Birding

[Cedars]

This morning as we headed out for our walk, I noticed a clump of feathers. Sorry to say that the feathers were orange and black. That coopers hawk has been around; I am very suspicious of that bird! Earlier I did see the male Oriole on our feeder. I also saw my first Gold Finch. Nice day for birding.

 

Take any pics of the feathers and the area they were in?

[Cedars]

These guys didnt see me at first. There were two of them and one seemed to be protecting a territory as I watched him dive and drive off the first bird. On bird #2s return to the east, he flew directly overhead.

 

The brown slash at the end of the wing flesh area is one ID factor on the red-tailed hawk (immatures do not have the red tail). The Broadwing hawk also has this, but it has a banded tail rather than a solid color tail. The spattering of brown speckles across the breast of the red-tail is a secondary ID, but you can get dark versions of red-tails. This spattering is full body on the Broadwing.

 

The red-shouldered hawk is much darker in all the flesh areas of the wing, and the body is darker (though you can sometimes see white mixed in). The primary/secondary feathers are usually more checkered/striped/darker gray/brown than the primaries/secondaries on the red-tail (viewed flying overhead).

 

I hope to get similar shots of more of these hawks over this summer and fall so I can post side by side comparison shots to help ID efforts. Red shouldered may be difficult, as I dont see many, and even fewer this close.

[tangledup75]

Take any pics of the feathers and the area they were in?

This picture was taken next to my strawberry patch. I took a couple, but his was the best one. Today, there must have been about 5 orioles at my feeders. I have 1 large Oriel feeder, 2 orange or grape feeders, and 4 hummingbird feeders hanging out. My husband noticed the humming birds the day before yesterday. The Orioles and hummers are competing for the feeders now. I have never seen so many Orioles in one day! :)

[Cedars]

This picture was taken next to my strawberry patch. I took a couple, but his was the best one. Today, there must have been about 5 orioles at my feeders. I have 1 large Oriel feeder, 2 orange or grape feeders, and 4 hummingbird feeders hanging out. My husband noticed the humming birds the day before yesterday. The Orioles and hummers are competing for the feeders now. I have never seen so many Orioles in one day! :)

 

That looks like a female cardinal to me. It could also be a cat kill. A fox would have disapeared with it whole (I think). Whatever it was, it looks like it at least partially ate it there before being disturbed. If it was a cat kill, its likely the whole bird was eaten there. When I found the dove on the roof (coopers) the rib cage was still there stripped of meat and insides. This is the only whole remains of a coopers kill I have found. All the rest of the prey was taken elsewhere to be eaten and did not leave the detached ends of wings at the scene. Just some primary feathers, and with the starling, the beak.

[Cedars]

These guys are starting to adjust to me again. Picture taken from around 4-5 feet away. Sun wasnt shining in right direction to light up this guys throat, but I will get some like that sometime this summer! Pic is 60% of original size.

[Cedars]

These guys were insane to try to get a picture of. They never stop moving, they stay high in the tree tops and they hide behind twigs. Plus they chase bugs thru the air. I have one blurry photo of a male completely upside down in flight.

 

Today was a HUGE push of warblers. I had Cape May, Nashville, Magnolia, Redstarts, Yellow-rumped, Yellow, and one I cannot ID yet (thinking a female Cape May). At 10 am every tree in my yard had at least one warbler, and most had multiple warblers chasing bugs. I have never seen this many Redstarts in my yard at once.

 

Pics are of male and female. Both are insane to photograph. Females have yellow where the male is orange, their yellow wingbar is not as sharp as the males orange wingbar, and the female body is gray rather than black. The males seem to never stop fanning their tails.

[Cedars]

This guy was pretty easy going about my presence in the yard. It was him poking around outside of my window that drew my attention to the movement going on today.

 

Identifying characteristics include the the red-brown around the eye with the black eye line and white wing coverts/patch.

[tangledup75]

On May 21 I spotted an Indigo Bunting, unfortunately, I have not seen any more in my yard. Indigo Bunting

I am very disappointed to hear a nest full of Starlings in the wood duck house. I finally identified the male going in the house.

