Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

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GG1273
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by GG1273 »

Lots of Sparrows around lately. My walks in the fields at Lord Stirling Park in Basking Ridge NJ (next to Great Swamp NWR), have been awesome...

Vesper, Lincoln, Song, Swamp, White Throat, White Crowned, American Tree, and Fox

One person yesterday reported a Clay Colored - I missed that one (so far)

Winter Wrens and Hermit Thrush...

Dozens of Ruby Crowned Kinglets and occasional Golden Crowned Kinglets...
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by GG1273 »

jebmke wrote: Sat Oct 30, 2021 9:49 am Tropical Kingbird on Thursday at Blackwater NWR, MD. Some debate over last two days whether it is Tropical or Couch's Kingbird; after the storm blew through here yesterday, some folks went back and re-located the bird and obtained vocalization verifying it as a Tropical. Very unusual sighting in MD.

Photo by one of the Thursday group

Image
Nice, Cape May had a Vermillion Flycatcher this past week - 6th record in the state, young male
heyyou
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by heyyou »

Living where the desert is just high enough to have scrubby trees, a pair of Steller's Jays from the higher, real forest, have not been seen here before, but a pair have been at the sunflower seeds for the past few days. One defers to the other, who allows no simultaneous feeding, so I wonder if the subordinate is a chick, or is it just no longer breeding season? They are pretty birds in the sunshine, and noticeably taller than the usual blue jays.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by wabbott »

Image

Great Blue Heron joined us for coffee one morning last week on condo balcony rail, Destin, FL.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/id

Quite a few were wading around. Some of the local fishermen apparently feed them from time to time.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

GG1273 wrote: Sat Oct 30, 2021 12:54 pm Lots of Sparrows around lately. My walks in the fields at Lord Stirling Park in Basking Ridge NJ (next to Great Swamp NWR), have been awesome...

Vesper, Lincoln, Song, Swamp, White Throat, White Crowned, American Tree, and Fox

One person yesterday reported a Clay Colored - I missed that one (so far)

Winter Wrens and Hermit Thrush...

Dozens of Ruby Crowned Kinglets and occasional Golden Crowned Kinglets...
Good sparrow count. They are just starting to arrive down here.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Sandtrap »

Oreamnos wrote: Tue Sep 07, 2021 10:22 pm Went out for a bird walk in Central Oregon over the weekend, and spotted roughly 35 species (including an American Bittern, which is a significant rarity in the area, especially at this time).

But the real highlight was finding a Great Gray Owl, which we were able to watch for maybe 45 minutes hunting along a marsh from an adjacent pine forest. In a year or two, we will be moving to that area permanently, and the hunt for the elusive Great Gray was planned to be one of my major retirement goals. I guess I'm now officially way ahead of schedule...

Huge and spectacular (NOT my pic, just an example).

Image
Wonderful picture.
Very cool looking fellow.
These birds can be hard to spot and elusive sometimes.

thanks!
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Tubes
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Tubes »

Sandtrap wrote: Sun Oct 31, 2021 8:09 am
Wonderful picture.
Very cool looking fellow.
These birds can be hard to spot and elusive sometimes.

thanks!
j
This being from wikimedia, teachers could use it to show the kids a perfect example of how animals disguise themselves.

I hear owls all the time where I live. I have yet to see one!
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

Tubes wrote: Sun Oct 31, 2021 10:07 am I hear owls all the time where I live. I have yet to see one!
They are tricky during the day since they are mostly nocturnal. When I'm in a woods I watch for signs that they are roosting in one of the trees. Feathers at the base, "owl pellets" (basically fur and bones they couldn't digest) and white splatter from defecation. They will return to the same roosting spot multiple times until they get discovered by other birds who might start harassing them.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by WoodSpinner »

We live in Northern California near the Pacific Flyway and have been overjoyed with the return of migrating birds to our area. Such a nice change from the Heat, Drought, and Smoke we have dealt with this summer.

Some highlights ….

- Sandhill Cranes have returned to the Consumes River area
- White Fronted, Canada and Snow Geese are arriving in large numbers at the Colusa and Sacramento National Wildlife Refuges.
- Lots of Northern Pintails, Shovelors, Ring-Necked Pheasants as well in the refuges.
- Spent a few hours watching a Peregrine Falcon preen and hunt in the Sacramento Reguge.

