# Official SAS Bird Watching Thread



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Any other amateur birders out there? I've taken up bird-watching as a new hobby this summer, and have found it very satisfying. So far I've just been admiring and learning about the species that visit our yard (we have feeders out front and out back), but maybe at some point I'll invest in a pair of binoculars and go on some birding walks in the woods nearby.

Anyway, please use this thread to share your bird sightings! I'd be really interested to learn what other people are seeing.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Our most consistent visitors throughout the summer (aside from the ubiquitous house sparrows), have been cardinals, goldfinches, tufted titmice, and mourning doves.

Early in the summer we had a lot of black-capped chickadees, who thankfully have returned recently after disappearing for a while. They're my favorite, and I hope to be able to feed them by hand eventually (I've tried a couple times, but no luck so far).

I still have a difficult time telling house finches and purple finches apart from a distance, but I'm pretty sure we've had both.

Blue jays, common grackles, and red-winged blackbirds have been our noisiest visitors, though I haven't seen much of the latter two around lately. We had a ton of grackles when we first put up the feeders, but thankfully they've moved on.

We also get wild turkeys wandering into our yard from time to time (we had a ton last summer, but not as many this year), and even had a visit from a turkey vulture, who was dining on a roadkill squirrel in our front yard one morning.

Oh, and of course we get robins hopping around the yard regularly, but like other thrushes they mostly just eat bugs and worms, and don't come to feeders.


----------



## komorikun (Jan 11, 2009)

I like to feed birds outside the window, so the cats (my roommate's) have some entertainment. Lots of great videos of birds on youtube for the cats too. That's crazy you get turkeys and vultures in your yard. You must live way out in the countryside or something.

I was feeding some birds at my last place (there were no cats, so I was desperate). Ended up mainly feeding a couple western scrub jays. They're very tame and have loud sort of ugly calls. Even got them to come to my window sill to eat sunflower seeds. At first I tried to place food on the ground but ended up getting more rats than birds. Apparently there were families of rats living in the bushes surrounding the house.

I don't know the names of the other birds that I saw. Still can't tell the difference between a raven and crow. A hawk came by a couple times. Not sure if it wanted to feed on the rats or the other birds.

This was in the SF bay area.

Apparently scrub jays are one of the more intelligent bird species.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Scrub_Jay



> Western Scrub Jays, like many other corvids, exploit ephemeral surpluses by storing food in scattered caches within their territories. They rely on highly accurate and complex memories to recover the hidden caches, often after long periods of time. In the process of collecting and storing this food, they have shown an ability to plan ahead in choosing cache sites to provide adequate food volume and variety for the future. Western Scrub Jays are also able to rely on their accurate observational spatial memories to steal food from caches made by conspecifics. To protect their caches from potential 'pilferers', food storing birds implement a number of strategies to reduce this risk of theft. Western Scrub Jays have a mischievous streak, and they're not above outright theft. They've been caught stealing acorns from Acorn Woodpecker caches and robbing seeds and pine cones from Clark's Nutcrackers. They even seem aware of their guilt: some scrub jays steal acorns they've watched other jays hide. When these birds go to hide their own acorns, they check first that no other jays are watching.





> Recent research has suggested that Western Scrub Jays, along with several other corvids, are among the most intelligent of animals. The brain-to-body mass ratio of adult Scrub Jays rivals that of chimpanzees and cetaceans, and is dwarfed only by that of humans. Scrub Jays are also the only non-primate shown to plan ahead for the future, which was previously thought of as a uniquely human trait. Other studies have shown that they can remember locations of over 200 food caches, as well as the food item in each cache and its rate of decay. Western scrub jays also summon others to screech over the body of a dead jay, according to new research from the University of California, Davis. The birds' cacophonous "funerals" can last for up to half an hour.


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

I can't really call myself a birdwatcher per se, but I love watching the birds that come to our feeders (I enjoy in particular keeping the chickadees fed, since they have to eat every day in winter or they'll freeze to death), and it's cool whenever I spot something new. 

This is one of the more interesting things I've spotted on my feeder (poor quality photo, sorry):










An albino goldfinch! :eek

And one time, but only once (thank goodness), I watched a red-tailed hawk eating one of the mourning doves on our property. :afr


----------



## Ape in space (May 31, 2010)

I saw a pigeon today.... just like every day....


----------



## markwalters2 (Mar 18, 2013)

I'm more into babe-watching.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

komorikun said:


> That's crazy you get turkeys and vultures in your yard. You must live way out in the countryside or something.


We have woods bordering our back yard; they come out of there. It's only within the last decade that we've been getting them, though. I guess they've really been expanding their range in recent years. A couple times last year we got some amazingly large flocks of over twenty turkeys in our yard, a lot of them babies. So far this year I've mostly just seen solitary males, though I did see see a mother and two medium-sized ones (maybe her adolescent kids?) poking around underneath our feeders a couple weeks ago.

The vulture was the first one I've seen; they're common, but they don't often show up in people's yards. It was poking at a dead squirrel in the road, but it got impatient with having to constantly get out of the way for vehicles. So it finally just dragged the thing into our front yard and ate it there.



komorikun said:


> Apparently scrub jays are one of the more intelligent bird species.


Yeah, ditto for blue jays. Jays belong to the same family as crows and ravens, and they're all extremely intelligent. If you haven't seen it, you should watch the PBS Nature documentary on crows; it's pretty extraordinary:

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/a-murder-of-crows/full-episode/5977/


----------



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

I haven't gone bird-watching since I was in school. I just remember the extremely early mornings. 

I walk in the woods a lot these days, and I've become curious about it. 
For example: I recently walked passed a bird on a field. I stopped and looked at it. It started making this alarm-like sound, which sounded amazing. I took a picture and did some research when I got home. It turned out to be the sound of a mother bird, of the type I've forgotten the name of atm, warning intruders not to come near. It made me happy.

I bet I would become obsessed with it if I started. It would be a healthier obsession than my recent ones.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

tehuti88 said:


> I can't really call myself a birdwatcher per se, but I love watching the birds that come to our feeders (I enjoy in particular keeping the chickadees fed, since they have to eat every day in winter or they'll freeze to death), and it's cool whenever I spot something new.


Well, that's the level of birdwatching I'm at. Watching birdies in the yard counts! And yeah, I love the chickadees so much. I was sad when they disappeared for a while this summer, but they finally showed up again last week. I'm very much looking forward to keeping them well fed in the winter. (And as I mentioned above, I'm hoping to be able to feed them by hand at some point. Goal-setting is not something that's ever come naturally, but I think getting chickadees to eat out of my hand is one of my goals in life now, haha.)



tehuti88 said:


> An albino goldfinch! :eek


Aw, haha! It's funny; I'd never seen a goldfinch in our yard until we put out feeders (and my mom says she hadn't either), and now they're everywhere! They've been our most numerous and frequent visitors this summer, probably. And their different squeaks and whistles are so cute and funny. I love them!


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

probably offline said:


> I bet I would become obsessed with it if I started. It would be a healthier obsession than my recent ones.


Yeah, I've found it to be a very healthy, satisfying, relaxing obsession. I've actually spent whole mornings and afternoons just looking out at the birds. It's very good for the head; it gets my mind off other things. And I've learned more about birds in the last few months than I'd learned in my whole life prior. Definitely one of those "where have you been all my life?" hobbies that I wish I'd taken up years ago.


----------



## Scrub-Zero (Feb 9, 2004)

I saw a Cardinal(such pretty birds) in my backyard a few times. I also saw a Hawk(Cooper's Hawk) flying around looking for food. Other than that, it's the average black birds and brown finches. I don't know their names.

Edit:

Woodpeckers too. There's a few living not far from here in the small forest. And also tons of Crows and Seagulls near the river.


----------



## newusernamethatdoesntexi (Jun 15, 2013)

I'm so jelly of everyone here. I have nothing in front of my windows to attract birds, and no one to go outside with to find them. I've been thinking of putting up a bird feeder for my cat, but I'm pretty sure someone would steal it. We do have a ton of geese though, but they are MEAN!


----------



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

My favourite birdsong. It's so haunting. Also, something about it feels so Swedish.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

^ You would love the common loon here in North America:


----------



## Evo1114 (Dec 9, 2012)

I love bird watching but I haven't gone out to do it in a couple years. I don't really ever see any unusual birds out in my yard. My previous place, when I lived next to a field and a pond, we'd get a lot of herons, sandhill cranes, kingfishers, and killdeer.

Favorite birds are probably cardinals, orioles, crows, and kingfishers. I also love waking up in the morning hearing the black-capped chickadee's song. 

I hate grackles, house sparrows, and starlings.


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

anonymid said:


> It's funny; I'd never seen a goldfinch in our yard until we put out feeders (and my mom says she hadn't either), and now they're everywhere! They've been our most numerous and frequent visitors this summer, probably.


Same here, I'd seen a goldfinch like once on our property before I put up feeders, and now they're around all the time, slews of them. :lol They drive me batty in winter as they tend to cluster on the feeders so the chickadees can't get at the food ;_; so I spend a lot of time chasing birds off the bird feeder, which I imagine the neighbors must find very strange. ops They're far more tolerable in the summer.

I like most of the birds except pine siskins...OMG, pine siskins...










(Don't let the cuteness fool you!)