All About Birds: European Starling

Yesterday I saw a stay cat in one of our out buildings and am trying to bait it. No luck yet…

[DougF]

Good luck on baiting the stray cat, I have a neighbor that brings home a cat every week or two, I'm lucky that the cats run off as they do a number on the local bird population. (I just wish they wouldn't let all of this cats loose into the wild) :shrug:

[Turtle]

I haven't done much birding lately, but I caught a delightful scene out the kitchen window while washing up. A group of House Finches [Carpodacus mexicanus] feeding on the seed pods of the wild Dovefoot Geranium [Geranium molle] that I potted from the yard. I haven't seen any Finches in quite a while as I don't have any seed they like, and this is pretty neat to see them having at a native food source. (Also in the pots, Trailing Thyme, and Viola Tricolor) :hihi:

 

YouTube - Finches Feeding http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-7w7gA1uns

[freeztar]

Awesome video! Wow!

 

Finches and Geraniums? We'll need to research this a bit more. :hihi:

[Turtle]

Awesome video! Wow!

 

Finches and Geraniums? We'll need to research this a bit more. ;)

 

Here's a detail shot of the seed pods they were eating. I need to go gather some & see if there are ripe seeds in them or not. ;)

 

PS I checked the seeds and they are not ripe, rather green and mostly liquid filled. ? The plant is pungent when bruised; could the Finches be self-medicating in some fashinon with this plant? :shrug: :)

[Cedars]

This spring I had noticed alot of activity on one poplar stump. Chickadees and Woodpeckers seemed to be digging alot of food out of it and I assumed it was an ant nest. The stump is around 10 feet high. There were several spots of activity. The first picture is a male downy at one of the two deeper holes being dug. Little pieces of wood pulp are in his beak. Picture taken May 9, 2008.

 

Yesterday I was wandering around photographing insects and I could hear baby birds peeping and squeaking in several spots. Then the female Downy woodpecker came and landed at the hole the male had been digging in may. Its their NEST! I could see two beaks after she pulled back. So I waited and caught a pic of her bringing a caterpillar to the brood (pic 2).

 

This nest hole is only about 4-5 feet off the ground. I had not expected them to nest in such a low spot.

[Cedars]

Crex Meadows hosts Black Terns. Some years there will be many as is the case this year. Most of my pictures turned out to be the birds flying away, but I did capture a few good moments. Pic 1 is the bird at the peak of the dive for food. Pic 2 is a different bird who had been successful in the hunt.

[Turtle]

I caught an overfly of Canada Geese on my astronomy cam this morning. This is about 6:00am and they are flying NW. Likely immature males without mates, heading from their roosting grounds to feeding grounds. Cruising the gut as it were. :eek2:

YouTube - Geese http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ap-buMabqI

[Cedars]

Hit another Goal Bird Oct 1, 2008. Three necadah release birds from the 2007 group have been hanging out just south of Crex Meadows in another wildlife area, Fish Lake and the surrounding farm fields.

 

Local experts believe these are the three males who were reported in Minnesota earlier in the year and last seen in mid June in North Dakota. They were first reported in the Crex area last thursday, but yesterday was my first opportunity to go and see them.

 

Each of the birds is banded, several times and there is a pattern to the banding which can help someone identify origin and year without seeing the numbers. I havent mastered that yet so I am relying on others info on these birds origins. Each of them also has a small transmitter on one leg and in some of the shots, I could see the small wire antenna hanging down.

 

If you ever get a chance to see these birds Take It! My favorite parts of watching them was as they were flying into fields. The circling, the syncronised flights, their neck movements, their awkward landings.

 

Next goal for me and viewing these birds is to see a wild born and raised Whooper. But each sighting before this next goal is hit will be greeted with clicking cameras and excitement.

[Racoon]

Had a few unusual customers in the driveway today..

 

I don't know where my bird book is at the moment...:hyper:

 

They were like a Starling in shape and beak.. But were greyish and a bit larger. The male had red around his face, and all 3 had a black triangle on their brest...

 

They were grubbing worms after the new rain fall.

 

Can you help me identify?

I normally don't see these birds in the neighborhood on a regular basis.