Some lowlights:
- Lower Klamath Falls Wildlife Refuge is DRY! Caught up in a water war with the Upper Klamath Lake species protection plan. This is a major tragedy since it has been a huge birding area (highest concentration of Bald Eagles I the lower 48) in the past.
- The WoodDucks have not returned to our local pond (yet). They are such an amazing duck (they climb trees to nest off the ground) and the males have spectacular plumage.

I am really looking forward to Fall, Winter and Spring and the great birding they provide.

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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by LadyGeek »

We've had a hard freeze for the past several nights, so I put out my suet feeder for the winter.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

I saw 6 noisy Killdeer this morning. Always fun to watch.

Also, FYI, I just ran across this winter bird-feeding guide from Cornell:

http://feederwatch.org/wp-content/uploa ... 22-RGB.pdf
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by TN_Boy »

Trip to the coast recently saw many of the usual suspects -- Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, Willets, Wood Storks, White Ibis, Great Blue Herson, Tri-colored Heron, Brown Pelican, various Terns and Gulls, a Clapper Rail (I hadn't seen that one before), Coromorants, etc.

Most unusual things I saw were probably White Pelicans.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

TN_Boy wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 9:43 pm Trip to the coast recently saw many of the usual suspects -- Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, Willets, Wood Storks, White Ibis, Great Blue Herson, Tri-colored Heron, Brown Pelican, various Terns and Gulls, a Clapper Rail (I hadn't seen that one before), Coromorants, etc.

Most unusual things I saw were probably White Pelicans.
Sounds like a great trip. Pelicans are fun to watch.

I had to look up Clapper Rail. They make funny sounds :happy :

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clapper_Rail/

Cool Facts:

Clapper Rails have special salt glands that enable them to drink sea water.

Eggs submerged in up to 18 inches of water during high tide are still capable of hatching.
After leaving the nest, young are continually brooded by parents until they are about a week old.

The parents may use the original nest, construct a temporary brood nest, or use floating debris.

Chicks less than two weeks old are carried on the adults’ backs during periods of high water or when the birds move across open water.

When chicks are about a week old, the parents divide the brood and each look after half the offspring.

The oldest recorded Clapper Rail was a male, and at least 7 years, 6 months old when he was shot in New Jersey in 1977. He had been banded in the same state in 1971.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by TN_Boy »

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Tue Nov 09, 2021 8:09 am
TN_Boy wrote: Mon Nov 08, 2021 9:43 pm Trip to the coast recently saw many of the usual suspects -- Egrets, Snowy Egrets, Roseate Spoonbills, Willets, Wood Storks, White Ibis, Great Blue Herson, Tri-colored Heron, Brown Pelican, various Terns and Gulls, a Clapper Rail (I hadn't seen that one before), Coromorants, etc.

Most unusual things I saw were probably White Pelicans.
Sounds like a great trip. Pelicans are fun to watch.

I had to look up Clapper Rail. They make funny sounds :happy :

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Clapper_Rail/

Cool Facts:

Clapper Rails have special salt glands that enable them to drink sea water.

Eggs submerged in up to 18 inches of water during high tide are still capable of hatching.
After leaving the nest, young are continually brooded by parents until they are about a week old.

The parents may use the original nest, construct a temporary brood nest, or use floating debris.

Chicks less than two weeks old are carried on the adults’ backs during periods of high water or when the birds move across open water.

When chicks are about a week old, the parents divide the brood and each look after half the offspring.

The oldest recorded Clapper Rail was a male, and at least 7 years, 6 months old when he was shot in New Jersey in 1977. He had been banded in the same state in 1971.
I'd never seen (or heard of either ..) a Clapper Rail before. It was hunting in shallow/marshy waters. It finally succeeded, coming up with a small crab, then immediately scurried over to the tall grass, which apparently is where it shelters most of the time. It would not be still; had trouble getting a good shot of it:

Image

Brown Pelicans are fun to watch -- diving into the water (per image below). It seems White Pelicans don't fish the same way. They stay on the surface and dip their bills into the water. None of the cool aerial displays.

