Ornithology (Bird) Thread

[Mumbleypeg]

Great picture bigH! The bluebirds seem to enjoy a birdbath as much or more than any birds.

A few weeks ago there was a discussion here about shrikes, aka Butcher Birds. I mentioned about their peculiar behavior of impaling insects on barbed wire. Here’s a picture I took yesterday of a grasshopper stuck on a barbed wire fence in my south pasture.

Ken

[Quick Steel]

I wonder what Shrikes used before the introduction of barbed wire in the 1800s.

[treefarmer]

Garry, in the Florida Panhandle, a Butcher Bird can use a Fire Thorn bush (Pyracantha) to hang his prey if there is no barbed wire close by. Probably there are several more wild plants with large thorns for them to have used prior to fences being built.
Treefarmer

[Quick Steel]

Thanks for the input Phil. Sort of thought it had to be something like that tho I've seen shrikes in areas without barbwire or where thorns are not so apparent. Obiously they are highly adaptive.

[Paladin]

Garry, in the Florida Panhandle, a Butcher Bird can use a Fire Thorn bush (Pyracantha) to hang his prey if there is no barbed wire close by. Probably there are several more wild plants with large thorns for them to have used prior to fences being built.
Treefarmer

They use mesquite thorns where available.

Ray

[Mumbleypeg]

I’ve seen a few impaled on thorns of honey locust trees. Now that I think about it I’m wondering if that might have something to do with the “locust” part of the tree’s common name.

Ken

[Waukonda]

Great picture bigH! The bluebirds seem to enjoy a birdbath as much or more than any birds.

A few weeks ago there was a discussion here about shrikes, aka Butcher Birds. I mentioned about their peculiar behavior of impaling insects on barbed wire. Here’s a picture I took yesterday of a grasshopper stuck on a barbed wire fence in my south pasture.

Ken

I think I was the one who started that discussion. Thanks for posting a great picture and illustration of Shrike behavior.

[bighomer]

Dining on some fine tree rat.

Airing our wings out after a fine meal.

[bighomer]

This little gal is fueling up for the trip south, doesn't seem to care for the competition from the red wasp.

[Waukonda]

Dining on some fine tree rat. 20201002_150456.jpg

Airing our wings out after a fine meal.

That is an awesome picture, BH!

[Quick Steel]

All fine photos. Thank you

[Mumbleypeg]

I think most of my hummers have already gone south. Salvia and skullcap which they like are still blooming and sugar water available in the feeders, but the number of hummers has dwindled to just a few.

Ken

[TPK]

I think most of my hummers have already gone south. Salvia and skullcap which they like are still blooming and sugar water available in the feeders, but the number of hummers has dwindled to just a few.

Ken

I thought Texas would be warm enough for them. Do you guys get much snow? How far south do ya think they go? Mexico or even further than that? Just curious.

[TPK]

This little gal is fueling up for the trip south, doesn't seem to care for the competition from the red wasp.

Cool pictures bighomer!

[Mumbleypeg]

I think most of my hummers have already gone south. Salvia and skullcap which they like are still blooming and sugar water available in the feeders, but the number of hummers has dwindled to just a few.

Ken

I thought Texas would be warm enough for them. Do you guys get much snow? How far south do ya think they go? Mexico or even further than that? Just curious.

All I know is they don’t hang around here in winter. I think a few just go as far as south Texas but most winter in Mexico and farther south.

Here it doesn’t snow often but winter temperatures are well below freezing many nights, can get as low as 10-15 degrees F. Average daytime high temperatures here in January are 55 degrees F. But that’s average. In winter we get a few days that never get above freezing and other days it’s upper 70s. Most years we get no snow, or at most a light dusting which melts the next morning. About once in 8 or 10 years we’ll get a winter storm event with 4 to 6 inches of snow.

Ken

[Quick Steel]

Majority of Hummingbirds winter from southern Mexico thru Central America all the way to Panama. A few go to the West Indies. There are usually a few that hang around the gulf states especially the Rufus. (Thank you Google.)

[Dinadan]

Cool photos, Homer! I like the Vultures with the spread wings.

We still have some Hummers, but they are thinning out in my garden. Over the years it seems to me that most of them leave by October 10, and we are getting close.

[TPK]

I think most of my hummers have already gone south. Salvia and skullcap which they like are still blooming and sugar water available in the feeders, but the number of hummers has dwindled to just a few.

Ken

I thought Texas would be warm enough for them. Do you guys get much snow? How far south do ya think they go? Mexico or even further than that? Just curious.

All I know is they don’t hang around here in winter. I think a few just go as far as south Texas but most winter in Mexico and farther south.

Here it doesn’t snow often but winter temperatures are well below freezing many nights, can get as low as 10-15 degrees F. Average daytime high temperatures here in January are 55 degrees F. But that’s average. In winter we get a few days that never get above freezing and other days it’s upper 70s. Most years we get no snow, or at most a light dusting which melts the next morning. About once in 8 or 10 years we’ll get a winter storm event with 4 to 6 inches of snow.

Ken

Thanks for ,your responce, I like finding out about the winter conditions in different states & places.

[Quick Steel]

This morning a Piliated Woodpecker worked on this tree stump for the best part of an hour. Mostly, he worked on the far side of the stump. I took a dozen photos and nothing worked; everything blurred because of his constant movement. Had one of these a couple of months ago, the first I had seen. This is the second. I suppose it could be the same bird but it seems unlikely to me. An impressive bird.


attachment=0]P1030906 (2).JPG[/attachment]

[bighomer]

There's been reports of hummers wintering in south eastern TN. I generally leave a feeder up till the end of October, but I think the latest I've seen one is probably around the 15th + or - a day or two.

[doglegg]

There is a strain of hummers that winter over in the Seattle area. They actually go into sort of a semi hibernation at night. Interesting read.

[philco]

A friend of mine took this photo. He thinks it is a Peregrine Falcon. I'm not convinced it is. What do you folks think it is ?

[Steve Warden]

I would guess either sharp-shinned hawk or cooper's hawk.

[bighomer]

I agree with sarge and it's an immature which ever would be my guess. Definitely not a falcon, imho.

A grown coopers or chicken hawk as we call them.

[bighomer]

Sparrows at the bird bath having a spat with a female bluebird, she flies off but goes to the other bird bath as the Sparrows were not being very social.