The thread for birds and birding

[Kepler]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Lotsa these guys out where I live. They seem to subsist entirely off our plentiful road kill (it's not unusual to see 30-40 of them picking at a deer carcass). They fly in an impressively geometrical formation called a "vortex" and hang out on the high rocks that overlook the Potomac.

 

[St. Clown]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Smallest bird ever at my feeders: ruby throated hummingbird
Largest bird ever at my feeders: great horned owl (perched on top, looking down at the buffet*)
Largest bird seen from my living room window: bald eagle (soaring about 300 yards away)

*the squirrels cleaning up scraps on the ground below the feeders had no idea ...

A buddy of mine helps run the raptor center grounds - he assigns out the maintenance crews and such - and took me there when I was last in IA City. Those bald eagles and various owls are a lot bigger up close than expected when seeing them in the air. The eagle must've had an eight-foot wingspan, and the owls were easily half that.

 

[Proud2baLaker]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

I had heard this a couple years ago but it's still an interesting article: http://blog.nature.org/science/2015/08/17/field-guide-wrong-birds-eye-view-world-color-vision/

Basically talks about how birds see a larger range of the color spectrum (ultraviolet) and goes a bit more into detail.

 

[Proud2baLaker]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Cool little hummingbird article: http://www.slate.com/blogs/wild_thi...ry_nectar_feeders.html?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_top

 

[FreshFish]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Flocks of migratory fowl in motion the past few days....

 

[burd]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

A friend showed me pictures of late-season flocks (maybe 60?) of loons on a residential lake where he lives. South Central Wisconsin. Is that common?

 

[Proud2baLaker]

A friend showed me pictures of late-season flocks (maybe 60?) of loons on a residential lake where he lives. South Central Wisconsin. Is that common?

I couldn't say if it's common but I would say it's not surprising. If food sources are plentiful migrating birds may push migration back a bit. Sometimes they may still migrate but not as far as they might normally go if they find food. Not sure about Wisconsin but I have heard that some states are experiencing warmer than average temps this fall which could be having an effect.

 

[LynahFan]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Is that common?

Almost certainly. Pacific and Red-Throated loons don't really come that far south....

 

[FreshFish]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Birders in paradise... (picture in link)

Birders are flocking to Prospect Park to catch a glimpse of a rare bird that touched down in Brooklyn over the weekend.

At least 100 avian enthusiasts a day are showing up at the park’s LeFrak Center to see the Florida tweeter — called a painted bunting — with its multicolored plumage

 

[FreshFish]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

A good spring for watching Bird Wars.

Yesterday, as I was walking through the yard, I stopped short because two catbirds were fighting each other just about two feet away. They start on the ground and attack each other by flying up a foot or two and smashing each other with their wings.

We've seen several robins battling in similar fashion.

Earlier in the spring, the osprey vs crow match was really amazing. The osprey sent the crow into full retreat. It was hovering in mid-air, screeching its battle cry, talons extended.

I've seen jays driving a crow away too.


The other morning at the parking lot, waiting for the train, a number of smaller birds were circling and swooping something in the bushes. A few moments later, a fox slinked out and away.

 

[Kepler]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

There are a pair of beautiful red birds nesting near my house. They are both extremely bright colored so I assume they are not cardinals (the female tends to be duller). Any theories? This is central Maryland.

 

[The Sicatoka]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Smallest bird ever at my feeders: ruby throated hummingbird
Largest bird ever at my feeders: great horned owl (perched on top, looking down at the buffet*)
Largest bird seen from my living room window: bald eagle (soaring about 300 yards away)

*the squirrels cleaning up scraps on the ground below the feeders had no idea ...

Now I have six turkeys that have taken over the "clean up the scraps" role from the squirrels.

 

[The Sicatoka]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

There are a pair of beautiful red birds nesting near my house. They are both extremely bright colored so I assume they are not cardinals (the female tends to be duller). Any theories? This is central Maryland.

I've had scarlet tanagers at my feeders. Maybe?
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Scarlet_Tanager/id

 

[Kepler]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

I've had scarlet tanagers at my feeders. Maybe?
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Scarlet_Tanager/id

I think that's them! Except that female is almost yellow, so maybe my couple is LGBT.

They are gorgeous.

 

[The Sicatoka]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

The tanagers are very shy. They make my goldfinches seem pushy.

BTW ...

Male Scarlet Tanagers ... blood-red bodies set off by jet-black wings and tail. The yellowish-green, dark-winged females ...

Pretty sure that's a hetero couple you have.

 

[leswp1]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

We have a hawk that soars over our house on occasion. The other birds will swarm it and drive it off.
We now have rose breasted grosbeaks, cardinals, cat birds, gold finch, chicadees, titmice, 2 dif kinds of woodpeckers, house wrens, brown and blue nuthatches, and--Yay!!!-- hummingbirds.

Also a few turkeys.

 

[The Sicatoka]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

We now have rose breasted grosbeaks ...

Those love safflower (not sunflower, safflower). Get a feeder like this. They'll sit in the bottom, take a seed, shell it in their beak, spit the shell, eat the seed, repeat. Better than television.

 

[leswp1]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Those love safflower (not sunflower, safflower). Get a feeder like this. They'll sit in the bottom, take a seed, shell it in their beak, spit the shell, eat the seed, repeat. Better than television.

They are gobbling the sunflower seeds clinging to the posts of our regular feeder.

 

[Kepler]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Pretty sure that's a hetero couple you have.

No, I was saying my female is red while theirs is green. So either I've got a trans female or the second one is just the interior decorator.

 

[The Sicatoka]

Re: The thread for birds and birding

Had an "all things great and small" morning out the window today:

At the liquid feeder (suction cup mounted on my picture window) was a hummingbird; behind that, on top the pole feeder 40 feet away was a great horned owl.

I got some awesome photo opportunities, but only had a cell phone at hand.