Image
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by pomomojo »

@TN_Boy
Nice aerial shot of the Pelican

I missed most of the fall migrants in Central NJ. Most of the winter regulars are gradually settling in.
I took a short walk along the D&R canal this AM prior to a conference call. Here are two locals (Yellow Rumped Warbler and Great Blue Heron). I was also joined by a Ruby Crowned Kinglet, but he was too shy for nice photos.

Image
Image
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

TN_Boy and pomomojo: thanks for posting the cool photos! :beer
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by TN_Boy »

pomomojo wrote: Tue Nov 09, 2021 9:46 am @TN_Boy
Nice aerial shot of the Pelican

I missed most of the fall migrants in Central NJ. Most of the winter regulars are gradually settling in.
I took a short walk along the D&R canal this AM prior to a conference call. Here are two locals (Yellow Rumped Warbler and Great Blue Heron). I was also joined by a Ruby Crowned Kinglet, but he was too shy for nice photos.

Image
Image
I like to watch Blue Herons hunt ...and they usually aren't that shy. I got a few Ruby-Crowned Kinglet shots last winter, but have yet to get a shot of one with his crown up!

We get a lot of Yellow-rumped Warblers here as well. Thanks for the pics!
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Oreamnos »

Went over to Central Oregon to check on the construction of our retirement house. About 3 minutes by bike away from the site I found not one, but TWO Great Gray Owls hunting back and forth between a tree line and a riparian meadow along the river. One of the two was quite relaxed, and was seemingly OK with me being within 30 ft or so of him. The light was getting low, and pics were hard to get on the phone, but here's a frame grab from a video:

Image

And a grainy, low-light slo-mo video clip of one of them taking off, which may or may not work here... (maybe open in new window or tab???)

https://i.imgur.com/caTmgtF.mp4
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

Oreamnos wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:43 am Went over to Central Oregon to check on the construction of our retirement house. About 3 minutes by bike away from the site I found not one, but TWO Great Gray Owls hunting back and forth between a tree line and a riparian meadow along the river. One of the two was quite relaxed, and was seemingly OK with me being within 30 ft or so of him. The light was getting low, and pics were hard to get on the phone, but here's a frame grab from a video:

Image

And a grainy, low-light slo-mo video clip of one of them taking off, which may or may not work here... (maybe open in new window or tab???)

https://i.imgur.com/caTmgtF.mp4
Wow! That's a great video; it really shows how large their wings are. :beer
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by retiredjg »

Yes, the video is great! And those wings are soooooo long!
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Sandtrap »

Oreamnos wrote: Thu Nov 18, 2021 11:43 am Went over to Central Oregon to check on the construction of our retirement house. About 3 minutes by bike away from the site I found not one, but TWO Great Gray Owls hunting back and forth between a tree line and a riparian meadow along the river. One of the two was quite relaxed, and was seemingly OK with me being within 30 ft or so of him. The light was getting low, and pics were hard to get on the phone, but here's a frame grab from a video:

Image

And a grainy, low-light slo-mo video clip of one of them taking off, which may or may not work here... (maybe open in new window or tab???)

https://i.imgur.com/caTmgtF.mp4
Such a majestic bird.
Thanks for posting the video clip.

j :D
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Dead Man Walking »

I live in east central Ohio and have been feeding birds for several years. I’ve always had a good population of cardinals, woodpeckers, sparrows, finches, grackles, mourning doves, etc. Since midsummer I’ve noticed a tremendous decrease in birds visiting my feeders. For example, it wasn’t unusual to have a dozen cardinals at the feeders at a time. Recently, I have only had a few birds visit my feeders. I have only noticed a single cardinal at the feeders. The number of sparrows is about 10% of what I have seen in the past. Has anyone else seen seen such a precipitous drop in the number of birds visiting his feeders?

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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by stickman731 »

Dead Man Walking wrote: Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:54 pm I live in east central Ohio and have been feeding birds for several years. I’ve always had a good population of cardinals, woodpeckers, sparrows, finches, grackles, mourning doves, etc. Since midsummer I’ve noticed a tremendous decrease in birds visiting my feeders. For example, it wasn’t unusual to have a dozen cardinals at the feeders at a time. Recently, I have only had a few birds visit my feeders. I have only noticed a single cardinal at the feeders. The number of sparrows is about 10% of what I have seen in the past. Has anyone else seen seen such a precipitous drop in the number of birds visiting his feeders?

