Ornithology (Bird) Thread

[Ivoryman]

Good ones Homer. Yeeaaaaaaah.

Watching a woodpecker when a red headed Sap Sucker showed up in the same tree.

[Paladin]

Guys,
I have a visitor to my bird feeder this afternoon that I have never seen before. I have been feeding birds for quite a long while but I am not a student of the different birds. I am reasonably sure this little guy is a first time visitor. He is about the size of a cardinal and mostly blue.
I'll attach photos and will appreciate any help.

Ray

[FRJ]

What a beautiful bird, Ray.
Plays well with others and makes himself at home.

Reminds me of the Waxwing family with that strong beak. Other than that I can't offer much.

[WillyCamaro]

Guys,
I have a visitor to my bird feeder this afternoon that I have never seen before. I have been feeding birds for quite a long while but I am not a student of the different birds. I am reasonably sure this little guy is a first time visitor. He is about the size of a cardinal and mostly blue.
I'll attach photos and will appreciate any help.

Ray

Mutated finch...

[Quick Steel]

Paladin, what you have there is a Blue Grosbeak which may turn up in the summer across the south and even further north.

[Paladin]

Paladin, what you have there is a Blue Grosbeak which may turn up in the summer across the south and even further north.

Wow, thank you QS. I am trying to keep an eye out for him to stop by again. All I had this morning were the usual suspects, plus one ratty grackle. I am happy to have something other than grackles, white wings, sparrows and tree rats.
I sure appreciate the information.

Ray

[Quick Steel]

Most welcome Ray. If you place your bird feed on the ground you will get an abundance of the less desirable birds, e.g. grackles, doves, sparrows etc. Using feeders will give other birds a better chance. Also you might upgrade your feed by adding sunflower seeds. Most feeds will have a few sunflower seeds but increasing the amount (I buy a bag of only sunflower seeds and add them to the mix.) may draw in some different species.

If possible, placing feeders near bushes or trees gives the birds a quick escape if predators show up. Bird baths should prove popular during the heat of summer.

Well these are just a few stray thoughts. I know the house sparrows are a pain, but there are other species of sparrows that are quite handsome. A bird guide such as Perersons Guide to Western Birds may add to your enjoyment. Excuse me now, I have to go renew the bird bath water.

[Paladin]

Most welcome Ray. If you place your bird feed on the ground you will get an abundance of the less desirable birds, e.g. grackles, doves, sparrows etc. Using feeders will give other birds a better chance. Also you might upgrade your feed by adding sunflower seeds. Most feeds will have a few sunflower seeds but increasing the amount (I buy a bag of only sunflower seeds and add them to the mix.) may draw in some different species.

If possible, placing feeders near bushes or trees gives the birds a quick escape if predators show up. Bird baths should prove popular during the heat of summer.

Well these are just a few stray thoughts. I know the house sparrows are a pain, but there are other species of sparrows that are quite handsome. A bird guide such as Perersons Guide to Western Birds may add to your enjoyment. Excuse me now, I have to go renew the bird bath water.

QS,
I do put some on the ground but not a lot. I use the bird bath to feed as I cannot fill it during the warm months because of mosquitos. I have a feeder above and I use it to feed my blue jays peanuts, raw and in the shell .
So long as I do not put a great amount of seed out, the grackles stay away pretty good. I do have some sunflower seed that I use to trap the squirrels. They have smartened up enough that they are almost impossible to trap. I think some lead poisoning may be necessary.
I sure appreciate all the help.

Ray

[Dinadan]

Cool sapsucker photos, Ivoryman.

Nice photos of that Grosbeak and White winged Dove, Ray. Blue Grosbeaks very rarely appear in my garden, and only during spring migration.

The Brown Thrashers have fledged a brood in the brush behind my garden. The young ones are pretty awkward flyers, and Momma is keeping a close eye on things.

Brown Thrasher

Here is another member of the same family: a Catbird. They are pretty common in my area, but they tend to stay well hidden in the brush. This one was also at the back of my garden this week - I would like to see them raise a brood.

[Ivoryman]

Well, feeding peanuts to Blue Jays for a couple of years has resulted in them hanging around more. They just started building a nest outside our living room window in a Rhododendron bush. Never had them nest in the yard before. Looks like we'll be seeing more of them.

[Quick Steel]

So many of you have fine photos of a wide variety of species. Variety around here is on the low side, especially regarding breeding pairs. This is the first year we have had breeding Red-Winged Blackbirds. I always associated these with wet lands, marshes, etc. They do seem to like the bird seed and suet.

As always, Robins are abundant but this is the first time they have regularly been taking bird seed. Perhaps there is a shortage of worms or insects? Tufted Titmice seem to be staying.

In recent days we had a couple of Flickers pass thru and a Killdeer as well. The agricultural lands around here just do not provide the abundance or variety many of you experience.