I'd never seen one in my life until several years ago when they first appeared. It's a type of finch that comes down from Canada when the seed crop fails up there, and they just SWARM the place in winter, clustering on the feeders and all over the place, and they sit up in the trees and call _"Zzzzzeeeeeeeet!"_ They're similar to goldfinches in a lot of ways. But there are just so MANY of them. Like locusts. An invasion of them is called an "irruption" and they kind of displace the local birds. After the first winter we had them I was so glad to see them finally leave (the last few hung around until May!). They disappeared for a year or so but then showed up again another winter (not nearly as many, but still more than enough)...and when I saw a few last winter I freaked out. They totally clean out the feeders, little flying stomachs. :eek

I spent many afternoons standing guard on the porch with a broom to chase them off when the chickadees were trying to eat...oh, that's what I forgot, they're unused to people so you could be standing there waving your arms and yelling and they just kind of stare at you stupidly. :lol

I wish I could afford to keep the feeders permanently filled but I can only do it twice a day, so that's why the siskins drive me crazy (the goldfinches sometimes get the same in winter, though not quite as bad). Other than that I adore our little visitors for the most part. I could tolerate siskins...if there were a lot fewer of them!


----------



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

anonymid said:


> ^ You would love the common loon here in North America:


Yes, I do! They hang out in Sweden, too(it's called "Svartnäbbad islom" in Swedish).


----------



## h00dz (Dec 25, 2012)

Bird watching I think is something I could get into, I live almost out in the bush in Australia and there are some amazing birds here. Up at a place called badger weir (open state protected forestry) you can see some of the most amazing and colourful birds. I might have to put this on my to do list.


----------



## Daveyboy (Jan 13, 2013)

I like Northern Mockingbirds...
There are a lot where I live..
They imitate everything from crickets to frogs, even car alarms..

If you listen closely you can tell it's the bird, because it usually repeats itself 3 times..


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

I wish we had nightingales and whippoorwills around where I live...I'd adore some nighttime bird noises. :sigh

I got to hear a whippoorwill for the first time when I was down South last year, it annoyed the snot out of everyone else but I loved it! I'd open my cabin window at night just to hear that bird. 

Oh, and owls in winter would be nice. I heard one once, long ago. It was eerie and amazing. :eek

(For years I thought the call of the mourning dove was an owl. ;_; )


----------



## arnie (Jan 24, 2012)

Ornithologists Represent!


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

tehuti88 said:


> (For years I thought the call of the mourning dove was an owl. ;_; )


Ha, me too! As I mentioned above, I've learned more about birds this summer than I'd learned in my entire life previously. Mistaking the calls of doves for owls was one of the more embarrassing bits of ignorance I'd been walking around with all those years.


----------



## HappyFriday (Jul 21, 2013)

^ I love these birds. ^_^

Such adorable little psychos.


----------



## Charmander (Sep 5, 2012)

mark101 said:


> *European Robin*​
> In the fifteenth century, when it became popular to give human names to familiar species, the bird came to be known as Robin redbreast, which was eventually shortened to Robin.
> 
> Other older English names for the bird include Ruddock and Robinet. In American literature of the late 19th century, this robin was frequently called the English Robin.
> ...


That's what I love most about them.


----------



## Glass Child (Feb 28, 2013)

This is a perfect bird.


----------



## Mersault (Dec 18, 2012)

It's been quite a while since i was out of my apartment, but i saw this at the time:


----------



## Just Lurking (Feb 8, 2007)

Glass Child said:


> [[[[
> This is a perfect bird.


That the bird is still standing after having apparently been shot in its breast suggests some element of perfection, yes.


----------



## Ender (Aug 5, 2012)

I like cardinals, I have a bunch that come to my bird feeder. In the Spring they bring their children (who are the same size as the parents) to the feeders. The children will stand on the feeder and beg until its parent puts the seed in their mouth for them.


----------



## Glass Child (Feb 28, 2013)

Just Lurking said:


> That the bird is still standing after having apparently been shot in its breast suggests some element of perfection, yes.


Bleeding-heart doves. Best bird is best bird.










True lav


----------



## Just Lurking (Feb 8, 2007)

Mersault said:


> It's been quite a while since i was out of my apartment, but i saw this at the time:


Where was this picture taken?


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Started a thread for this last week! 

http://www.socialanxietysupport.com/forum/f24/official-sas-bird-watching-thread-607001/


----------



## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Not a list of wild birds but pet birds. my favorite finches:


----------



## Persephone The Dread (Aug 28, 2010)

Old, but Final Fantasy fans might appreciate this:


----------



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

I'm obsessed with Crows(especially Ravens)

crow solving a problem using tools:






Raven bending a tool to get something out of a tube:






Wild ravens interacting with a human in a car:






White raven










I also love parrots, eagles, owls and many other birds but... I probably shouldn't make this post longer


----------



## Daniel C (Apr 17, 2012)

I've got a weak spot for jackdaws. They're so cute. :heart


----------



## Daveyboy (Jan 13, 2013)

Chickadees..
If you hold out sunflower seeds they will eat out of your hand..


----------



## Raphael200 (Aug 18, 2012)

Black Falcon.


----------



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

mark101 said:


> * shudders


How dare you?! It's a bird only a wizard is worthy of having.

here's one getting down with some Talking heads


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

Sorry to reply if the threads are to end up merged or some such...I just really wanna reply! :blush



Glass Child said:


>


Wow, this is amazing. :shock It reminds me of this local bird of ours...









Rose-breasted grosbeak.



probably offline said:


> White raven


Wow, that's gorgeous. :eek It reminds me of this...

http://www.treknature.com/gallery/North_America/Canada/photo90417.htm
(I don't think it'll let me hotlink...it's an albino chickadee! Speaking of...)



Daveyboy said:


>


My favorite, too. :yay


----------



## alenclaud (Mar 31, 2013)

Being a gardener, I've learned to love and appreciate every type of bird that frequents my yard.
Some of my favorites (not necessarily present in my garden) are: bluejays, blue tits, sparrows, robins, red cardinals, kiskadees.


----------



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

tehuti88 said:


> Wow, that's gorgeous. :eek It reminds me of this...
> 
> http://www.treknature.com/gallery/North_America/Canada/photo90417.htm
> (I don't think it'll let me hotlink...it's an albino chickadee! Speaking of...)


The white Raven isn't albino, actually. It's leucistic(very rare for Ravens).



mark101 said:


> The Wizards are welcome to them
> :boogie Love that song


Me too :3


----------



## cmed (Oct 17, 2009)

Cardinals are magnificent...


----------



## Charmeleon (Aug 5, 2010)

Umbrella Cockatoo


----------



## Lish3rs (May 5, 2013)

The prettiest birds around here are probably *Cardinals*.. and *Blue Jays*, but everyone hates them. Oh, and ducks are cute too. I've always liked Hummingbirds:










Fact: The world's smallest bird is the *Bee Hummingbird*.


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

probably offline said:


> The white Raven isn't albino, actually. It's leucistic(very rare for Ravens).


TIL: Leucism. 

It makes me wonder if the bird listed as "albino chickadee" is actually albino or this? Since its color pattern resembles this...



> More common than a complete absence of pigment cells is localized or incomplete hypopigmentation, resulting in irregular patches of white on an animal that otherwise has normal colouring and patterning. This partial leucism is known as a "pied" or "piebald" effect...


Though the author(?) of the picture says the same about albinism.



Lish3rs said:


> The prettiest birds around here are probably *Cardinals*.. and *Blue Jays*, but everyone hates them.


Yes...bluejays are pretty, but they're basically the alpha douchebags of the bird world. :lol

I was in a nature roleplaying class once as a chickadee and a classmate of mine was a bluejay and she came and stole all my seeds (she said she was sorry when she did so), and then I died of starvation. True story. :lol


----------



## Zeppelin (Jan 23, 2012)

I see these birds where I live. I see others too, but these are the ones I like seeing.

Bald Eagle









Owl









Robin









Sparrow


----------



## karenw (Aug 20, 2012)

Theres a few uglies despite what they do, the Robin & the Chickadee are the best. 

I will have to think what birds I like, sparrows are sweet.


----------



## Owl-99 (Mar 7, 2012)

The yellow tailed black cockatoo










Blue fairy wren


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

tehuti88 said:


> It reminds me of this local bird of ours...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


How frequently do you get them in your yard? They're on my hoping-to-see list.

(Oh, and thanks for merging the threads, admins!)


----------



## housebunny (Oct 22, 2010)

OMG, that blue fairy wren! That is so cute!

My favorite bird around here is the flicker. I call him the 'king of birds.'


















The other one I love to see though I see them rarely flying overhead:










There is something so magical to me about seeing the Great Blue Heron.


----------



## Daveyboy (Jan 13, 2013)

Daveyboy said:


> Chickadees..
> If you hold out sunflower seeds they will eat out of your hand..


See told you..


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

anonymid said:


> How frequently do you get them in your yard? They're on my hoping-to-see list.
> 
> (Oh, and thanks for merging the threads, admins!)


It's funny, I used to never see them, but in the past few years they've been increasing. All I put out is black-oil sunflower seed, which most birds (and squirrels...and raccoons) around here seem to prefer over everything else.

The first time I spotted one it was a female--they look a LOT different from the males...










(Don't let the picture fool you, they're huge and prehistoric looking when you see them in person.) She was just sitting there on the feeder as I walked by inside and I halted and took a few steps back and gaped and was like, "WTF kind of humongo dinosaur bird is that??" :eek  :eek

Now we get males and females and juveniles, though the males seem rarest. There weren't so many this past summer but one summer I would get like five or six of them (about as many as can fit) sitting on a feeder at once grousing at each other. They're basically huge finches, which means their lives consist of sitting on feeders eating everything and staring off into space. :lol


----------



## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

Daveyboy said:


> See told you..


aww that's soo cute. They look like finches..: I would probably kiss that bird..