DMW
Surprisingly, after the hummingbirds departed - I have seen very few birds on my feeders.

My Nyjer feeders have essentially remained untouched (so I cleaned and sanitized them) and still very little activity.

On my Brome Squirrel Buster feeder with mixed seeds, I am getting some nuthatches, chickadees and sparrows but no cardinals, bluejays, or woodpeckers. In past years, I would need to fill the feeders about every 4 days now it is lasting 2-3 weeks.

I am in central New Jersey. What I am observing now I will have 1 busy day during the week then very little traffic the others, but the woodpeckers are making more frequent appearances.

One of my friends forwarded this video to me - https://blog.nwf.org/2021/08/update-on- ... rd-deaths/
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by f35phixer »

Image

Tundra Swans back in Southern Maryland.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

f35phixer wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 3:23 pm Image

Tundra Swans back in Southern Maryland.
Cool! :beer
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Dead Man Walking »

stickman731 wrote: Sun Nov 21, 2021 5:01 am
Dead Man Walking wrote: Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:54 pm I live in east central Ohio and have been feeding birds for several years. I’ve always had a good population of cardinals, woodpeckers, sparrows, finches, grackles, mourning doves, etc. Since midsummer I’ve noticed a tremendous decrease in birds visiting my feeders. For example, it wasn’t unusual to have a dozen cardinals at the feeders at a time. Recently, I have only had a few birds visit my feeders. I have only noticed a single cardinal at the feeders. The number of sparrows is about 10% of what I have seen in the past. Has anyone else seen seen such a precipitous drop in the number of birds visiting his feeders?

DMW
Surprisingly, after the hummingbirds departed - I have seen very few birds on my feeders.

My Nyjer feeders have essentially remained untouched (so I cleaned and sanitized them) and still very little activity.

On my Brome Squirrel Buster feeder with mixed seeds, I am getting some nuthatches, chickadees and sparrows but no cardinals, bluejays, or woodpeckers. In past years, I would need to fill the feeders about every 4 days now it is lasting 2-3 weeks.

I am in central New Jersey. What I am observing now I will have 1 busy day during the week then very little traffic the others, but the woodpeckers are making more frequent appearances.

One of my friends forwarded this video to me - https://blog.nwf.org/2021/08/update-on- ... rd-deaths/
Thanks for the video. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources encouraged people to report bird deaths on their website. I reported a couple that I found in my yard. I hope the winter birds return. I’ve seen a few juncos. The deer are enjoying my bird feed!

DMW
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

f35phixer wrote: Sat Nov 27, 2021 3:23 pm Image

Tundra Swans back in Southern Maryland.
Heard a flock going over today while out on my walk. We get them (and snow geese) by the thousands. Snow geese still haven’t showed up on middle shore. Should be here soon. Ducks arriving. Hooded Mergansers in our creek on Thanksgiving.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by f35phixer »

Image
another of the gaggle
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Sandtrap »

f35phixer wrote: Mon Nov 29, 2021 8:22 am Image
another of the gaggle
Very cool.

Thanks for posting the picture.
"gaggle". . . neat word. IE: "gaggle" of "geeses". . .

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f35phixer
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by f35phixer »

or "a disorderly or noisy group of people or swans" they are a talkative group....
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by GG1273 »

Quite a few Ring Neck Ducks around now - one pond had 83 and a nearby pond had another 4. Hooded Mergansers - group of 8 at the Great Swamp, Morris NJ. Same spot has Northern Harrier (they'll winter here) and a flock of about 30 Eastern Bluebirds. We've also had quite a number of Rusty Blackbirds.

Clapper Rail is an interesting bird, we have Virginia Rails in the Great Swamp.

A couple of Purple Finches yesterday afternoon.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Miriam2 »

"Which birds are the biggest jerks at the feeder?"

