Ornithology (Bird) Thread

[TPK]

These two ole boys got pretty good beards.

Beautiful birds bighomer!

[doglegg]

Last bird that sat long enough to have his picture made on this Dog fennel stem was an Eastern Phoebe that y'all helped identify. Today I believe this one needs no research, an Eastern Bluebird.
WGI_0108.JPG
Treefarmer

Philip, this one is worth coming back to and taking a 2nd look. I love it.

[bighomer]

This ole red tail likes this spot, must be good hunting.

[TPK]

This ole red tail likes this spot, must be good hunting.

Nice Flag! Is that a pallet?

[bighomer]

Yes, painted by yours truly, ain't I the artist now.

[doglegg]

Yes, painted by yours truly, ain't I the artist now.

The hawk thinks so as he chooses to sit in front of it everyday. (while watching for something to eat of course).

[Dinadan]

Nice Turkeys and Red Tail, Homer. What does the sign behind the Turkeys say? I have been trying to figure it out.

Here is a little fellow who lives in my area: a Downy Woodpecker. He, or she, is eating Popcorn (Chinese Tallow Tree) seeds. I really like the Downys. They are so quiet and inconspicuous that a person can live with them in his garden and not realize that they are there. Just my kind of fellow!

[doglegg]

Great pic Mel, I hear woodpeckers around here but seldom see them.

A couple of pics of the wind blown male cardinal atmy feeder and also of bath time and the usual suspects.

[Quick Steel]

A very nice sequence of photos dog. Do you use a telephoto lens?

[doglegg]

QS I use a Nikon Coolpix P510 that has a built in 42X lens. It is a point and shoot camera as that is about the extent of my camera expertise. I think the newer ones are 60X or more. Thanks.

[Steve Warden]

Mel and Floyd - well done to the both of you!

[WillyCamaro]

Mighty fine shots fellers, I especially love the cardinal, but they all are beautiful birds. I love photography, and I love birds, this is such a wonderful thread . Some time I should share my birding slideshows. When I take a pic, it's usually 20 pics in a row .
Great stuff!
Willy

[doglegg]

Thanks Steve, Willy.

[OLDE CUTLER]

The sharpshinned hawk I pictured awhile back (page 2 of this thread) struck again today. We heard a loud "thunk" as a small bird from the feeders flew against the large window on the front of the house. I quickly looked out in time to see the stunned bird had fallen on top of the snow on the front lawn. The hawk swooped down and snagged him and flew away. It happened so fast that there was no time for a picture.

[doglegg]

I've had that happen at my feeder as well QS. Sudden and violent. I had to tell myself, yes, it is a bird feeder.

[bighomer]

Nice Turkeys and Red Tail, Homer. What does the sign behind the Turkeys say? I have been trying to figure it out.

Here is a little fellow who lives in my area: a Downy Woodpecker. He, or she, is eating Popcorn (Chinese Tallow Tree) seeds. I really like the Downys. They are so quiet and inconspicuous that a person can live with them in his garden and not realize that they are there. Just my kind of fellow!

It says welcome but it's hard to read in the pictures.

[Dinadan]

Thanks, Homer. I may not have been able to read the welcome sign, but the Turkeys were.

Very bright Cardinal, Dogleg. I have those and the White-winged Doves this week.

Here is a little Chipping Sparrow. I have a dozen or so in my back yard on some days. They really prefer the more open front yards.

[bighomer]

Black skimmers, beautiful birds.

Boat tail grackle.

[Quick Steel]

The Titmouse-two of them actually-posed nicely frequently but moved too fast for me. I have many blurred images so I had to settle for these.

I have many White-Throated Sparrows spending the winter here.

[treefarmer]

Captured one of our winter visitors the other day, a Robin. When we see Robins we know it's cold further north, they are not year round residents.
There are two other birds in the picture, one looks like possibly a Blue Jay and the one beyond the deer block, could it be a small hawk?
I put the block out last Thursday, I'll post other critters that visited over in the outdoor thread.

Some of the old timers from a previous generation said they used to eat Robins as they were so plentiful in the winter. They said it was dark meat.

Treefarmer

[treefarmer]

We have been noticing several bunches, more properly, "flocks", of white birds with long curved beaks flying around our place. We always called 'em Curlews but according to the bird book they are White Florida Ibises. It appears that Curlews are brown colored but all the old timers called any wading bird with a long curved beak a curlew. Learn somethin' new everyday or so!
This morning in the deer stand there was a flock of them flying around the food plot and lighting in the pine trees, then flying off, just a few at a time. I could see a big flock of them on the other side of the canal and 6 or 7 of them landed in a big dead pine and then dropped into a little spot that was holding water. They fed through the pond and then seem to almost race across the edge of the food plot, apparently trying to catch what ever came up out of the grass. I don't have a camera capable of long range shots but it was quite a show! Then as I was fixin' to climb down from the stand, 3 flew into the little pond north of the stand. The pond no more than 30 feet from the stand. As I climbed down the White Ibis critters paid little attention to me as they fed in the shallow water near the edge. The pond is out of its' banks and the roadway is partially under water and the birds waded along this area. I was able to get a couple of pictures of them before they finally spooked and flew up into some trees on the opposite side of the pond.
Maybe you can get a bit of a look at a the White Florida Ibis: (double click and it will usually enlarge)

White Florida Ibises feeding in the food plot

3 Ibis landed next to the deer stand

After I climbed down they didn't seem to be alarmed

I was ready for them when they took flight

Treefarmer

[Quick Steel]

I've seen lots of egrets in the past but never an Ibis. Thanks for the photos.

[Waukonda]

Nice post, Treefarmer. You are in a great location for a wide variety of birdlife.

[Dinadan]

The Titmouse-two of them actually-posed nicely frequently but moved too fast for me. I have many blurred images so I had to settle for these.

I have many White-Throated Sparrows spending the winter here.

Probably 90% of my bird photos are blurry. It is as if the birds have a sixth sense that tells them to move as I press the camera button.

Treefarmer - We have Robins too. Not huge numbers, but they hardly ever are the last few decades. Ibis are pretty common in my area. But I never recall seeing them when I was young. Did I just not know what they were back then, or are they much more common today? I often wonder about that when I see them.

I have been seeing a few raptors, mostly Red-tails and Kestrels, over the last couple of weeks. Here is a Red-tail soaring over my back porch last week.

[philco]

Nice shot Mel. He looks like he means business!

Garry please send my white throated sparrows back. They've been missing from here all winter. I've also noted a serious reduction in the number of house finches visiting my feeder. Last winter there would frequently be a dozen or more all feeding at the same time. This year I've not seen more than a pair feeding at any given time, and even those quite infrequently.