----------



## Daveyboy (Jan 13, 2013)

CopadoMexicano said:


> aww that's soo cute. They look like finches..: I would probably kiss that bird..


Yes similar in size to finches.. Smaller than sparrows.. We have a lot of sparrows and chickadees here.. I've never seen a finch..


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

tehuti88 said:


> They're basically huge finches, which means their lives consist of sitting on feeders eating everything and staring off into space. :lol


Ha, I've noticed that our goldfinches like to do that! They'll stay perched at the feeder for a long time even when they're not eating, just hanging out doing nothing in particular.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Daveyboy said:


> See told you..


Aw, is that you? I tried feeding them by hand a couple weeks ago but didn't get any takers. I'm going to keep at it though.


----------



## Daveyboy (Jan 13, 2013)

anonymid said:


> Aw, is that you? I tried feeding them by hand a couple weeks ago but didn't get any takers. I'm going to keep at it though.


Yes that's me.. They usually only feed out of your hand when it's chilly or cold, they have plenty of food when it's warm, so they don't usually bother with you..haha..


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Daveyboy said:


> Yes that's me.. They usually only feed out of your hand when it's chilly or cold, they have plenty of food when it's warm, so they don't usually bother with you..haha..


Makes sense; I won't take their snubbing of me personally then, haha. One more reason to look forward to fall and winter!


----------



## h00dz (Dec 25, 2012)

Bird watchers of SAS,

I was wondering if you could help me ID this bird.

I was walking down the street going past my sisters stock feed shop, they have a bird feeder out the front and I saw this little creature.

Now I know its not the most colourful or anything like that but its head dress fascinated me, as i've never seen a bird like that around here.

Any thoughts?


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

h00dz said:


> Bird watchers of SAS,
> 
> I was wondering if you could help me ID this bird.
> 
> ...


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_Pigeon ?

ETA:










I Googled "Australian crested dove." :lol This looks a lot like our US mourning doves, just they don't have crests or much color.


----------



## housebunny (Oct 22, 2010)

It does look like a dove.


----------



## h00dz (Dec 25, 2012)

tehuti88 said:


> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crested_Pigeon ?
> 
> ETA:
> 
> ...


Ty ty,

I think you are right on the money here, thanks for this


----------



## Owl-99 (Mar 7, 2012)

The rifle bird is hard to beat.


----------



## SunshineRayy (Aug 30, 2013)

kate7 said:


> The birds in Southern Florida are magnificent


That is simply beautiful.


----------



## SunshineRayy (Aug 30, 2013)

tannasg said:


> The rifle bird is hard to beat.


SO COOL! Why do they call it a "rifle bird"? In the top picture, it kinda looks like he's carrying two drum magazines. BADASS BIRD!


----------



## karenw (Aug 20, 2012)

Canadian gueese


----------



## Owl-99 (Mar 7, 2012)

SunshineRayy said:


> SO COOL! Why do they call it a "rifle bird"? In the top picture, it kinda looks like he's carrying two drum magazines. BADASS BIRD!


I have had a look at some websites and it doesn't say, still a pretty neat bird.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Identified a new birdie at our backyard feeder today--the white-breasted nuthatch:










Now I know who it is that goes _yank yank yank_. Nice to finally put a face to a voice!


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

anonymid said:


> Identified a new birdie at our backyard feeder today--the white-breasted nuthatch:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


:clap I'd been seeing nuthatches for ages before I recognized their call, it really does sound like a nasal little _yank yank yank_. :lol

For years I would hear this call especially in the springtime that sounded like _Fee-beeeee, fee-beeeee_. (I earlier vocalized it as _Eee-ooooo, eee-ooooo_, a high note then a low note.) It drove me nuts trying to identify what made that sound. I finally got a book and CD with bird calls and listened through the calls of unfamiliar birds--nothing. Getting fed up, I finally started listening to the calls of birds I knew, which I figured was pointless since I knew their calls. Well guess what it was?...










:roll Yep...the black-capped chickadee.

I only recognized their _Chicka-dee-dee-dee-dee!_ calls...but they have a second call that sounds like _Fee-beeeee_. I'd been driving myself crazy trying to identify a bird I saw every single day!


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

tehuti88 said:


> I only recognized their _Chicka-dee-dee-dee-dee!_ calls...but they have a second call that sounds like _Fee-beeeee_. I'd been driving myself crazy trying to identify a bird I saw every single day!


Yup, it was an _ohhhhhhh!_ moment for me too when I realized that that familiar two-note whistle belonged to the chickadee. Seems like whenever I can actually _see_ them, they only do the _chicka-dee-dee-dee_ call.


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

anonymid said:


> Seems like whenever I can actually _see_ them, they only do the _chicka-dee-dee-dee_ call.


*Exactly!* Evil little birds. :lol


----------



## mrbojangles (Oct 8, 2009)

I present the Phillipine eagle (aka the monkey eating eagle). It's number one on my list of the most pimping animals in the world. I mean, just look at that haircut!


----------



## h00dz (Dec 25, 2012)

Kinda looks like a comb over to me


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Saw a red-bellied woodpecker in the front yard this morning. Didn't get a long look at it, but it's the only woodpecker in our range that has a red head and barred back, so that had to be it.


----------



## h00dz (Dec 25, 2012)

Another bird I spotted from my back garden.










I assume some sort of parrot, I'm really bad with bird names. I never thought I would be into this, but its kinda fun! 

I'm disappointed you guys (and gals) aren't actually taking real photos of the birds you see!


----------



## Daveyboy (Jan 13, 2013)

h00dz said:


> Another bird I spotted from my back garden.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I took this one...
It is a New York Parrot....


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Downy woodpeckers have started to show up for suet. I've only seen females so far.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

anonymid said:


> Saw a red-bellied woodpecker in the front yard this morning. Didn't get a long look at it, but it's the only woodpecker in our range that has a red head and barred back, so that had to be it.


I've seen red-bellies at our suet feeder in the back yard each of the last two days. I'm hoping this is a sign that they'll be regular visitors now that it's getting cold!


----------



## Limmy (Feb 15, 2013)

Birds are cool


----------



## Limmy (Feb 15, 2013)

Come @ me h8ers
#Swag 
#IBelieveICanFly
#R.KellyGotNothinOnMe


----------



## Charmander (Sep 5, 2012)

Is it a bird, is it a plane?


----------



## housebunny (Oct 22, 2010)

wow that's an interesting bird. i don't think i've ever seen one of those before.


----------



## Limmy (Feb 15, 2013)

housebunny said:


> wow that's an interesting bird. i don't think i've ever seen one of those before.


Its a pretty good looking bird, if i were ever to hookup with a bird, it would be that one


----------



## Fruitcake (Jan 19, 2012)

I like birds.
These are my favourite birds out of the ones I see in my backyard when I put food out.

Silvereyes:





































Goldfinches:










Yellowhammers:


----------



## housebunny (Oct 22, 2010)

Limmy said:


> Its a pretty good looking bird, if i were ever to hookup with a bird, it would be that one


Good, good...



Fruitcake said:


> I like birds.
> These are my favourite birds out of the ones I see in my backyard when I put food out.


Wow, Fruitcake, those are amazing!


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

Fruitcake said:


> Goldfinches:


:shock Your goldfinches look WAY different from our goldfinches...










(Male and female.)
(Not my picture. ops )


----------



## Fruitcake (Jan 19, 2012)

tehuti88 said:


> :shock Your goldfinches look WAY different from our goldfinches...
> 
> (Male and female.)
> (Not my picture. ops )


Yeah I found out while looking up pics that they're different species, those are American Goldfinches and the ones I posted are European Goldfinches.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Dark-eyed Juncos have arrived for the winter! :yay


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

Oh, this is going to be my favorite thread!  I didn't realize there was a thread like this here. I love birds. I very, very actively go out looking for them, photographing them and learning about them. I have seen about 360 species and have photos for about 200 of them.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

anonymid said:


> Dark-eyed Juncos have arrived for the winter! :yay


I always love it when these guys show up  They showed up here about a month ago. I kind of wish they would change the name of this bird back to Slate-colored Snowbird like it was in the 19th century. It seems to fit them better since they are only around in the winter.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

nightheron said:


> Oh, this is going to be my favorite thread!  I didn't realize there was a thread like this here. I love birds. I very, very actively go out looking for them, photographing them and learning about them. I have seen about 360 species and have photos for about 200 of them.


Awesome! It would be great to see some of your photos, if you feel like sharing.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

anonymid said:


> Awesome! It would be great to see some of your photos, if you feel like sharing.


I'm kind of shy, but here's a couple I took this month...

Hermit Thrush. Saw lots of these guys earlier in the month.










Golden-crowned Kinglet










Northern Parula. I took this one two weeks ago. It was very unusually late for my area.










White-throated Sparrow. I took this one two days ago. Tons of these birds around but they are always so shy. This is the only photo I got this year.










Wood Duck


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

Wow, these look like they belong in a birding book. :shock



nightheron said:


> White-throated Sparrow. I took this one two days ago. Tons of these birds around but they are always so shy. This is the only photo I got this year.


I love these birds, the first time I ever saw one the only thing I could make out at first was the little yellow spot on the head, and I was so mystified trying to figure out what it was. Can't see them very often (like you said, they're shy) but if/when they show up in spring and sing that "Ohhhh sweeeet Canada-Canada-Canada" song of theirs...I love that song.