A massive data analysis reveals the answer! :D

"Presenting the ultimate bird-feeder pecking order!" From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... b56ba5ed9a
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Mr. Rumples »

Dead Man Walking wrote: Sat Nov 20, 2021 11:54 pm I live in east central Ohio and have been feeding birds for several years. I’ve always had a good population of cardinals, woodpeckers, sparrows, finches, grackles, mourning doves, etc. Since midsummer I’ve noticed a tremendous decrease in birds visiting my feeders. For example, it wasn’t unusual to have a dozen cardinals at the feeders at a time. Recently, I have only had a few birds visit my feeders. I have only noticed a single cardinal at the feeders. The number of sparrows is about 10% of what I have seen in the past. Has anyone else seen seen such a precipitous drop in the number of birds visiting his feeders?

DMW
Same here in VA...in fact its strongly quiet. Other than crows chasing off a hawk, there aren't many, whereas they use to be plentiful.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by f35phixer »

https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2021/07/0 ... al-states/

also have seen a dramatic drop in birds at feeders...
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

f35phixer wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 8:18 am https://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2021/07/0 ... al-states/

also have seen a dramatic drop in birds at feeders...
Ours is still busy with the usual suspects (house finches, Juncos, cardinals, chickadees, titmice etc.). What is missing so far this year are irruption birds like Red-breasted nuthatchs and Pine Siskins. We saw a lot of them last year but whether they come down here depends on how the food supply held up farther north.

Also noticed on Sunday that the grasslands are still supporting a lot of Sparrows. We counted over 300 Savannah sparrows on one outing -- over 100 in one field. It could be that natural food supplies are holding up so far.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by RetiredAL »

On yesterday's morning walk, a Bald Eagle flew by only 30ft above me.

They do frequent the Santa Cruz Mountains to the south of us, but are seldomly seen here in Silly-Cone Valley.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by sycamore »

Miriam2 wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 1:20 am "Which birds are the biggest jerks at the feeder?"

A massive data analysis reveals the answer! :D

"Presenting the ultimate bird-feeder pecking order!" From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... b56ba5ed9a
The closing paragraph was intruiging:
Birds are made to fly — they’re light,” Miller said. “Squirrels just are way bigger, way freakier. They’ve got teeth. They’ve got claws. A bird is not going to take any chances near a squirrel. Squirrels will eat a bird no problem.
I've never seen that around my feeders.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

sycamore wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 2:44 pm The closing paragraph was intruiging:

Birds are made to fly — they’re light,” Miller said. “Squirrels just are way bigger, way freakier. They’ve got teeth. They’ve got claws. A bird is not going to take any chances near a squirrel. Squirrels will eat a bird no problem.

I've never seen that around my feeders.
Me neither. But I have seen the opposite many times. I've seen Red Shoulder Hawks pluck a squirrel right off the ground - it isn't pretty. Great Horned Owls should be able to do it as well but I've never seen them in action on a squirrel - although I've come across squirrel remnants that may have been from an owl.

Feeder birds have more to fear from Coopers Hawks and Sharp-Shinned Hawks than they do from squirrels; cats too.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by GG1273 »

Miriam2 wrote: Tue Nov 30, 2021 1:20 am "Which birds are the biggest jerks at the feeder?"

A massive data analysis reveals the answer! :D

"Presenting the ultimate bird-feeder pecking order!" From the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Birds Canada.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... b56ba5ed9a
We get a pair of Downey Woodpeckers at the suet. The female always chases the male out before grabbing a bit. They alternate at the "table"
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

Snowy Owl; at Cambridge waterfront moving back and forth from jetty to lighhouse. Probably feeding on small ducks (Bufflehead or Ruddy Ducks).

Photo by fellow birder at the site

Image
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JAZZISCOOL
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

jebmke wrote: Wed Dec 08, 2021 9:04 am Snowy Owl; at Cambridge waterfront moving back and forth from jetty to lighhouse. Probably feeding on small ducks (Bufflehead or Ruddy Ducks).

