09:12 AM
Quote from: Langue_doc on October 22, 2023, 04:53:44 PMIn other news, our neighborhood watch northern mockingbird is still patrolling our street, as he landed on a neighbor's tree as soon as he saw me come out the front door, and stayed there, noisily making his presence known until I drove off.

Is that a mockingbird? (https://www.tiktok.com/@7up_24/video/7280623669661928746?lang=en)

I once came across a solitary individual mimicking an ambulance so realistically that I waited for the "ambulance" to pass before crossing the street. There was no ambulance, and the sirens seemed to be coming from above, so there he was, perched on a telephone pole, chirping away!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on November 04, 2023, 08:36:13 AM
There was about 20 minutes of hopping and ruckus from my Tea Olive hedge yesterday afternoon.  Most of the hopping was at least 15 Ruby-crowned Kinglets - I've never seen more than two at once before this!  The ruckus was from a couple of species that I couldn't identify beyond "probably Warbler".  Apparently Tea Olives are excellent places to forage after a flush of blooms, b/c I didn't see anything predatory.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on November 05, 2023, 09:23:31 AM
The highlights of yesterday's bird walk were more than 2000 brant swooping down onto the pond, a Wilson's snipe (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Wilsons_Snipe/id) that was barely visible in the dried vegetation he was settled in, an eastern meadowlark (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eastern_Meadowlark), several species of ducks and other waterfowl, a few killdeer (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer), a couple of oystercatchers (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Oystercatcher), two or more northern harriers (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Harrier), a couple of Cooper's hawks, an American kestrel (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Kestrel), several species of sparrows, a great blue heron, three or four great egrets, and other assorted birds.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on November 06, 2023, 09:28:18 AM
Had several geese sightings while vacationing up north in the Mid-West. 
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on November 19, 2023, 12:26:13 PM
On the bird walk this morning, we saw a kestrel emerge from its nest--nest was among the nests of a large non-raptor bird colony--, a few red-tailed hawks, a couple of sharp-shinned hawks, and much later into the walk, a sharp-shinned hawk trying to dislodge a kestrel from the top of a structure. Other birds included several sparrow species--chipping, white-throated, song, swamp, fox, and house sparrows. A few red-bellied woodpeckers, a couple of yellow-bellied sapsuckers, a northern flicker, a great blue heron standing knee-deep in water, nonchalanlty eyeing us walking past him, and flocks and flocks of birds including american crows, red-winged blackbirds, robins, and several other species.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: evil_physics_witchcraft on December 19, 2023, 07:53:47 AM
I saw, what looked like, two Great Blue herons fly over campus the other day.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on December 19, 2023, 11:32:13 AM
Yesterday I got a good view of one of our blue herons that hangs around the city park flying up from the bank and perching high on a tree. 

This morning, at dawn, I was sitting on the lower end of the pond at the park and thought I heard geese.  What were the park's geese doing way down there, away from their usual haunt in the upper pond?  Then I saw a small flock of wild geese come flying over.  Not the park's silly resident geese after all!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on December 19, 2023, 01:00:38 PM
I've been seeing herons up close. Last weekend, on a bird walk, we saw a couple of herons gracefully circle quite low and then land near fishermen. One of the herons stayed put for quite some time, waiting for free food. I'm not sure if fishing is allowed on that stretch because the fishermen were quickly packing up their fancy rods and the stands for their rods as we were taking pictures of the heron. Fishermen and heron were quite close to us--the fishermen seems more perturbed than the heron which appeared quite unflappable.

This past weekend, on a bird walk, we saw several herons perched on trees on the other side of the pond--I think it was the same pond, but in a differnt section of the preserve/park. They were in profile, on branches of three or four adjacent trees. We also saw a heron in the water, along the edge, looking for food. That was a spectacular sight, because his blue-gray feathers stood out from the background bushes/rushes that were browinsh.

The week before the heron wanting a handout, I ran into a fellow birder on an early moring bird walk, who asked if I'd seen the merlins, and then directed me to a spot about six trees away so that I could see the merlin (the mate had disappeared) sitting on one of the trees on the hillside.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Thursday's_Child on December 27, 2023, 09:36:23 AM
Winter Wren - a first for me! - and a Hermit Thrush, both willing to eat mealworms on the patio.  Thrush has located the mealworm feeder on the patio wall, but Wren doesn't seem to forage at that elevation.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on December 29, 2023, 08:18:35 AM
Just came home from visiting grandma in southern Arizona. Visitors to her patio feeders included cactus wrens, gila woodpeckers, curve billed thrashers, cardinals, various finches and sparrows, quail, and doves. I also saw Cooper's hawks and a some sort of small falcon in the neighborhood. 

Need to refill my own feeders now that I'm home. They mainly attract sparrows, but they are still fun to watch for me, and especially for the cats (I call filling the feeders turning on the cat TV).
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: paultuttle on January 11, 2024, 02:09:07 PM
I heard the characteristic hoo-hoo-hoohooHOO of a great horned owl two mornings ago. It sounded as close as one or two blocks away.