----------



## eyezarewindowz (Oct 26, 2013)

*I got a camera over the summer and i took pictures of them quite a bit....nothing fancy but gave me something to do in my spare time. I really like hummingbirds but they never stay in one spoy long enough for me to get a picture lol.*


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

eyezarewindowz said:


> *I got a camera over the summer and i took pictures of them quite a bit....nothing fancy but gave me something to do in my spare time. I really like hummingbirds but they never stay in one spoy long enough for me to get a picture lol.*


I get these landing in the feeders and tossing the sunflower seeds every which way...presumably looking for bugs or something nicer to eat. :roll :lol

And I have the same trouble you have with hummingbirds, only in my case it's with chickadees. Flighty little boogers. :lol


----------



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

nightheron said:


> Hermit Thrush. Saw lots of these guys earlier in the month.


Lets take a moment and appreciate their tunes


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

eyezarewindowz said:


> *I got a camera over the summer and i took pictures of them quite a bit....nothing fancy but gave me something to do in my spare time. I really like hummingbirds but they never stay in one spoy long enough for me to get a picture lol.*


Aw, cute Downy  Hummingbirds are really tough. I tried and tried and didn't get any photos this year. I can't wait to try again next year.


----------



## Fruitcake (Jan 19, 2012)

anonymid said:


> Dark-eyed Juncos have arrived for the winter! :yay


Pretty!

These are some of the birds I see when I make a rare expedition outside of the confines of my garden. I have no idea if people outside of New Zealand and Australia are already familiar with them or not.

Pukeko:










Kereru (New Zealand Pigeons):



















Tui:










Fantails:


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

tehuti88 said:


> Wow, these look like they belong in a birding book. :shock


thank you :blush This is pretty much how I survive life and deal with feeling lonely and other things, go out looking for birds and taking photos of them if I can.



tehuti88 said:


> I love these birds, the first time I ever saw one the only thing I could make out at first was the little yellow spot on the head, and I was so mystified trying to figure out what it was. Can't see them very often (like you said, they're shy) but if/when they show up in spring and sing that "Ohhhh sweeeet Canada-Canada-Canada" song of theirs...I love that song.


It's one of my favorite songs of all. I love hearing them in the spring. Reminds me of my childhood


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Absolutely beautiful photographs, nightheron! Haven't seen any of those particular birds yet, but then, I haven't ventured much beyond my yard yet for bird watching. Hopefully by next summer I'll have a pair of binoculars and can start do some more serious exploring in the forest nearby. The thrushes are definitely high on my list of birds I'd like to see.


----------



## Fruitcake (Jan 19, 2012)

Earlier this year I went to a wildlife reserve that had a white kiwi:










It's so darn cute how they hop like bunny rabbits.




























I can't remember the last time I saw a takahe but I found pictures of baby & teenage ones and they are so fluff:



















Nawww.


----------



## h00dz (Dec 25, 2012)

Fruitcake said:


> Pretty!
> 
> Kereru (New Zealand Pigeons):


Holy crap New Zealand Pigeons are way nicer than the ones we have over here.I'm jelly.

I keep meaning to go to Badger Weir/Yarra Ranges Park there are stacks of trails up there ands lots of bird varieties up there, humming birds, cockatoos (obviously), fantails, owls, parrots, Woodswallows, Robins etc etc.

Got to escalate that on my todo list.


----------



## Fruitcake (Jan 19, 2012)

h00dz said:


> Holy crap New Zealand Pigeons are way nicer than the ones we have over here.I'm jelly.
> 
> I keep meaning to go to Badger Weir/Yarra Ranges Park there are stacks of trails up there ands lots of bird varieties up there, humming birds, cockatoos (obviously), fantails, owls, parrots, Woodswallows, Robins etc etc.
> 
> Got to escalate that on my todo list.


Oh yeah we have normal rock pigeons in some cities here. Kereru are also called wood pigeons and they're less common and only found in bush usually.



nightheron said:


> I'm kind of shy, but here's a couple I took this month...


Whoa I had to change browsers to see these and they're lovely. That duck has such interesting colouring.


----------



## eyezarewindowz (Oct 26, 2013)

Fruitcake said:


> Earlier this year I went to a wildlife reserve that had a white kiwi:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Those are so cute! I have never seen one in person before


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

Fruitcake said:


>


ooo, so cute  look at those big feet! I wish we had birds like this here.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

anonymid said:


> Absolutely beautiful photographs, nightheron! Haven't seen any of those particular birds yet, but then, I haven't ventured much beyond my yard yet for bird watching. Hopefully by next summer I'll have a pair of binoculars and can start do some more serious exploring in the forest nearby. The thrushes are definitely high on my list of birds I'd like to see.


Thank you  Hopefully you can get those binoculars for next year. I have forest nearby as well and have seen 127 species in there so far over the years. There will be lots for you to potentially discover  Thrushes are rare, though  I only really see them in the fall when they migrate. For a couple of days in early October there are lots of them around everywhere. In the summer I have to go further out to the bigger forests or national parks to find them and hear them. I don't often get out there.

Today there were lots of Snow Buntings around here. They just started showing up this week. Another sign of winter.


----------



## astralluver420 (Aug 27, 2013)

*big *** flock of birds?*

When I was walking my son down the street to the park , A few times I was mesmerized by a huge flock of birds flying around this building for a long time and they were like making a tidal wave kinda effect. I dunno never seen it before they weren't just flying its like they were making shapes and they knew what they were doing. It was awesome. It's always around this particular building. Then today I was walking by this building and there they were. I just stood there and watched. I saw people on their balconies watching too. Just wondering who else has seen birds do this,,, what the hell r they doin and y around this particular building?


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

astralluver420 said:


> When I was walking my son down the street to the park , A few times I was mesmerized by a huge flock of birds flying around this building for a long time and they were like making a tidal wave kinda effect. I dunno never seen it before they weren't just flying its like they were making shapes and they knew what they were doing. It was awesome. It's always around this particular building. Then today I was walking by this building and there they were. I just stood there and watched. I saw people on their balconies watching too. Just wondering who else has seen birds do this,,, what the hell r they doin and y around this particular building?


It was probably a flock of European Starlings.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

Hudson's Bay in Canada (not the store!) froze over this week sending all sorts of waterfowl that had been lingering around up there south. A couple of King Eiders stopped here along the way which was only the second time in history they have been seen in my area. It was a first for me 

One of them came right up to the shoreline where I was standing so I was able to get a photo. There have been lots of other regular waterfowl around and moving through. That's mostly all I am seeing now.


----------



## au Lait (Sep 8, 2010)

The house that I grew up in had a few berry bushes in the backyard. Every fall a flock of cedar waxwings would descend on those bushes and gorge themselves on berries.





I used to love watching them as a kid. I thought they were so cute, and the fact that they only showed up once a year, close to the holiday season, made them seem special. Haven't seen one of those little guys in a long time. :'(


----------



## Yer Blues (Jul 31, 2013)

Saw an African Swallow carrying a coconut last week. This week I saw this:










Is it related to the kiwi?


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

Yer Blues said:


> Saw an African Swallow carrying a coconut last week. This week I saw this:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I think it's safe to say that bird is not related to the kiwi. It probably ate the kiwi


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

au Lait said:


> The house that I grew up in had a few berry bushes in the backyard. Every fall a flock of cedar waxwings would descend on those bushes and gorge themselves on berries.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They are really cute. I haven't seen many around this year, maybe a record low. I have been looking to get some photos of them because there are lots of berries around my place this year...but never any waxwings


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

nightheron said:


> Aw, cute Downy  Hummingbirds are really tough. I tried and tried and didn't get any photos this year. I can't wait to try again next year.


Here's a hummingbird I managed to capture.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

nightheron said:


> White-throated Sparrow. I took this one two days ago. Tons of these birds around but they are always so shy. This is the only photo I got this year.





tehuti88 said:


> I love these birds, the first time I ever saw one the only thing I could make out at first was the little yellow spot on the head, and I was so mystified trying to figure out what it was. Can't see them very often (like you said, they're shy) but if/when they show up in spring and sing that "Ohhhh sweeeet Canada-Canada-Canada" song of theirs...I love that song.


I finally figured out that we have these in our yard! Ever since I started noticing them a few weeks ago, they've been a "mystery sparrow" to me. What threw me off is that the field guide I use only shows a picture of the black-and-white striped version that looks like this:










I finally learned that there's a tan-striped version (like the one in your picture, nightheron), and that finally clued me in--though another issue was that the yellow facial markings on the ones I've been seeing are very dull, so dull that I didn't even notice them until two of the birds were kind enough to perch on top of the bushes right outside our living room window the other day.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

I also had my first close-up hawk sighting this week. I was making the rounds filling the feeders one morning, and as I was walking around out front an enormous gray bird flew out from the bushes right in front of the house (the same ones where the sparrows hang out), maybe just ten feet or so in front of me (if even that).

I figure it probably had to have been a cooper's hawk, because it's the right color and seems to be the most likely hawk to be raiding a yard--though a cooper's hawk is about the size of a crow, and it seemed to me to be larger than that, so there's a chance it might have been a northern goshawk. But I think I was probably just misjudging the size, since I'm not used to seeing anything larger than a blue jay in our yard (except for wild turkeys).


