Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

jebmke wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:24 pm
TomatoTomahto wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 12:53 pm
cubs1999 wrote: Thu Jun 16, 2022 10:30 am There's a pair of robins being raised in a nest on my balcony. I never appreciated how many worms and insects these birds catch until I started watching this nest.
Their industry and the “genius” of instinct is stunning.

I recommend The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman.
Great book. I think they mentioned that Chickadees can remember where they hid hundreds/thousands of seeds for up to six months. Yet I can't even remember why I went into the kitchen.

In other matters, checked on the Bluebirds in back. Chicks are still there but quite large; they have to be about ready to fledge. Evicted House Sparrows from the front box today. Many Catbirds around the yard again. I think they must have fledged recently.
This means we should stop calling people "bird brains"!!! LOL :happy

The barn swallows are busy nesting on my front porch. Haven't seen the little heads yet.
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MortgageOnBlack
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by MortgageOnBlack »

In early May, we found a House Finch nest under our carport. Sadly, after about a week, a male sparrow evicted her and destroyed all the eggs :(
We ended up taking down the nest to evict the sparrow who appeared to use it as a second apartment.

The House Finch has become my favorite bird in our area.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by cubs1999 »

Vtsax100 wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 2:40 pm
cubs1999 wrote: Thu Jun 16, 2022 10:30 am There's a pair of robins being raised in a nest on my balcony. I never appreciated how many worms and insects these birds catch until I started watching this nest.
Birds are so fun to watch. I spent a couple weeks watching baby blue birds being fed. Its interesting what all they bring. They seem to favor little green caterpillars. But I saw lots of spiders. The most interesting was a huge dragon fly. I saw these big wings and had to take a double take. They couldn’t eat it the first time so papa blue grabbed it and flew away. Then he brought it back for another try. I don’t know how in the world that baby got that thing down it was huge.
I saw a dragon fly the first time I was watching the robins. Was surprised they were feeding something so big at the time.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by CardinalRule »

Today in western Washington state in my yard. Took me a while to see all of the backyard birds heard by Merlin, but I eventually did. We often hear and see House Finches, but they were not around today. Black-capped Chickadees are not uncommon but were also not around today. Our most common visitor is definitely the Juncos.

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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by f35phixer »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArSZOFXo7S0

new toys have been brought in...
Chick getting big!

No clue what the TOY at 1 o'clock is ;-)
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Tubes »

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 4:18 pm
jebmke wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:24 pm
TomatoTomahto wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 12:53 pm
cubs1999 wrote: Thu Jun 16, 2022 10:30 am There's a pair of robins being raised in a nest on my balcony. I never appreciated how many worms and insects these birds catch until I started watching this nest.
Their industry and the “genius” of instinct is stunning.

I recommend The Genius of Birds by Jennifer Ackerman.
Great book. I think they mentioned that Chickadees can remember where they hid hundreds/thousands of seeds for up to six months. Yet I can't even remember why I went into the kitchen.

In other matters, checked on the Bluebirds in back. Chicks are still there but quite large; they have to be about ready to fledge. Evicted House Sparrows from the front box today. Many Catbirds around the yard again. I think they must have fledged recently.
This means we should stop calling people "bird brains"!!! LOL :happy

The barn swallows are busy nesting on my front porch. Haven't seen the little heads yet.
After I started watching birds, I actually did take that idiom out of my vocabulary!

"rabbit brain" might be more appropriate. Sorry if I'm offending anyone who has a pet rabbit. 8-)
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

f35phixer wrote: Mon Jun 20, 2022 7:09 am https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArSZOFXo7S0

new toys have been brought in...
Chick getting big!

No clue what the TOY at 1 o'clock is ;-)
They all look healthy! So funny about the toys.

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

Post by Chip »

On a recent trip to the DelMarVa peninsula we had a decent look at a King Rail. They're usually very hard to see as they skulk around in tall marsh grass. This one responded to a played call and came close enough to the boardwalk we were on to be seen through the grass.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

Chip wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 5:02 am On a recent trip to the DelMarVa peninsula we had a decent look at a King Rail. They're usually very hard to see as they skulk around in tall marsh grass. This one responded to a played call and came close enough to the boardwalk we were on to be seen through the grass.
Rails are notoriously secretive. I've had a couple of chances to see the King Rail; usually heard and not seen. One time last year on Elliot Island Rd. in Dorchester County we had one stroll out of the marsh onto the road to grab a bug. One of my birding buddies got this photo.

