Birds - personal observations

[Waukonda]

Very nice pics, Mel. I really like the one of the RT Hawk, and the way the light is filtering through the wing and tail feathers, superb!

[Dinadan]

Thanks, Doglegg, Ike.

[Boji]

Mel, once again great pictures. I still have a few hummingbirds but not as many as all summer long. And still drowning some bastard yellow jackets.
Had some big Canadians fly over the house about sundown today. It’s early if they were the Giant Northern ones from Canada but they sure looked bigger than the local ones.

[Dinadan]

Thanks, Boji. We have Canadian Geese all year, too. I still remember the first time I every saw one. When I was squirrel hunting back around 1968 I spotted a pair of Canadians on a local lake. I was in my early teens and it seemed unbelievable that those geese that I had only seen in photos in Outdoor Life or Field and Stream magazines were really here.

Here are some photos of a Hummer that I snapped this afternoon. I think it is a partial albino.

Hummer

Hummer

At first I thought it was just an effect of the late afternoon sunlight that made it look so white. But even when I increase the contrast a lot it barely shows any color.

Hummer

[Steve Warden]

Pretty cool, Mel.

[doglegg]

Pretty cool, Mel.

Agree.

[philco]

Mel that is amazing. Never seen anything quite like it.

[Dinadan]

Thanks, Steve, Doglegg, and Phil! I think the Hummers are leaving to cross the Gulf right now. Just three or four days ago there were a half dozen buzzing around my feeders. Today just a couple.

[treefarmer]

Thanks, Boji. We have Canadian Geese all year, too. I still remember the first time I every saw one. When I was squirrel hunting back around 1968 I spotted a pair of Canadians on a local lake. I was in my early teens and it seemed unbelievable that those geese that I had only seen in photos in Outdoor Life or Field and Stream magazines were really here.

Here are some photos of a Hummer that I snapped this afternoon. I think it is a partial albino.
Hummer11.jpg
Hummer12.jpg
At first I thought it was just an effect of the late afternoon sunlight that made it look so white. But even when I increase the contrast a lot it barely shows any color.
Hummer14.jpg

That's a very interesting Hummer! Partial albino seems to describe it quite well. Is it sitting in some sort of citrus tree?
Treefarmer

[Dinadan]

That's a very interesting Hummer! Partial albino seems to describe it quite well. Is it sitting in some sort of citrus tree?
Treefarmer

The Hummer is sitting in a Satsuma tree. I have five citrus trees in my back yard, which produce more fruit than we (my family) eats from October to January. The last couple of years the raccoons have started eating them, so they do not last as long.

There are still a couple of Hummers hanging around. Most are gone: hopefully they caught a good breeze to Yucatan over the past couple of weeks. It is not looking too nice north of Yucatan right now.

Hummer

Here is a Flycatcher that has appeared in my back yard this week. After looking at my bird guide, I am not going to give it a species name.

Flycatcher

Flycatcher

Flycatcher

I still have not seen many birds that are unequivocally migrants. Anyone here seeing much migration activity?

[doglegg]

Thanks Mel

[Waukonda]

Here is a Flycatcher that has appeared in my back yard this week.

I still have not seen many birds that are unequivocally migrants. Anyone here seeing much migration activity?

I am casting my vote for "Acadian Flycatcher". It has the double wing bars and another telltale characteristic, the bicolor bill. One of your excellent pics clearly shows a dark upper bill, and orange lower.

In regards to migration, this has been one of the quietest fall migrations that I can recall. All of the local summer residents are long gone, and after some early September Warblers moving through, there has been little else. I notice, for whatever reason, that when I check the migration map, most days the major activity is West of me and a little West of the mississippi. I have not seen it to this extent before. I am about 30-40 miles East of the Mississippi and have always had heavy migration numbers.

[Waukonda]

Drove by some Turkeys in the changing Hickories, managed a couple of quick pics.

[Dinadan]

Thanks, Doglegg and Ike.

I am casting my vote for "Acadian Flycatcher". It has the double wing bars and another telltale characteristic, the bicolor bill. One of your excellent pics clearly shows a dark upper bill, and orange lower.

You may be correct. The lack of an eye ring made me consider Willow Flycatcher. Flycatchers are one of the groups that I have a hard time feeling certain about.

Nice shots of those Turkeys. And the Hickories look very autumnal. Perfect October stuff!

[FRJ]

Here's the resident Hereon at the pond I visit daily.

[FRJ]

Here are some pictures of a few days ago.
I made an effort to look them up but could not devote much time to that so I still don't know what they are.
I think the one in the middle is a Song Sparrow. --?

[Steve Warden]

Great pics fellas!
Reminds me, if I want to see any birds around the feeder, I gotta get out to Tractor Supply for more seed!

[Waukonda]

Here are some pictures of a few days ago.
I made an effort to look them up but could not devote much time to that so I still don't know what they are.
I think the one in the middle is a Song Sparrow. --?

As always, nice pics, Joe!
I thought maybe the 1st of the 3 birds could be a female Yellow Bellied Flycatcher, but it may be too big, hard to judge the size from a picture. Why didn't you hold a quarter next to it for reference when you took it? The females are pretty plain like that one, and they are common migrants this time of year ( in the Midwest anyway).
Last bird is a White Throated Sparrow. They are Winter visitors only, in my area, haven't yet seen any here. You may live far enough North to be in their year round range.

[Dinadan]

Nice Heron shot, Joe.

And the three songbirds are very good photos. First one is Northern Mockingbird, third one I agree with Ike it is a White Throated Sparrow. I have not seen any of either sparrow species in my area so far this fall. But I am hoping that this cold front brings some more migrants.

Ike, I am guessing that you are just barely outside the common range of the Mockingbird. It is the most common of all suburban birds in my area, so I see them daily, if not hourly!

[Waukonda]

Nice Heron shot, Joe.

And the three songbirds are very good photos. First one is Northern Mockingbird, third one I agree with Ike it is a White Throated Sparrow. I have not seen any of either sparrow species in my area so far this fall. But I am hoping that this cold front brings some more migrants.

Ike, I am guessing that you are just barely outside the common range of the Mockingbird. It is the most common of all suburban birds in my area, so I see them daily, if not hourly!

I had actually considered Mockingbird, but couldn't see the length of the tail in the photo. Are they year round residents for you? When I was young we always had Mockingbirds around the yard, they would always attack me during nesting season. I seldom see them the last few years, Catbirds are scarce too......for whatever reason.

[FRJ]

Thank you so much, Steve and Ike and Mel.
I appreciate the comments.

[Dinadan]

This morning my wife and I took the boat out for some fishing. The temperature was about 45 degrees when we launched. Beautifully sunny and very calm. Birds everywhere. We saw an Eagle right away, and Ospreys all the time. I snapped a few few photos of various birds, none of which turned out as good as I hoped.

First photo is some White Pelicans.

White Pelicans

Oops, that is a typical photo of mine, but here is another try.

White Pelicans

Here is a fellow fisherman, an Osprey.

Osprey

There were lots of wading birds along the edge of the marsh. Egrets, Ibis, Herons.

Egrets and Ibis

Herons

This is not a bird, but what the heck.

Red Drum

Really, this was just a very nice day. The kind of day that makes a man feel like he has been given a gift from Someone.

[FRJ]

Great pictures, Mel.
A real gift of a day!

[doglegg]

Great pics Mel.

[philco]

Here's the resident Hereon at the pond I visit daily.

Joe the colors you captured in the background of this photo are as perfect a fall mix as I've ever seen. Wonderful picture!


Mel you're living a bird lovers dream. Thanks for the pics.