I'm looking forward to seeing one again. The last time, one was in a tree in our backyard, and it was an amazing experience.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on January 12, 2024, 07:12:31 AM
I hear owls now and then, but haven't actually seen one in years.  It's a memorable experience.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on January 19, 2024, 07:49:55 AM
How do they survive
Birds no bigger than golf balls
In this winter freeze?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on January 30, 2024, 07:24:12 AM
Yesterday I saw two large egrets at the city park.  Perhaps a mating pair?  I didn't see them this morning.  It had been awhile since I'd seen any egrets there.  I still see the blue herons now and then.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on February 24, 2024, 06:44:30 PM
Saw the roufus hummingbird on the bird walk this morning. The bird has been hovering in this area for a couple of weeks now, so I wasn't sure if he was still around. The bird, slightly larger than a bumble bee, was iridescent green, unlike the mulitcolored ones (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rufous_Hummingbird/photo-gallery) shown on the bird websites, and kept flitting around the bushes and then around the hummingbird feeder that had been set up for him.

The only hummingbird in northeast US is the ruby throated hummingbird (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Ruby-throated_Hummingbird/id), so seeing a species whose habitat is in the western part of the country is a treat. Scroll down the link (https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Rufous_Hummingbird/overview) for the map.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on February 27, 2024, 07:20:35 AM
Saw the egrets again.  And some little wood ducks.  And what looked like a buzzard flailing its way through the trees and brush.  Not sure what it was doing there by the bank of the pond.

Yesterday I saw a buzzard soaring along at high speed in one of the blustery winds we've seen so much lately.  I wonder what those birds think when they get caught in winds like that?
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: FishProf on February 27, 2024, 08:56:45 AM
Quote from: apl68 on February 27, 2024, 07:20:35 AMYesterday I saw a buzzard soaring along at high speed in one of the blustery winds we've seen so much lately.  I wonder what those birds think when they get caught in winds like that?

Wheeeeeeee!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on February 27, 2024, 10:37:28 AM
Quote from: FishProf on February 27, 2024, 08:56:45 AM
Quote from: apl68 on February 27, 2024, 07:20:35 AMYesterday I saw a buzzard soaring along at high speed in one of the blustery winds we've seen so much lately.  I wonder what those birds think when they get caught in winds like that?

Wheeeeeeee!

You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?  It looks fun.  I wonder, though, whether the bird is mainly irritated at being carried along too fast to spot any yummy carrion.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: AmLitHist on February 27, 2024, 11:52:53 AM
On a trip to daughter's farmhouse yesterday, I saw crows, various hawks (red-tail, sparrow, chicken), a couple of eagles, turkey buzzards (dining on a deer and a coyote from two separate encounters with cars), seagulls, Canada geese, and several meadowlarks.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on March 05, 2024, 07:17:27 AM
While walking in the park this morning, before it started raining, I sat down for a few minutes by the bank of the pond and tried to count how many different kinds of bird song I heard.  I distinguished ten.  Eleven if you count the rooster crowing in the distance.  Twelve if you count the crows that drowned everybody else out after I started walking again.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Puget on March 05, 2024, 07:23:57 AM
Birdlife is starting to show signs of spring here. The sparrows still seem to be in their winter foraging flocks, but bird song has picked up considerably, and the cardinals seem to be staking out their territories. The first of the red wing blackbirds are back along the river, but not in large numbers yet.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: sinenomine on March 12, 2024, 03:07:45 PM
I passed very close by a bald eagle twice this morning, as it was feasting on some roadkill. Really neat to see such a gorgeous bird up close!
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: nebo113 on March 14, 2024, 01:43:51 PM
I've been gone for several months over the winter.  Put out suet and bird food this afternoon. In fewer than 30 minutes, cardinal,chickadee, and titmouse had found it. 

How do they do this????
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: Langue_doc on March 15, 2024, 01:26:39 PM
The ospreys are back! Went to one of the usual osprey spots (at least 5 platforms in the area) and was surprised to see first one, and then another on the first platform along the path. I was so excited that I almost hugged the park ranger while showing him the photos of the pair on the platform. More bird reports later.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on March 16, 2024, 06:36:25 AM
Quote from: nebo113 on March 14, 2024, 01:43:51 PMI've been gone for several months over the winter.  Put out suet and bird food this afternoon. In fewer than 30 minutes, cardinal,chickadee, and titmouse had found it. 

How do they do this????

My father and I were talking just the other day about how buzzards can congregate from miles around when they locate a rich source of carrion.  I guess the word spreads.

Anyway, congratulations on attracting a more pleasant assortment of birds.  And congratulations to Langue_doc on the ospreys.
Title: Re: Look! A bird!
Post by: apl68 on March 18, 2024, 07:30:23 AM
Happened to be walking past a storefront this morning when a bird nipped by me and smacked into a glass door.  Didn't seem to be injured, judging from the way it bounced off and flew right back in the other direction.