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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by cubs1999 »

The young robins left the nest on either Tues or Wednesday. I believe I spotted one in the tree next to my balcony. I saw.one go back to the nest briefly on Thursday. I wish I had binoculars so I could seem them more clearly but it looks like the speckled pattern that young robins are supposed to have plus I see one of the adults hanging out on the tree so I bet it's the same family of birds that were using the nest.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Ivygirl »

Three blue jays were competing for the whole peanuts in the bird feeder early this morning. The biggest successfully defended the turf and got his choice of peanut. Then, in a twist, one of the others began "begging" for it, flattening its wings and fluttering them, and I realized it must be the grown-up son or daughter of Mr. Big.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Fiddle-Bow »

On a recent trip to Fernandina, FL we saw Roseate Spoonbills and that was new to me.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by NerdicSkier »

Scarlet Tanagers! Stunning.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

Fiddle-Bow wrote: Fri Jun 24, 2022 8:36 pm On a recent trip to Fernandina, FL we saw Roseate Spoonbills and that was new to me.
Very cool! I've never seen those in the wild.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Miriam2 »

Tubes wrote: Mon Jun 20, 2022 7:28 am
JAZZISCOOL wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 4:18 pm This means we should stop calling people "bird brains"!!! LOL :happy
After I started watching birds, I actually did take that idiom out of my vocabulary!

"rabbit brain" might be more appropriate. Sorry if I'm offending anyone who has a pet rabbit. 8-)
lol! "Bird brains" is very appropriate for turkeys :wink: I took care of a friend's flocks of chickens and turkeys when in college and it was remarkable to see the difference in intelligence and ability to "figure out their surroundings" and relate to people.

Rabbits are sweet and they are tidy, can actually be house-broken. Shed a lot, however.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Tubes »

Miriam2 wrote: Fri Jun 24, 2022 11:51 pm
Tubes wrote: Mon Jun 20, 2022 7:28 am
JAZZISCOOL wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 4:18 pm This means we should stop calling people "bird brains"!!! LOL :happy
After I started watching birds, I actually did take that idiom out of my vocabulary!

"rabbit brain" might be more appropriate. Sorry if I'm offending anyone who has a pet rabbit. 8-)
lol! "Bird brains" is very appropriate for turkeys :wink: I took care of a friend's flocks of chickens and turkeys when in college and it was remarkable to see the difference in intelligence and ability to "figure out their surroundings" and relate to people.

Rabbits are sweet and they are tidy, can actually be house-broken. Shed a lot, however.
The sweet rabbits around my house like to munch on my hostas. It may color my view.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Miriam2 »

Tubes wrote: Sat Jun 25, 2022 4:27 pm
Miriam2 wrote: Fri Jun 24, 2022 11:51 pm
Tubes wrote: Mon Jun 20, 2022 7:28 am
JAZZISCOOL wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 4:18 pm This means we should stop calling people "bird brains"!!! LOL :happy
After I started watching birds, I actually did take that idiom out of my vocabulary!

"rabbit brain" might be more appropriate. Sorry if I'm offending anyone who has a pet rabbit. 8-)
lol! "Bird brains" is very appropriate for turkeys :wink: I took care of a friend's flocks of chickens and turkeys when in college and it was remarkable to see the difference in intelligence and ability to "figure out their surroundings" and relate to people.

Rabbits are sweet and they are tidy, can actually be house-broken. Shed a lot, however.
The sweet rabbits around my house like to munch on my hostas. It may color my view.
Ohhh - I understand :annoyed Hostas are beautiful. They don't grow in South Florida - with the exception of a relatively new variety called Sun Hostas, but they're hard to find. I have some and they're growing beautifully (no rabbits in town 8-)
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Zeno »

Spotted a Swainson’s hawk here today; they are fairly common this time of year. I lack the equipment to take suitable pictures, and even if I had said equipment I would lack the requisite photographic skills, so I cannot offer a picture. Still, we have lots of predators out here roaming the skies, looking for prairie dogs, rabbits and similar food sources.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Dottie57 »

MortgageOnBlack wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 4:22 pm In early May, we found a House Finch nest under our carport. Sadly, after about a week, a male sparrow evicted her and destroyed all the eggs :(
We ended up taking down the nest to evict the sparrow who appeared to use it as a second apartment.