----------



## Evo1114 (Dec 9, 2012)

A couple hummingbird pictures from this past spring. I love hummingbirds. I wish I had a feeder here.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

anonymid said:


> I also had my first close-up hawk sighting this week. I was making the rounds filling the feeders one morning, and as I was walking around out front an enormous gray bird flew out from bushes right in front of the house (the same ones where the sparrows hang out), maybe just ten feet or so in front of me (if even that).
> 
> I figure it probably had to have been a cooper's hawk, because it's the right color and seems to be the most likely hawk to be raiding a yard--though a cooper's hawk is about the size of a crow, and it seemed to me to be larger than that, so there's a chance it might have been a northern goshawk. But I think I was probably just misjudging the size, since I'm not used to seeing anything larger than a blue jay in our yard (except for wild turkeys).


Congrats on the first hawk sighting  That's exciting. It could have been a female Cooper's Hawk. They are considerably larger than the males. Goshawks are uncommon, shy and secretive...tending to stay well in the bush.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

Meadowlark said:


> Here's a hummingbird I managed to capture.


You did way better than me this year  I didn't get any.



Evo1114 said:


> A couple hummingbird pictures from this past spring. I love hummingbirds. I wish I had a feeder here.


That would be so exciting to see a nest! That's a good find  I have never seen one in a nest.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

nightheron said:


> It could have been a female Cooper's Hawk. They are considerably larger than the males.


Ah, good point; I bet that was it, then. I do remember reading something about female hawks being much larger than males.


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

anonymid said:


> I finally figured out that we have these in our yard! Ever since I started noticing them a few weeks ago, they've been a "mystery sparrow" to me. What threw me off is that the field guide I use only shows a picture of the black-and-white striped version that looks like this:
> 
> ...
> 
> I finally learned that there's a tan-striped version (like the one in your picture, nightheron), and that finally clued me in...


I had a similar experience with white-crowned sparrows; I saw a pair of juveniles on our porch once and they didn't match ANYTHING in my books, I was going mad. :x Finally after searching online for ages I learned they were young and their color patterns weren't adult yet.



anonymid said:


> I also had my first close-up hawk sighting this week. I was making the rounds filling the feeders one morning, and as I was walking around out front an enormous gray bird flew out from the bushes right in front of the house (the same ones where the sparrows hang out), maybe just ten feet or so in front of me (if even that).


My first (and only) closeup hawk sighting featured a loud thudding sound, then I went to look out the front porch door, and watched for like a half hour while a young red-tailed hawk stood on the sidewalk and ate a mourning dove... :shock I was actually waiting to see if it would leave behind something like a skull...it left NOTHING but a few feathers and bits of sinew!



Evo1114 said:


>


OMG IT'S IN A NEST. And the nest is about as big as it is! :eek :lol

And it amuses me for some reason that the second one is perched...I've never seen one perched while drinking. :lol

...

In my neck of the woods...it's snowed...and the goldfinches are showing up in droves. ;_; Urgh why must they show up in _droves_...like three or four would be okay. Little flying stomachs.


----------



## housebunny (Oct 22, 2010)

tehuti88 said:


> OMG IT'S IN A NEST. And the nest is about as big as it is! :eek :lol


:lol It looks like it can barely fit in there.


----------



## Evo1114 (Dec 9, 2012)

nightheron said:


> That would be so exciting to see a nest! That's a good find  I have never seen one in a nest.





tehuti88 said:


> OMG IT'S IN A NEST. And the nest is about as big as it is! :eek :lol
> 
> And it amuses me for some reason that the second one is perched...I've never seen one perched while drinking. :lol


I should confess that the Tucson Desert Museum has a walk-in hummingbird aviary, so that's where I took those pictures. If you are ever around Tucson, AZ, make a visit! It's exciting to walk in the room and have dozens of hummingbirds buzzing your head. They are so used to people that they just land on the feeders inches away from you without any care.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

tehuti88 said:


> I had a similar experience with white-crowned sparrows; I saw a pair of juveniles on our porch once and they didn't match ANYTHING in my books, I was going mad. :x Finally after searching online for ages I learned they were young and their color patterns weren't adult yet.
> 
> My first (and only) closeup hawk sighting featured a loud thudding sound, then I went to look out the front porch door, and watched for like a half hour while a young red-tailed hawk stood on the sidewalk and ate a mourning dove... :shock I was actually waiting to see if it would leave behind something like a skull...it left NOTHING but a few feathers and bits of sinew!
> 
> ...


Little flying stomachs is very true  I have never heard anyone refer to them as that. I thought that was kind of cute. Thanks for that  Some years redpolls or siskins show up here at my feeders in huge flocks. It doesn't appear like that will happen this year because the natural seed crops in the northern forests are excellent this year.

A couple of years ago there was a Red-tailed Hawk at a park near me that was so tame you could walk right up to it within a couple of feet and it wouldn't seem to notice or care. I walk through that park regularly and he sort of became a friend. I still see him, at least I think it's the same bird, but he won't let anyone get near now. There is supposedly a Northern Goshawk hanging out in that same area and depending on the weather today I might go see if I can find it. I tried that a couple weeks ago and I came up with Mr. Red Tail, 2 Cooper's Hawks and 1 Sharp-shinned Hawk. Another guy I know saw a female Cooper's Hawk there just like I thought I did, so we wonder if maybe the Northern Goshawk is being misidentified or maybe we are misidentifying the female Cooper's. It's hard to get a real good look at that big hawk. That would only be the 4th Northern Goshawk I have ever seen.

I have had some hummingbirds that perched when drinking and others that seemed irritated with the perch to the point where they would only use the feeder if took the perches off. I did train one hummingbird one year to use my finger as a perch when she came around to the feeder. She didn't seem to mind me being around, so I started out by putting my chair next to the feeder and reading there so she got used to me being around. Then I started hanging the feeder from my hand and holding it out when she came around and once she was comfortable with that I removed the perches and put my finger out in their place. It worked! I have only ever had that happen with that one bird, but supposedly there are hummingbird retreats in Texas where that is an everyday thing.


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

nightheron said:


> Little flying stomachs is very true  I have never heard anyone refer to them as that. I thought that was kind of cute. Thanks for that  Some years redpolls or siskins show up here at my feeders in huge flocks. It doesn't appear like that will happen this year because the natural seed crops in the northern forests are excellent this year.


I'm kind of glad to hear that, the appetite of the pine siskins whenever they come down here drives me nuts! ops

...

Today I saw a fat little junco hopping in the snow.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

Yesterday I spotted a White-breasted Nuthatch climbing up and down the trees near the bird feeders in my yard. I'm super excited because there hasn't been any new bird activity in the past month or so. 

Has anyone ever seen a Barn Owl? I was lucky enough to see one once, and it was awesome. Others tell me they look creepy, but I think they are beautiful.


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

Meadowlark said:


> Yesterday I spotted a White-breasted Nuthatch climbing up and down the trees near the bird feeders in my yard. I'm super excited because there hasn't been any new bird activity in the past month or so.
> 
> Has anyone ever seen a Barn Owl? I was lucky enough to see one once, and it was awesome. Others tell me they look creepy, but I think they are beautiful.


Oh, envy! I've never seen one.  But I love their looks, to me they resemble aliens. :lol

I adore the nuthatches and the way they bobble around upside-down on the trees.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

Meadowlark said:


> Yesterday I spotted a White-breasted Nuthatch climbing up and down the trees near the bird feeders in my yard. I'm super excited because there hasn't been any new bird activity in the past month or so.
> 
> Has anyone ever seen a Barn Owl? I was lucky enough to see one once, and it was awesome. Others tell me they look creepy, but I think they are beautiful.


I have never seen a Barn Owl in the wild but I have seen a couple in captivity, the most recent this past spring, and once was able to hold one. I agree they are beautiful  To me they seem a sweeter, prettier owl with their light feathers and heart-shaped face compared to some of the others that are more menacing in appearance. I read a book once called Wesley The Owl that was about one person's bond with a tame Barn Owl. It was a sweet story.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

tehuti88 said:


> Oh, envy! I've never seen one.  But I love their looks, to me they resemble aliens. :lol


They do resemble aliens a bit. :lol



nightheron said:


> I read a book once called Wesley The Owl that was about one person's bond with a tame Barn Owl. It was a sweet story.


I'll have to check that out. It reminds me of a cute video on youtube, except it's a barn owl and a cat.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

Meadowlark said:


> I'll have to check that out. It reminds me of a cute video on youtube, except it's a barn owl and a cat.


Aww, I remember seeing that   I think it may have been on PBS or NatGeo Wild, a show called Unlikely Animal Friendships or something like that.

Somewhere around here I have a jigsaw puzzle with this image on it. That manufacturer, Cobble Hill, has a couple of owl ones that I am hoping to collect someday.










They also have a meadowlark


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

nightheron said:


> Aww, I remember seeing that   I think it may have been on PBS or NatGeo Wild, a show called Unlikely Animal Friendships or something like that.


Yeah, I watched a show like that on PBS not too long ago. It was cute overload lol.



nightheron said:


> Somewhere around here I have a jigsaw puzzle with this image on it. That manufacturer, Cobble Hill, has a couple of owl ones that I am hoping to collect someday.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Baby barn owls are even more funny looking and cute.  The puzzles are pretty. Something else I'll have to add to my continually growing collection of things with birds on them lol.


----------



## loneranger (Dec 29, 2012)

Yay! I like threads like these. Nice pics and video, peeps!