Photo by fellow birder at the site

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Awesome! :beer
GG1273
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

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Cooper Hawk has been hanging out in our yard last couple of weeks - waiting on Chipmunks and House Sparrows. The male was about 15 feet from me yesterday morning - beautiful bird.
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JAZZISCOOL
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

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GG1273 wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:00 am Cooper Hawk has been hanging out in our yard last couple of weeks - waiting on Chipmunks and House Sparrows. The male was about 15 feet from me yesterday morning - beautiful bird.
I saw a trio of Blue Jays the other day trying to harass a Cooper's Hawk and coerce him to leave a big tree but he wasn't budging....they were quite brave.
jebmke
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

GG1273 wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:00 am Cooper Hawk has been hanging out in our yard last couple of weeks - waiting on Chipmunks and House Sparrows. The male was about 15 feet from me yesterday morning - beautiful bird.
Hope he/she takes a lot of House Sparrows; invasive bird.

Was at Masonville Cove, MD today to find Nelson's Sparrows. Two have been reported off and on. Took us a couple of hours but we found them. Ducks still not here in large species numbers. Lots of Scaup and Ruddy's -- a few Canvasbacks and Bufflehead but most ducks not arrived yet.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
f35phixer
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by f35phixer »

jebmke wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 2:08 pm
GG1273 wrote: Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:00 am Cooper Hawk has been hanging out in our yard last couple of weeks - waiting on Chipmunks and House Sparrows. The male was about 15 feet from me yesterday morning - beautiful bird.
Hope he/she takes a lot of House Sparrows; invasive bird.

Was at Masonville Cove, MD today to find Nelson's Sparrows. Two have been reported off and on. Took us a couple of hours but we found them. Ducks still not here in large species numbers. Lots of Scaup and Ruddy's -- a few Canvasbacks and Bufflehead but most ducks not arrived yet.
jebmke wish you were closer! love to tag along with you. Last year in our sump pond we had canvasbacks, first time ever. Keep looking but none so far wish wish wish. Plenty of buffles here !!!
GG1273
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

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Was off from work today 8-) and did some scouting for ducks.
Great Swamp NWR - Harding NJ had has some flooded fields with a stream running through the wetlands. First time seeing Ring Neck Ducks there.
Others
Northern Shovelers
Northern Pintails
Green Winged Teals
American Coots
Buffleheads
American Black
Gadwall
Thousands of Canada Geese
Dozens of Mallards

The resident 2 Adult Bald Eagles

A couple of other ponds had Hooded Mergansers (my favorite) as they are so feisty
Ruddy Ducks
jebmke
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

GG1273 wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 3:20 pm Was off from work today 8-) and did some scouting for ducks.
Great Swamp NWR - Harding NJ had has some flooded fields with a stream running through the wetlands. First time seeing Ring Neck Ducks there.
Others
Northern Shovelers
Northern Pintails
Green Winged Teals
American Coots
Buffleheads
American Black
Gadwall
Thousands of Canada Geese
Dozens of Mallards

The resident 2 Adult Bald Eagles

A couple of other ponds had Hooded Mergansers (my favorite) as they are so feisty
Ruddy Ducks
Geese numbers have been low down here. Now I know where they are. Warm weather means they don’t have to push south yet.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
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MJS
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

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Anna's hummingbird is furiously swooping and chittering around the Gila woodpecker hanging from the hummingbird feeder. The woodpecker is either blandingly ignoring him, or engaging in a bit of teasing. On frosty mornings, I warm the syup up to lukewarm. Even mean old woodpeckers deserve a warm breakfast.
Ipsa scientia potestas est. Bacon F.
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JAZZISCOOL
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

MJS wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 2:32 pm Anna's hummingbird is furiously swooping and chittering around the Gila woodpecker hanging from the hummingbird feeder. The woodpecker is either blandingly ignoring him, or engaging in a bit of teasing. On frosty mornings, I warm the syup up to lukewarm. Even mean old woodpeckers deserve a warm breakfast.
I miss the hummingbirds - they left here months ago. I'm guessing you might be in AZ given the mention of the Gila Woodpecker. That's neat you warm up syrup for them.
:happy

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Gila_Woodpecker/
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Candor
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Candor »

A couple of eagles going at it over a fish on the Susquehanna River earlier this week. I didn't observe as many eagles as usual this time of year but enough to make it a worthwhile trip.

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The fool, with all his other faults, has this also - he is always getting ready to live. - Seneca Epistles < c. 65AD
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