The House Finch has become my favorite bird in our area.
Brother and SIL would hang a lovely basket of flower on the over hang. For the front door. The house finches would routinely make a nest, have babies and attempt to keep all and sundry from the front door. Quite fierce in their protection. Bro and wife eventually stopped. The hanging flower baskets and the finches had to build nests els3where.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by LadyGeek »

About a 10 minute drive from my house, some red-wing blackbirds.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by ray.james »

TomatoTomahto wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:40 pm
jebmke wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:24 pm [snip...]
In other matters, checked on the Bluebirds in back. Chicks are still there but quite large; they have to be about ready to fledge. Evicted House Sparrows from the front box today. Many Catbirds around the yard again. I think they must have fledged recently.
One year, my wife “evicted” a house sparrow from a box and the sparrow pair became homicidal, spreading murderous mayhem all around our yard which contains a dozen or more bird houses. Mostly, we adopt a “live and let live” approach to them, although even the Audubon Society is not protective of this nasty species. When they get aggressive, my wife captures them and when released from the trap indoors they seem to commit suicide by flying full speed into windows. AFAIK, it is not legal, in MA, to relocate them.
Interesting approach. We found a sparrow nest(spotted towhee) in one of our hanging pot. 2 eggs and we are expecting babies next week. I would have loved for a different type of bird than sparrows and finches. In another note, the coco-coir hanging pot contributed to atleast 6 nests from the birds that I saw grabbing and going away.

I also see allen's humming bird and 2 babies. Unable to find the nest but it is somewhere in the backyard/ trees behind. The babies are so fun to watch and almost impossible to photograph!
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

ray.james wrote: Sat Jun 25, 2022 11:46 pm
TomatoTomahto wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:40 pm
jebmke wrote: Fri Jun 17, 2022 1:24 pm [snip...]
In other matters, checked on the Bluebirds in back. Chicks are still there but quite large; they have to be about ready to fledge. Evicted House Sparrows from the front box today. Many Catbirds around the yard again. I think they must have fledged recently.
One year, my wife “evicted” a house sparrow from a box and the sparrow pair became homicidal, spreading murderous mayhem all around our yard which contains a dozen or more bird houses. Mostly, we adopt a “live and let live” approach to them, although even the Audubon Society is not protective of this nasty species. When they get aggressive, my wife captures them and when released from the trap indoors they seem to commit suicide by flying full speed into windows. AFAIK, it is not legal, in MA, to relocate them.
Interesting approach. We found a sparrow nest(spotted towhee) in one of our hanging pot. 2 eggs and we are expecting babies next week. I would have loved for a different type of bird than sparrows and finches. In another note, the coco-coir hanging pot contributed to atleast 6 nests from the birds that I saw grabbing and going away.

I also see allen's humming bird and 2 babies. Unable to find the nest but it is somewhere in the backyard/ trees behind. The babies are so fun to watch and almost impossible to photograph!
All true sparrows are welcome; even the dreaded Juncos in winter. I got started in birding working on a two year propose to surveying sparrow populations on a 1,000 acre Audubon property. Talk about frustrating — trying to distinguish sparrow species in flight!

However, House Sparrows are not sparrows. They are an invasive species from England.
Don't trust me, look it up. https://www.irs.gov/forms-instructions-and-publications
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

Birds in the last month:

Recently, a Bald Eagle flew 2 feet over my head recently with something in its talons. This was close to a river; it just came out of no-where and startled me. Pretty cool.

Group of 4 American White Pelicans flying high in the sky;
Great Blue heron standing near a pond then taking off; another one flying in the sky a couple weeks later
2 Red-tailed hawks (juveniles) playing in the sky
Cooper’s Hawks
Several Barn Swallows chasing a Cooper’s Hawk away
House Finches nesting on the north side of the house (fire-place vent)
White-crowned sparrows
Song Sparrows
American Goldfinches
Eurasian Collared Doves
Mourning Doves
American Robins
Broad-tailed hummingbirds; they are not shy and sneak up by you to get to the feeder
Mallard mom and 8 ducklings
Common Grackles
Red-winged Blackbirds
Northern Flickers
Blue Jays
American Kestrel
House Wren
Barn Swallows
Say’s Phoebes
Red-breasted Nuthatches and fledgling learning to fly and crawl up the tree
Crows
Ravens
Double-crested Cormorant
Sand Piper

Heard but not seen yet: Belted Kingfisher, Soras (evenings in the riparian area).