----------



## biscoto (Nov 24, 2013)

ahahahahaha


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

Meadowlark said:


> Baby barn owls are even more funny looking and cute.  The puzzles are pretty. Something else I'll have to add to my continually growing collection of things with birds on them lol.


hehe, yeah, I have a continually growing collection of things with birds on them as well  What kinds of things do you have in your collection? I collect a lot of books and I really like the puzzles.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

We had a huge influx of Snowy Owls and even a few Short-eared Owls here on the weekend. There were 8 Snowy Owls and 1 Short-eared Owl in a couple fields near me yesterday. I heard of other sightings of both owls in other places around me. It looks like this is going to be a good winter for Snowy Owls.

Last week a pair of male Harlequin Ducks was seen on a lake near me. I didn't get a chance to see them, unfortunately, because I was busy with something else. I have never seen a male. The males are stunning...










At the same time, another bird I missed but was really cool, was a stray Black-throated Gray Warbler. I think that was the first record in history in my area. It's a bird of western North America and not only should it not be here in the east, it should also be in Central America by now! That poor little guy got lost.

Other than that, it's been very quiet. The cardinals in my area are coming to my feeders in a little group now...2 males and 4 females. The females get along okay but the two males are... :duel ...not the best of friends  They tolerate each other only as long as the other is not within eyeshot.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

nightheron said:


> We had a huge influx of Snowy Owls and even a few Short-eared Owls here on the weekend. There were 8 Snowy Owls and 1 Short-eared Owl in a couple fields near me yesterday. I heard of other sightings of both owls in other places around me. It looks like this is going to be a good winter for Snowy Owls.


I just read this article about the unprecedented number of snowy owl sightings in Rhode Island this year. Apparently there's been an influx of them in the northeastern U.S. (among other places), so maybe I'll be lucky and get a chance to see one. They're so beautiful, but I've never seen one before.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

nightheron said:


> hehe, yeah, I have a continually growing collection of things with birds on them as well  What kinds of things do you have in your collection? I collect a lot of books and I really like the puzzles.


Oh, I have a ton of stuff. Probably too much to list here lol. Things like clothes, purses, jewelry, artwork, books, figurines, postcards, paper, ornaments, and various knickknacks.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

anonymid said:


> I just read this article about the unprecedented number of snowy owl sightings in Rhode Island this year. Apparently there's been an influx of them in the northeastern U.S. (among other places), so maybe I'll be lucky and get a chance to see one. They're so beautiful, but I've never seen one before.


Hopefully you'll get to see one this winter. Good luck  Have you looked for a bird sightings milling list or hotline near you? They may have reports of when and where any Snowy Owls may show up in your area.

One of my favorites of all the PBS Nature series was their Magic of the Snowy Owl

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/magic-of-the-snowy-owl/full-episode/7963/

I think that may be my favorite of all their bird themed episodes.



Meadowlark said:


> Oh, I have a ton of stuff. Probably too much to list here lol. Things like clothes, purses, jewelry, artwork, books, figurines, postcards, paper, ornaments, and various knickknacks.


I have one shelf by my computer here that is reserved for bird figurines, ornaments and carvings. In a way I'm thankful the collectible store near me that sold things like that has closed (the owner who I knew and once worked for retired) otherwise that one shelf might be a couple more lol


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

I went out to some bird feeders in the conservation area near me a couple of times this week to see what was happening around there. There were lots and lots of Blue Jays, Mourning Doves and American Tree Sparrows around, more than I think I had ever seen there in past years, but other birds were scarce. Here are a couple of photos I took while I was there...

I think this guy was having the bad hair day blues :teeth










All served up for the small falcon that prowls the area :duck










These guys only show up in the winter. They make the prettiest little twitter sound when they "talk" to each other.










Shortly after I took the photo of the sparrow a Brown Creeper landed in front of me for a moment to pick up a piece of suet from the feeders. I never knew they would eat suet! I rarely get photos of them because they are so fast, always-on-the-go creeping up trees looking for insects among the bark, so that was the highlight of my little feeder trip  A little flock of them showed up only for a few minutes.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

nightheron said:


> Hopefully you'll get to see one this winter. Good luck  Have you looked for a bird sightings milling list or hotline near you? They may have reports of when and where any Snowy Owls may show up in your area.


From what I've read most of the sightings have been in shoreline towns, and we live far inland, so we're probably not as likely to see them where we are. However, there was a snowy owl sighted recently on a fence in Springfield, Mass., about 20 miles north of here:

http://www.wfsb.com/story/24197398/rare-sighting-of-snowy-owl-in-springfield





















nightheron said:


> One of my favorites of all the PBS Nature series was their Magic of the Snowy Owl
> 
> http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/episodes/magic-of-the-snowy-owl/full-episode/7963/
> 
> I think that may be my favorite of all their bird themed episodes.


I saw that one, and I loved it! (though it was sad at times--poor littlest owlet). I've also watched the episodes about wild turkeys, eagles, crows, hummingbirds, and birds of paradise.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

I saw a Carolina Wren poking around our front steps and the bushes next to them a few days ago. I'd heard their _tweedle-tweedle-tweedle-tweedle-tweet!_ song before, but I'd never actually seen one. Apparently we're at about the northern limit of their range, and they're not always very abundant in winter, even though they're year-round birds.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

nightheron said:


> One of my favorites of all the PBS Nature series was their Magic of the Snowy Owl


I just watched that on my local PBS station Wednesday night. Awesome episode. There have been snowy owl sightings just north of here, so maybe I'll get lucky and spot one.



nightheron said:


> I have one shelf by my computer here that is reserved for bird figurines, ornaments and carvings. In a way I'm thankful the collectible store near me that sold things like that has closed (the owner who I knew and once worked for retired) otherwise that one shelf might be a couple more lol


I have a bird theme in my bedroom. If I actually owned my own place, I might go overboard with the bird stuff lol.



nightheron said:


> I think this guy was having the bad hair day blues :teeth


I say he was having an awesome hair day lol. All the hip blue jays are rocking that look. :yes


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Had a pleasant little surprise on New Year's Day--an American robin poking around underneath our backyard feeder! First time I'd ever seen a robin in our yard in winter. That's a first-robin-of-the-year record that will never be broken. 

And the day after, during the snowstorm, we were visited by a flock of eight wild turkeys. First time I'd seen any turkeys in months, and the largest flock I'd seen since the summer/fall of 2012 (when several times we got enormous flocks upward of 20 turkeys, including a lot of juveniles).


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

I had a little surprise on New Year's Day too - flock of 4 Cedar Waxwings, my first of the winter  They had been scarce through the fall and unheard of towards winter. 

I haven't seen any turkeys around here for a long time. Last year there were lots in the forests near me and now they seem to have all disappeared. There seem to be more coyotes around now so I wonder if they have eaten all the turkeys. 

I ended up getting a bad case of the flu over Christmas - still working through it - and haven't been out at all for some time. Not that I really wanted to with the record cold here (windchills getting closer to -40 the past 3 days)!


----------



## alenclaud (Mar 31, 2013)

I love how some people here are so passionate about birds, if you'll allow me to say so.
Here's a little podcast I've discovered today: Tweet of the day , each one only 2 minutes long, consisting of a British bird's song and a short ornithological story afterwards.


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

Holy crudsticks, I think I saw a shrike today. :shock I've never seen one before.

I was looking out the window and happened to see a largish unknown bird land silently in one of the bushes out front, but it ducked down where I couldn't see it. I went to look out the porch window where the chickadees feed, thinking it'd pop up there. I caught a brief glimpse of it disappearing, then the chickadees all came flying out and away, then this largish bird flew out after them and disappeared, like it was chasing them. I didn't get a good look...just saw that it was about the size of a blue jay (yet it wasn't), and it was a kind of light brownish-gray, and seemed to have a dark mask over the eyes. Its tail fanned out wide when it flew off.

I dug out my Michigan birds book but found nothing...I was wondering if maybe it was a shrike, since I know shrikes hunt smaller birds. (I wrote a children's book when I was younger featuring a chickadee protagonist and a shrike antagonist. ops ) Even though what I'd seen hadn't looked like the pictures of shrikes I'd seen. But there were no shrikes listed in that book. :| I then dug out my Eastern birds book and looked up shrikes and found two species, the loggerhead--the one I've seen pictures of--and one called the *northern shrike*--and I'm fairly certain what I saw was the latter. Largish bird, light brownish-gray, dark mask over the eyes; plus according to the book, it winters in this area.

From Wikipedia...










On the one hand, wow, awesome to see a new bird!

On the other hand...yikes...given what I've read of shrikes' hunting/eating habits, I hope for the chickadees' sake I never see it again! :afr


----------



## Primitive Fish (Apr 12, 2013)

Two snowy owl sightings! I got really lucky both times. We found the first bird in minutes on mud flats. Today I was lucky enough to be at a birding society visitor center and they had spotting scopes! I found the owl on a frozen marsh. Magical birds.


----------



## probably offline (Oct 8, 2012)

nightheron said:


>


badass


----------



## Primitive Fish (Apr 12, 2013)

anonymid said:


> From what I've read most of the sightings have been in shoreline towns, and we live far inland, so we're probably not as likely to see them where we are. However, there was a snowy owl sighted recently on a fence in Springfield, Mass., about 20 miles north of here:
> 
> http://www.wfsb.com/story/24197398/rare-sighting-of-snowy-owl-in-springfield
> 
> ...


