All About Pocket Knives

Homer and Steve, those are great shots of beautiful birds.

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 4:38 pm What brand of bird is that Homer? Don’t recall ever seeing one before.

Ken

They call them eastern towhees any more, we call them Rufus sided towhees in my neck of the woods. The males are sure colorful. They love to feed on the ground scratching and knocking leaves and debris everywhere. Fun to watch.

You said a mouthful there, bighomer, about their habit of scratching! They'll make a feller's eyes tired try to figure out why the deer that is passing through the leaves is so hard to find!
Treefarmer

bighomer wrote: ↑Sat Oct 17, 2020 3:49 pm Another of God beautiful critters.

Very nice Towhee shots. We occasionally see them in Winter, but they aren't nearly as plentiful as they are on the summer months.

Mel, I had to look up the Brown Headed Nuthatch. I didn't realize the SE U.S. had its' own species. I had a Red Breasted visit the feeder early this morning but once I got a camera ready...gone! Did see some Yellow Rumped Warblers while walking along the edge of a woods a little while ago.They are looking pretty drab this time of year but got one shot with the telltale rump showing.

Sissy and I had a interesting morning as we lay/ sat on the back porch watching it rain, first a pileated woodpecker landed in the magnolia tree,naturally my phone was in the house on the charger, so no picture. Went in and got it. Watched the bluebirds, cardinals and mocking birds go about their business and snapped a few photos.heard sissy's low growl and looked out a what had her attention saw the first of the turkeys coming to the corn, as fate wood have one of the young deer arrived at the same time. The other turkeys came running and startle the deer and it ran off to another part of the yard and stopped and looked back. Finally got it nerve up and joined in the eating.

Ike, I imagine it was tricky getting those clear shots.

bighomer, that is a wonderful sequence of shots.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Sun Oct 18, 2020 8:02 pm Ike, I imagine it was tricky getting those clear shots.

bighomer, that is a wonderful sequence of shots.

Actually, not bad. Even though I walked up on them and there were 2 dogs along running circles around me, they weren't particularly shy. There were probably 12 to 15 in that small flock and I was surprised that some of them sat still long enough for a photo. Like most Every other warbler they are very active, I consider myself very lucky to get two birds in that 1 shot

Here are a couple of pics that could be titled "Find the hidden birds" -
A Carolina Wren playing Peekaboo and a couple of Chipping Sparrows that blend into the background

Well, the Wren was easy enough since you had him well centered. I found two sparrows. Let me know if there were more please.

Quick Steel wrote: ↑Wed Oct 21, 2020 3:39 pm Well, the Wren was easy enough since you had him well centered. I found two sparrows. Let me know if there were more please.

A trip to the Optometrist is not necessary, yes, there are two sparrows in the picture.

Sparrows and wrens are in abundance around here. The boss was giving her bushes a fall trim and found this, pretty cool how they use the plastic in their nest. Birds are quite amazing, huh?

Nice pictures!

Here's more from the backyard.

bighomer wrote: ↑Sun Nov 01, 2020 4:35 pm
The boss was giving her bushes a fall trim and found this, pretty cool how they use the plastic in their nest. Birds are quite amazing, huh? e::

It is interesting how they use man made stuff. Several years ago there was an article in our local newspaper (now defunct) with a photo of a raptor nest in a crane at a local shipyard. The nest was almost entirely make of copper or brass shavings from the shipyard machine shop. That nest could have lasted centuries, far outliving steel cranes or trees!

Success!
For about the last two months, I have hoped to get a picture of this Red Shouldered Hawk. I see him 3 or 4 times a week sitting in the same area. The problem was, it is alongside a highway bridge, no shoulder on which to pull off. So, I had to be going by at a time in which he was there, and in which there was no traffic behind me, so I could come to a stop on the highway. Then, if those 2 conditions were met, I had to hope he didn't fly before I could get the picture. After many failed attempts, I finally got him today.
IMO, the Red Shouldered is one of the more handsome raptors.

Waukonda wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 1:14 am Success!
For about the last two months, I have hoped to get a picture of this Red Shouldered Hawk. I see him 3 or 4 times a week sitting in the same area. The problem was, it is alongside a highway bridge, no shoulder on which to pull off. So, I had to be going by at a time in which he was there, and in which there was no traffic behind me, so I could come to a stop on the highway. Then, if those 2 conditions were met, I had to hope he didn't fly before I could get the picture. After many failed attempts, I finally got him today.
IMO, the Red Shouldered is one of the more handsome raptors.

Good things come to those that wait, and patience is a virtue. You finally got your shot and worth the wait. Beautiful looking Hawk.

Well done Ike. I've had to contend with the same conditions, i.e. no shoulders to pull off, cars behind, etc. A great shot.

Congrats Ike, I like them too. A little smaller than a red tail. But can they ever maneuver in the woods. Great shot.

Waukonda wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 1:14 am Success!
For about the last two months, I have hoped to get a picture of this Red Shouldered Hawk. I see him 3 or 4 times a week sitting in the same area. The problem was, it is alongside a highway bridge, no shoulder on which to pull off. So, I had to be going by at a time in which he was there, and in which there was no traffic behind me, so I could come to a stop on the highway. Then, if those 2 conditions were met, I had to hope he didn't fly before I could get the picture. After many failed attempts, I finally got him today.
IMO, the Red Shouldered is one of the more handsome raptors.

AWESOME!!! Nice shot of a real KOOL Raptor!!!
John

Thanks for the pictures Ike. I don’t recall seeing a Red-Shouldered Hawk around here. As best I can tell their range includes parts of East Texas but not the rest of the state. Around here we have Red-Tailed Hawks in abundance, so maybe they don’t tolerate the competition. (Or I don’t pay close enough attention.)

Ken

Thanks everyone, for your comments. Now that I have the picture, I can quit disturbing his hunting and I will just give him a wave when I drive by.

Mumbleypeg wrote: ↑Mon Nov 02, 2020 2:35 pm Thanks for the pictures Ike. I don’t recall seeing a Red-Shouldered Hawk around here. As best I can tell their range includes parts of East Texas but not the rest of the state. Around here we have Red-Tailed Hawks in abundance, so maybe they don’t tolerate the competition. (Or I don’t pay close enough attention.)

Ken

We see them here in DFW with regularity. They like wooded areas.

Today's arrivals: Flicker, two Northern Juncos, male Cardinal, White-throated Sparrow.