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Sora/sounds

Mammals: raccoon family with 2 babies
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Dottie57 »

I just had a little green humming bird stop by while sitting in my porch.

Such a lovely surprise. It could not get in so left.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

Dottie57 wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 11:48 am I just had a little green humming bird stop by while sitting in my porch.

Such a lovely surprise. It could not get in so left.
Maybe it wants you to put up a feeder LOL. :happy
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by sevenseas »

I am seeing a lot of "first ever" species this year for some reason. Saw a great crested flycatcher at the feeder, and a tree swallow when I was out riding my bike. I'd love to have the latter nest in my yard but I don't think it's open enough for them (too many trees). Also had a bald eagle fly overhead when I was out working in the yard.

Nest box update: The bluebirds started a nest but abandoned it (with 3 eggs) after a house wren attack, even despite my placing a wren guard. I tried moving the boxes well away from the stream/shrubby areas but no dice; my entire one acre property is apparently house wren territory. I'll continue to prevent the wrens from nesting in the boxes and hope for at least one successful BB clutch next season (before the wrens arrive). Nature can be brutal!
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Tubes »

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 1:43 pm
Dottie57 wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 11:48 am I just had a little green humming bird stop by while sitting in my porch.

Such a lovely surprise. It could not get in so left.
Maybe it wants you to put up a feeder LOL. :happy
Yes, it is sending you a message! Put up a feeder.

The little hummers know my places for feeders. Sometimes they are early in the season, as early as late March around here. They'll come up to the feeder spot (with no feeder present) and kind of hover, looking into our window as if to say: "Come on Tubes, get on it. We're hungry!"
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by CardinalRule »

jebmke wrote: Sun Jun 26, 2022 6:12 am
All true sparrows are welcome; even the dreaded Juncos in winter. I got started in birding working on a two year propose to surveying sparrow populations on a 1,000 acre Audubon property. Talk about frustrating — trying to distinguish sparrow species in flight!

However, House Sparrows are not sparrows. They are an invasive species from England.
jebmke - just curious, why are the juncos "dreaded" in your case? The dark-eyed juncos are definitely the most common species in our yard all year, but they don't seem to cause any problems (other than nesting in weird places :happy ).
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

CardinalRule wrote: Sun Jul 03, 2022 10:04 am
jebmke wrote: Sun Jun 26, 2022 6:12 am
All true sparrows are welcome; even the dreaded Juncos in winter. I got started in birding working on a two year propose to surveying sparrow populations on a 1,000 acre Audubon property. Talk about frustrating — trying to distinguish sparrow species in flight!

However, House Sparrows are not sparrows. They are an invasive species from England.
jebmke - just curious, why are the juncos "dreaded" in your case? The dark-eyed juncos are definitely the most common species in our yard all year, but they don't seem to cause any problems (other than nesting in weird places :happy ).
They come in large numbers and eat all the bird seed. I don't mind them, really. Also, when birding, often the trees are filled with Juncos, White-throats and Yellow-rumped warblers. If you are looking for an unusual species these birds can create a lot of work - you have to check out as many as you can get your binoculars on. One of them might be something unusual.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by CardinalRule »

Got it - thanks. Makes sense on the dark-eyed juncos. They definitely get more than their share of the seeds in our yard, and they do often come in numbers.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Dottie57 »

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 1:43 pm
Dottie57 wrote: Sat Jul 02, 2022 11:48 am I just had a little green humming bird stop by while sitting in my porch.

Such a lovely surprise. It could not get in so left.
Maybe it wants you to put up a feeder LOL. :happy
I went to get one today, but bird store not open.:(

On the plus side I saw the following today- warbler (Palm?), chickadee, robins, red wing black bird, cardinals. Also some type of water fowl swimming in the pond. Very small. Previously Canadian Geese and Mallard ducks both with their families.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by f35phixer »

Three of the Osprey nests on our point seem to have lost there babies !!!