They like open areas. Try farms or the airport! I think I saw one in Vermont, but the two I saw for sure were on the CT coast.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

I heard a gray catbird in our front yard the other day, though I wasn't able to get a glimpse of it. I hear them periodically throughout the year (we're just barely in their narrow year-round range), but have yet to actually see one. Apparently they're extremely shy and elusive.

Anyway, I did find this neat video about a catbird who's an expert impersonator.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

anonymid said:


> Had a pleasant little surprise on New Year's Day--an American robin poking around underneath our backyard feeder! First time I'd ever seen a robin in our yard in winter.


Saw a large flock of them in our back yard today! 

Also I've been seeing a lot of brown-headed cowbirds lately. Not exactly an exciting sight, but it's the first time I've seen any at our feeder.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

New bird sighting! I just identified a fox sparrow poking around underneath our bushes out front.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

anonymid said:


> New bird sighting! I just identified a fox sparrow poking around underneath our bushes out front.


Cool  I can't wait to see some of your recent birds show back up here. It's been like a bird desert here! But I did finally get out to see a Snowy Owl recently. I have seen them a couple of times now.


----------



## Evo1114 (Dec 9, 2012)

It seems I haven't seen a bird in like a month. They are probably all like 'we ain't going out in this weather, screw that!' (Kind of like me).


----------



## Mochyn (Jan 6, 2014)

I haven't seen a robin all winter, that's like my 'aww its winter/Christmas etc.' moment when I see robins and I haven't seen a single one this year except on stupid Christmas cards. I blame the cats, this place is overrun with cats.


----------



## housebunny (Oct 22, 2010)

tehuti88 said:


> On the one hand, wow, awesome to see a new bird!
> 
> On the other hand...yikes...given what I've read of shrikes' hunting/eating habits, I hope for the chickadees' sake I never see it again! :afr


I didn't know there were any small birds of prey.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

I didn't have much luck getting photos of the Snowy Owl the first two times I went out looking, but on the third time got a couple of photos that I have been working on a bit this evening...

I first found her sleeping in the middle of a field.










Then back a little over an hour later she was awake, alert and ready to hunt!










I also saw a small (and shrinking) flock of Snow Buntings in the same area, on the roadside beside the field. I didn't see it happen, but I was told that the owl has been catching and eating them.


----------



## tehuti88 (Jun 19, 2005)

nightheron said:


> I didn't have much luck getting photos of the Snowy Owl the first two times I went out looking, but on the third time got a couple of photos that I have been working on a bit this evening...
> 
> I first found her sleeping in the middle of a field.
> 
> ...


Wow, these are lovely. :shock Especially the second one...such yellow eyes.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Great photos as always, nightheron! I love the contrast in facial expression between the two pictures. :lol


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

I've discovered there's a Great Horned Owl in the neighborhood, which is exciting.  I was working outside around sunset and heard the distinctive hooting. It was coming from the woods behind our property. Later the same night it must have come closer because I began hearing it while I was unsuccessfully trying to sleep. I propped open the window a bit to get a better listen. It kept up the hooting for a good 15 minutes or so and then was gone. I wish I could have seen it!


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Oh my goodness, we might have a snowy owl in the neighborhood! My mom was just talking to our neighbor across the street, who said he saw a snowy owl perched above our next-door neighbor's pool on Monday. I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled now! :shock


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

anonymid said:


> Oh my goodness, we might have a snowy owl in the neighborhood! My mom was just talking to our neighbor across the street, who said he saw a snowy owl perched above our next-door neighbor's pool on Monday. I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled now! :shock


Better break out the zoomies lol. :shock


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

New bird sighting! I watched a Northern Flicker spend about ten minutes investigating a bare spot of ground near our back steps today (most of our yard is still covered in snow). I'd been hoping to see one of these!


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

So, I'm pretty certain we have some Rusty Blackbirds hanging out in our back yard today. Apparently they're a species in rapid decline and increasingly rare. I don't want to say I'm 100% sure about the identification yet, but having inspected them as closely as I can with my binoculars, comparing them to the other blackbirds they're flocking with (mostly red-wings, but also one or two grackles) and reading this identification guide, I'm fairly certain they are indeed rusties.

They're yellow-eyed, which rules out red-wings and cowbirds, and they appear to be a bit smaller, thinner billed, and definitely less glossy and iridescent than grackles (thankfully there was a grackle hanging out in the flock for easy comparison). And among them were at least a couple brown, yellow-eyed blackbirds with eyebrow stripes, which I assume are female rusties, as they perfectly match the ones in these pictures:

















And since we're far out of the range of the Brewer's Blackbird, it's easy to eliminate that species as a possibility.


----------



## 000XXX000 (Dec 1, 2013)

Nothing special, but saw a huge turkey vulture over at my aunt and uncle's over the weekend. Biggest bird I have seen around here. And I think you were right about the downie anonymid. Cracks me up, every time he tries to eat, she always runs him off.


----------



## alenclaud (Mar 31, 2013)

I contemplated a sparrow yesterday evening from my balcony. Night was falling upon the neighbourhood, the sun behind the horizon. It was frantically flying here and there and hopping around the branches of a tree, disappearing into the leaves to reappear as quickly as it had gone, as if looking for something it had lost in the canopy, perhaps for its partner, before flying off home, presumably.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

The Barn Swallows have returned to my neighborhood. I spied one the other day dive-bombing a group of birds who were innocently eating at one of the feeders. So it's just a matter of time before I get dive-bombed in my backyard. Fun times lol.


----------



## nightheron (Sep 30, 2013)

Hush7 said:


> Strange looking bird in my neighbor's yard. Does anyone know what it is? There were actually two of them and they didn't seem to like each other that much.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've tried to take pics with my phone too and yours turned out way better than the ones I've tried to take  It looks like a juvenile Cooper's Hawk. I am seeing them regularly around here since early July.


----------



## Folded Edge (Mar 4, 2014)

I'm no twitcher but over the last few years I have become pretty interested in the visiting species in the back garden. 

We have had a number of pairs of Magpies living out back since we moved in, they are smart, funny birds. (though watching them fight other Magpies isn't always pleasant). The main pair's off spring has been rocking about the garden the last few months. Brilliant to watch.

This year though we have had a new addition - a pair of Jackdaws. Yet another smart, funny bird and just as attractive as the Magpies. 

We do have loads of Wood Pigeons and Black Birds but since the Magpies became so prevalent, the numbers of other song birds have certainly dropped.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

anonymid said:


> New bird sighting! I just identified a fox sparrow poking around underneath our bushes out front.


Just spotted another one!  It was scratching around for food beneath our crabapple tree among the juncos, white-throated sparrows, and house sparrows. Bigger and chunkier than its fellow sparrows, and fiercely kicking up a storm of leaves and pine needles.

Also fairly certain I saw a hermit thrush a couple days ago snatching some pokeberries growing near the crabapple tree. Only got a brief and not-entirely-clear look, but the spotted breast was a giveaway, and I don't think there's any other species of thrush that would still be around at this time of year.

And I saw some mischievous looking cedar waxwings going for the same berries a few days ago. I love those guys--wish I saw them more often!


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

About two weeks ago I got a good, long look at a male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker on a maple tree in our front yard. That's been my only new bird sighting so far this winter.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

The recent storm has brought more Tree Sparrows to our yard than I've ever noticed before. Our usual winter crowd of native sparrows includes dark-eyed juncos, white-throated sparrows, and song sparrows (with the juncos being by far the most abundant).


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

This afternoon I saw a blue jay carrying a snowball (it appeared to be stabbed to its beak). I saw the same thing once last winter, too. I tried googling this but couldn't find anything, so I'm not sure what it's all about. I know that jays, crows, and ravens have been known to pick up, carry around, and hide bright objects (apparently just for play), so maybe this is something similar, but I'm not sure. Maybe it was planning on starting a snowball fight, heh.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

anonymid said:


> This afternoon I saw a blue jay carrying a snowball (it appeared to be stabbed to its beak).


Lol. How big was the snowball?

The only new visitor to my yard has been a Hairy Woodpecker. It's been nice to finally see a Hairy and a Downy Woodpecker side by side so that it will be easier to identify them in the future.


----------



## typemismatch (May 30, 2012)

This thread is making my me hungry.


----------



## eveningbat (Jan 21, 2013)

typemismatch said:


> This thread is making my me hungry.


I was told a funny story: a guy was writing an essay about something. He looked into the window and spotted a few sparrows sitting in the branches of a tree. So he started out, "The sparrows were scattered in the branches of the tree *like pieces of meat*". LOL

But it is a majestic thread anyway. I am also fond of birds and interested in beautiful, unusual feathered ones.

Here is an awesome video:


----------



## eveningbat (Jan 21, 2013)

One more:


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

eveningbat said:


> Here is an awesome video:


Aw, beautiful painted bunting at the beginning of that video. Apparently a vagrant individual has been seen in recent years here in Connecticut, way north of the species' usual range:

http://10000birds.com/painted-bunting-cove-island-park-stamford-connecticut.htm

Most of the other birds in that video are regulars here.



eveningbat said:


> One more:


Can't wait until spring when our orioles return! They are among my favorites.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

The Great Backyard Bird Count  is this weekend! (February 13-16). I think I'm going to participate this year. Anybody else? I'll post my lists in this thread, and it would be fun to see others do the same.


----------



## typemismatch (May 30, 2012)

I saw this today, I'm not too sure what kind of bird it is. I ain't no bird expert.