[Paladin]

So many of you have fine photos of a wide variety of species. Variety around here is on the low side, especially regarding breeding pairs. This is the first year we have had breeding Red-Winged Blackbirds. I always associated these with wet lands, marshes, etc. They do seem to like the bird seed and suet.

As always, Robins are abundant but this is the first time they have regularly been taking bird seed. Perhaps there is a shortage of worms or insects? Tufted Titmice seem to be staying.

In recent days we had a couple of Flickers pass thru and a Killdeer as well. The agricultural lands around here just do not provide the abundance or variety many of you experience.

We seem to have robins most of the time but not a big volume of them. As far as I know, I have never had one of them stop by the feeder and eat seed.
We have a breeding pair of wrens and they are among my favorites. They are always busy and are pleasant to watch.
We have a few cardinals and loads of sparrows and doves. I feed the blue jays raw peanuts in the shell twice a day and they provide lots of entertainment.

Ray

[Dinadan]

The Jay in that second photo looks very sweet, Ivoryman. Nice twisty Rhododendron for it to nest in, too!

In recent days we had a couple of Flickers pass thru and a Killdeer as well. The agricultural lands around here just do not provide the abundance or variety many of you experience.

It is funny how things work. My back yard in my ordinary subdivision is actually a better place for seeing birds that the local state parks. Admittedly, I am fortunate to have a wooded drainage area behind my lot; but it was the same when I lived on a lot completely surrounded other lots.

If Flickers visit your property, you can try putting up a nest box for them. It has to be really big: you will need to look up the size, maybe 7"x7"'18". For a few years I had one of those and I did see Flickers a lot. For some reason they never nested in my box, but they did a lot of drumming, displaying, and generally hanging around the backyard.

[Quick Steel]

Mel, I am guessing that your good fortune with birds is due to residing in coastal Alabama. This would put you on a major migratory flyway, the Atlantic flyway.

[philco]

Today was the first time I've ever spotted a Red Headed Woodpecker at my feeder (or anywhere else). I was stoked !

[doglegg]

Congrats Phil. Great experience and picture.

[Quick Steel]

Wow! That's great Phil. Red Heads were common where I grew up in Chicago. We had beautiful cemeteries with great old trees that provided habitat.

[Dinadan]

Good bird, Phil. It is always great to spot a new bird in the back yard, or anywhere, for that matter. When I was a boy I lived in piney woods and Red-headed Woodpeckers were fairly common. Right now, it has probably been a couple of years since I saw one. One of my favorite birds ... but I could say that about all the woodpeckers!

Here is a Red-bellied Woodpecker that I spotted a couple of days ago. I think they are nesting in a hole in the live oak at the back of my property, but the male likes drumming on the bird box.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

[Boji]

This is my first visit to this thread, have read a few pages back. I hadn't fed the birds for years, then last summer I saw a hummingbird so I got a feeder and had 2 pairs and then their families visiting it. At the beginning of winter I put up a regular feeder and have seen chickadees, nuthatches, juncos, at least 3 kinds of woodpeckers, a few cardinals & blue jays. And of course more sparrows than anything. And my feeder is squirrel proof! Either that or I have dumb squirrels. Had many a chuckle watching Mr. squirrel trying and not succeeding.

Now, a question, how far apart should a hummingbird feeder be from a regular feeder? They hang by shephards hook from the railing on my deck.

[Quick Steel]

There is no rule Boji, but I suggest you place them as far apart as possible. The Hummers may feel threatened by the larger species.

When the weather is hot remember to thoroughly wash the feeders with soap and put in fresh water. This need not be boiled. But needs to be done with greater frequency the hotter the weather. Bacteria will multiply by the billions in warm sugar water. In the summer, I suggest at least cleaning once a week but better would be about every 4 days.

[TPK]

Guys,
I have a visitor to my bird feeder this afternoon that I have never seen before. I have been feeding birds for quite a long while but I am not a student of the different birds. I am reasonably sure this little guy is a first time visitor. He is about the size of a cardinal and mostly blue.
I'll attach photos and will appreciate any help.

Ray

Cool looking bird Ray! Looks like he has a strong beak!


I caught this guy just before he flew off.

[Quick Steel]

Tom, that looks identical to our American pigeons.

[doglegg]

A couple of tourist that stopped by in the ball fields across the street from my house. They said that they had heard of WillyC, that they had met Roland on a couple of occasions and that everyone knows Zoogirl. I invited them to hang around a while.

[Boji]

Those guys should be on their way to Canada. Have them here almost year round. You won't be so fond of them if they start pooping on your driveway.

[doglegg]

Those guys should be on their way to Canada. Have them here almost year round. You won't be so fond of them if they start pooping on your driveway.

I agree that they are messy. And a few stay around here year round as well. We have had lots of rain and standing water at the moment so they are just taking advantage of the tender grass. Pleasant to see them at least for a while.