The one at my dock had just hatched. Saw head movement, saw a poopshoot and was soooooooo happy to be able to watch growth up close but far away to not disturb. About two days later the mom and dad are not around and haven't been since!!!!

The one at the point had a baby, many days old, it was much bigger.... Gone now, and mom and pops not around?

The other is on top of telephone pole, they are not sitting on nest either !

The other side of point still have their babies.... So i will have ability to watch some growth.

We don't have any eagles around this year, no hawks really either. Fishing has been fine, but maybe the decrease in alewife schools have left them with not enough food???????????
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

Four Osprey's circling the creek this morning. Probably a family unit - there is a platform downstream from us.

Eastern Peewees singing in the canopy - they must be nesting here this year. Catbirds everywhere - they have nested here for sure.

Speaking of family units, spotted three Mississippie Kites in Worcester CO late last week. One was a juvenile so they are likely nesting in the area. They have been seen in years past; not extremely rare but unusual for the peninsula except last year when the cicadas were everywhere for the picking.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Candor »

f35phixer wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 9:59 am Three of the Osprey nests on our point seem to have lost there babies !!!

The one at my dock had just hatched. Saw head movement, saw a poopshoot and was soooooooo happy to be able to watch growth up close but far away to not disturb. About two days later the mom and dad are not around and haven't been since!!!!

The one at the point had a baby, many days old, it was much bigger.... Gone now, and mom and pops not around?

The other is on top of telephone pole, they are not sitting on nest either !

The other side of point still have their babies.... So i will have ability to watch some growth.

We don't have any eagles around this year, no hawks really either. Fishing has been fine, but maybe the decrease in alewife schools have left them with not enough food???????????
Owls are frequent predators of Osprey nests, especially Great Horned Owls.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by f35phixer »

Candor wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 11:13 am
f35phixer wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 9:59 am Three of the Osprey nests on our point seem to have lost there babies !!!

The one at my dock had just hatched. Saw head movement, saw a poopshoot and was soooooooo happy to be able to watch growth up close but far away to not disturb. About two days later the mom and dad are not around and haven't been since!!!!

The one at the point had a baby, many days old, it was much bigger.... Gone now, and mom and pops not around?

The other is on top of telephone pole, they are not sitting on nest either !

The other side of point still have their babies.... So i will have ability to watch some growth.

We don't have any eagles around this year, no hawks really either. Fishing has been fine, but maybe the decrease in alewife schools have left them with not enough food???????????
Owls are frequent predators of Osprey nests, especially Great Horned Owls.
Could be Cander, But we take walks at night on docks and don't here an hoooooottttttting....
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

f35phixer wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 12:01 pm
Candor wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 11:13 am
f35phixer wrote: Mon Jul 04, 2022 9:59 am Three of the Osprey nests on our point seem to have lost there babies !!!

The one at my dock had just hatched. Saw head movement, saw a poopshoot and was soooooooo happy to be able to watch growth up close but far away to not disturb. About two days later the mom and dad are not around and haven't been since!!!!

The one at the point had a baby, many days old, it was much bigger.... Gone now, and mom and pops not around?

The other is on top of telephone pole, they are not sitting on nest either !

The other side of point still have their babies.... So i will have ability to watch some growth.

We don't have any eagles around this year, no hawks really either. Fishing has been fine, but maybe the decrease in alewife schools have left them with not enough food???????????
Owls are frequent predators of Osprey nests, especially Great Horned Owls.
Could be Cander, But we take walks at night on docks and don't here an hoooooottttttting....
GH Owls would not normally be calling this time of year.

We have a nesting pair nearby. About this time of year, at dusk, we get one (probably juvie) that drops down to the back yard and runs around in the yard looking for something to eat. Our hypothesis is that it is getting frogs that are starting to come up from the bank of the creek. Normally not enough light to get a good sight through the scope to see what it is eating.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Mudpuppy »

I briefly saw what was likely a Cooper's Hawk (from size, color, and behavior) hunting in my shrubs. It didn't stick around long enough to make a proper identification though. It's the first time I've seen any of the birds of prey hunting in my yard. However, a new neighbor had all of their privacy hedges and some of their cypress trees removed last week, so perhaps the hawks need to find new hunting grounds.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

It's that time, bird lovers!

Audubon photography winners!