----------



## Mysty (Nov 9, 2011)

Today's sightings:

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Red-winged Blackbird
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Mourning Dove
Dark-eyed Junco
Least Flycatcher
Eastern Bluebird
American Robin
Tufted Titmouse
Eastern Cardinal
Downy Woodpecker


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Here are the species I observed in our yard this weekend and reported for the GBBC. There were 22 in all:

American Goldfinch
American Robin
American Tree Sparrow
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay
Carolina Wren
Cooper's Hawk
Dark-eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker
European Starling
Hairy Woodpecker	
House Finch
House Sparrow
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Red-bellied Woodpecker	
Red-tailed Hawk
Song Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
White-breasted Nuthatch
White-throated Sparrow


----------



## WillYouStopDave (Jul 14, 2013)

And I thought watching water dry was entertaining.


----------



## Mysty (Nov 9, 2011)

anonymid, I'm jealous of all the birds you see! I love Nuthatches!

So far today I've spotted:

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Dark-eyed Junco
Eastern Bluebird
Turkey Vulture
Hermit Thrush


----------



## Lonelyguy111 (Oct 14, 2013)

*Great Blue Heron - Potomac River - Alexandria VA*

When I lived in Alexandria Virginia right next to the Potomac River and a mile from a wildlife preserve, I saw a magnificent Great Blue Heron about 30 feet from me along the water's edge !!!

BIG bird !!!
It looked like a 3-4 foot tall balding man because the dark feathers were all on the top. It was so big that at first for a couple of seconds I thought it was an alien from another world ! 

I took pictures but they were fuzzy and not too good.
This is what I saw. Beautiful bird.


----------



## millenniumman75 (Feb 4, 2005)

My neighbors have a ton of bird feeders in their backyard so I see all kinds of birds. I have seen the same Cardinal family so many times, I have named all of them!
There are couples, and they fly around - Calvin, Carlotta, Carl, Candace, etc. 
I have also learned their bird call :lol. I have also seen bluejays, and even a woodpecker I names Woody of course. I noticed at sunset birds chirp like crazy so everybody makes it home in time for dinner and dusk.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Mysty said:


> anonymid, I'm jealous of all the birds you see! I love Nuthatches!
> 
> So far today I've spotted:
> 
> ...


Lucky, I wish we had bluebirds! Looking over some of the GBBC data I noticed that a number of people in my county were reporting eastern bluebirds, so they're around. I have yet to see one in our yard, unfortunately. Though that doesn't surprise me, since we're a little too hemmed in by trees, and they prefer more open habitat. But I guess it's a trade-off: all the trees (and the nearby forest) mean we get a lot of woodpeckers, blue jays, chickadees, titmice, and of course nuthatches!


----------



## Mysty (Nov 9, 2011)

Oh, you would like it here (I'm on the east coast). We get whole swarms of bluebirds. They're beautiful little birds. There's supposedly bluejays here, but I've never seen one.

Today I saw a bird I've never seen here before: Red-bellied Woodpecker. I was pretty excited.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Mysty said:


> Today I saw a bird I've never seen here before: Red-bellied Woodpecker. I was pretty excited.


Nice! They are beauties. Red-bellies have been regulars at our suet feeders this winter, along with hairies, downies, and flickers.

What I'd really love to see in our yard, and haven't yet, is a pileated woodpecker:


----------



## Mysty (Nov 9, 2011)

I saw a Pileated Woodpecker once. It was just as beautiful in person as in photos.

All the birds here are in a frenzy. We're getting a lot of snow, and they're very active throughout the day as they search for food. I saw:

Ruby-crowned Kinglet
Red-tailed hawk (it flew over my head with a snake in its talons. So cool).
American robin
Dark-eyed junco
Carolina wren


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Very cute story about a girl in Seattle who has been receiving gifts of trinkets from crows in return for food:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-31604026


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Ruffed Grouse courtship display captured on Ontario feeder cam. This is pretty amusing.


----------



## Mysty (Nov 9, 2011)

I wish grouse visited our feeders!

Yesterday I saw a lot of cool birds, including one I've always wanted to see... a bluejay.  

Red-headed woodpecker
yellow-bellied sapsucker
dark-eyed junco
chipping sparrow
bluejay
eastern bluebird
eastern phoebe
northern cardinal, 
ruby-crowned kinglet
northern mockingbird
carolina wren
downy woodpecker


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Mysty said:


> I wish grouse visited our feeders!
> 
> Yesterday I saw a lot of cool birds, including one I've always wanted to see... a bluejay.
> 
> ...


Very envious that you have red-headed woodpeckers around! Do you see them often? Sadly, they seem to have disappeared altogether from New England, so it's very unlikely that I'm ever going to see one here.


----------



## Mysty (Nov 9, 2011)

Sadly, I do not. They are beautiful birds and definitely live up to their name.

Yesterday's sightings:

white-breasted nuthatch (never seen one here before!!)
carolina wren
american robin
chipping sparrow
tufted titmouse
black-capped chickadee
house finch


----------



## eveningbat (Jan 21, 2013)

typemismatch said:


> I saw this today, I'm not too sure what kind of bird it is. I ain't no bird expert.


:haha It's not a bird.


----------



## eveningbat (Jan 21, 2013)

Well, a couple of pigeons living in the branches of the linden tree in front of my balcony.


----------



## Owl-99 (Mar 7, 2012)

typemismatch said:


> I saw this today, I'm not too sure what kind of bird it is. I ain't no bird expert.


Well at least one person found this funny.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

I saw a yellow-bellied sapsucker yesterday for the first time in a couple months. I'm guessing that this one is probably a migrant and not the same one who was hanging around earlier in the winter.

We've had a lot of blackbirds hanging around in recent weeks. Mostly red-winged blackbirds and common grackles, with a few brown-headed cowbirds as well. Unfortunately I haven't seen any migrating rusty blackbirds yet this spring--I've been on the lookout for them after seeing some around this time last year.


----------



## blue2 (May 20, 2013)

typemismatch said:


> I saw this today, I'm not too sure what kind of bird it is. I ain't no bird expert.


 I believe you've discovered a new species that means you get to name it 
We've got lots of those flying rat thingys round here "pigeons" they like to be called I believe and blackbirds but also the odd peregrine falcon and eagle and buzzard which are all cool


----------



## SD92 (Nov 9, 2013)

I saw two ducks today, they were walking round with the hen, but flew off when they saw the cat.


----------



## typemismatch (May 30, 2012)

blue2 said:


> I believe you've discovered a new species that means you get to name it
> We've got lots of those flying rat thingys round here "pigeons" they like to be called I believe and blackbirds but also the odd peregrine falcon and eagle and buzzard which are all cool


Yay, I get to name in :banana

I shall call this new species Fred


----------



## typemismatch (May 30, 2012)

In other news. This made me guffaw.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/mar/29/rspb-backs-pheasant-shoots


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Saw a mockingbird today for the first time since fall. Has me eagerly anticipating the arrival of its relative, the gray catbird. I fell in love with our catbirds last summer and can't wait to see (and hear) them again. Changed my avatar to one in their honor (sorry rusty blackbirds! just haven't been seeing any of you, unfortunately).


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

How to dance like an albatross:


----------



## SD92 (Nov 9, 2013)

Saw some birds flying over and perch on a tree, they'll be looking for a good place to build a nest.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

anonymid said:


> Saw a mockingbird today for the first time since fall. Has me eagerly anticipating the arrival of its relative, the gray catbird. I fell in love with our catbirds last summer and can't wait to see (and hear) them again.


Saw the first catbird of the season today! :yay


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Saw my first Baltimore Orioles of the season yesterday! First a male, then later in the afternoon a female, both in our crabapple tree. As expected, they showed up not long after it started to flower.

Also saw my first hummingbird of the season yesterday (ruby-throated, the only species found in this part of the country). Like the orioles, it was investigating the crabapple blossoms.


----------



## anonymid (Oct 16, 2005)

Heard the beautiful song of the veery in the woods of central New York this week:






Also watched great blue herons, ospreys, and common terns hunt fish on the Seneca River. Saw lots of adorable baby geese and mallards as well.


----------



## Carlfrukt (Jun 28, 2012)

I'm not an active bird-watcher but I'm out in the nature a lot and I always try to take photos when I see birds or other animals.


----------



## Memories of Silence (May 15, 2015)

When it's warm, we get magpies and rainbow lorikeets in the garden. There are galahs on the powerlines, but they don't land in the garden.

Most of the time, it's sparrows and myna birds. I want to get nice birds in the garden, like kookaburras, but I don't see them in my suburb.


----------



## Evo1114 (Dec 9, 2012)

Obviously this is not a bird, but I didn't know where else to post it. Saw one of these incredibly gorgeous critters hanging on the wall outside my bank. It must have needed shelter from the rain. I tried grabbing it so I could take a picture of it, but it flew away.

Fun fact: it is the largest moth/butterfly in all of North America.

The Cecropia Moth...


----------



## SD92 (Nov 9, 2013)

I saw that bird on Saturday, but it kept flying away when I got close. No idea what it is.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jan 3, 2011)

Has anyone ever seen an albino bird?


----------



## Kiba (Apr 26, 2013)

anonymid said:


> How to dance like an albatross:


----------



## CopadoMexicano (Aug 21, 2004)

I love birds. pets birds especially. Ive owned hundreds of birds and had a walk in avairy in backyard once. mostly finches and parakeets. live birds in the wild are awesome as well.


----------



## Flora20 (Mar 18, 2013)

I always see two hummingbirds in my yard fighting to eat from the bird feeder outside, one of them is green and other one is all brown.


----------