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/summer ... pa-winners
GG1273
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by GG1273 »

Grey Catbirds have been very busy clearing my yard of inchworms and grubs!

Red Tail Hawk got a chipmunk in neighbor's yard yesterday (also grabbed a Crow a few weeks ago)

American Goldfinches have been very active as they are nesting now.

We were in Central PA a couple of weeks ago and got to see a Piliated Woodpecker feeding a nestling
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

GG1273 wrote: Fri Jul 08, 2022 9:20 am Grey Catbirds have been very busy clearing my yard of inchworms and grubs!

Red Tail Hawk got a chipmunk in neighbor's yard yesterday (also grabbed a Crow a few weeks ago)

American Goldfinches have been very active as they are nesting now.

We were in Central PA a couple of weeks ago and got to see a Piliated Woodpecker feeding a nestling
this seems to be the year of the Catbird. We see them everywhere this season. We have at least one nesting pair on our property - I've seen 4 birds at once and just yesterday, a newly fledged bird -- which means they have had a second brood.

Chimney Swifts are finally becoming very active at dusk around the house. Which means the mosquito population is up.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Sandtrap »

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:45 pm It's that time, bird lovers!

Audubon photography winners!

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/summer ... pa-winners
Breathtaking!

Huge Mahalo for the link

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

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

Sandtrap wrote: Sat Jul 09, 2022 10:23 am
JAZZISCOOL wrote: Thu Jul 07, 2022 3:45 pm It's that time, bird lovers!

Audubon photography winners!

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/summer ... pa-winners
Breathtaking!

Huge Mahalo for the link

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

Post by brandy »

Indianapolis About 7AM, I had just fed and put the cat out the back door and happened to look up. Swooping across the sky, slightly above, and between the tall tree and me, was a Bald Eagle! He soared lower towards the north, still between trees and houses, then up over trees and pond, made a
U-turn to fly back past me. Another U-turn and as he flew almost from ground level across the pond, climbing slowly. Now, the trees were between us. It appeared he was carrying something. It could have been a fish or possibly a duck. I don't recall ever seeing a bald eagle, and he was a wonderful surprise. The bright head, the immense size. Wow. Just wow.
(pretty sure it wasn't the cat, but he won't be home for a few hours.)
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

brandy wrote: Sun Jul 10, 2022 7:43 am Indianapolis About 7AM, I had just fed and put the cat out the back door and happened to look up. Swooping across the sky, slightly above, and between the tall tree and me, was a Bald Eagle! He soared lower towards the north, still between trees and houses, then up over trees and pond, made a
U-turn to fly back past me. Another U-turn and as he flew almost from ground level across the pond, climbing slowly. Now, the trees were between us. It appeared he was carrying something. It could have been a fish or possibly a duck. I don't recall ever seeing a bald eagle, and he was a wonderful surprise. The bright head, the immense size. Wow. Just wow.
(pretty sure it wasn't the cat, but he won't be home for a few hours.)
Nice! :beer
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by LadyGeek »

^^^ Likewise.

Last week, I removed my suet feeders for the summer. Does that stop the woodpeckers? Nope.

They simply hang off the tube seed feeders and chow down. So far, I've had visits from Downie and Red Belly woodpeckers.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

LadyGeek wrote: Sun Jul 10, 2022 8:44 am ^^^ Likewise.

Last week, I removed my suet feeders for the summer. Does that stop the woodpeckers? Nope.

They simply hang off the tube seed feeders and chow down. So far, I've had visits from Downie and Red Belly woodpeckers.
I noticed the WPs persisting in June (I stopped all feeders except HB feeder then). Usually they abandon seed and head for their favorite dead/dying tree to take insects but this year seems different.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

I'll try a picture.

Barred Owl. He flew from the shed to the garage then down to grab some animal as food. Tore it apart and ate it. This was right at dusk after the picture.

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

Post by Tubes »

^^^^^
Wow!

Owls in my neighborhood are screech owls. They are fairly small.
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by JAZZISCOOL »

Tubes wrote: Mon Jul 11, 2022 7:14 am ^^^^^
Wow!

Owls in my neighborhood are screech owls. They are fairly small.
+1

Cool owl photo!
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Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Post by jebmke »

Snowy Egret and juvenile Little Blue Heron feeding in the mudflats behind the house. Green legs of LBH distinctive.
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