All About Pocket Knives

Scott... HEEEYYY... SCHWEEETTT!!!!
John

Scott, nice score on that shot!!!

Great shot Scott congrats on getting that close.

Wow Scott! That is a great photo: one of the best I have seen of a perching Accipiter. I am thinking Sharp-shinned Hawk?

Allowing you to get that close, I wonder if he was injured or sick, or just confident.

Once in-a-lifetime event Scott, you'll remember that for years to come . And that " levitating" , bird is too kool .
Willy

This bird happened to light on a stem next to a stump where we have a game camera set up. What is he? He/she hasn't been around the the birds showing up at Miss Joy's bird feeders. Treefarmer

Looks to be some sort of flycatcher.
I looked here ---> https://www.audubon.org/bird-guide?sear ... nal_page=1
but couldn't positively ID from your photo.
I do enjoy the mystery and the research, though!

treefarmer wrote: ↑Thu Jan 09, 2020 2:46 pm This bird happened to light on a stem next to a stump where we have a game camera set up. What is he? He/she hasn't been around the the birds showing up at Miss Joy's bird feeders.

WGI_0140.JPG

Treefarmer

I agree with Steve that it is a flycatcher. Based on your location and the time of year, I am thinking Eastern Phoebe. Just a few of them hang around my part of the Gulf Coast during the winter. And the Eastern Phoebe is the only flycatcher that I see in the winter.

I'm going to go out on a limb, like a Flycatcher. As Steve said the photo is challenging. I've selected two possibilities. Eastern Phoebe is close and is present in your area during winter. Against this, being perched out in the open, is odd to me. If its tail was frequently bobbing up and down then this would pretty well confirm it is the Phoebe.

On the other hand, its appearance strongly suggests the Olive-sided Flycatcher. It would be a transient visitor, even rare, at this time of year in treefarmer's domain. But the photo shows no wing bars and it has the dark head and sides with strong white down the center like a man with his coat open. The rather large head and short tail are indicative.

treefarmer, if you heard it sing which is often the best way to identify the small flycatchers, you can go to Steve's link and click on the sound button next to the picture of the Olive-sided Flycatcher and listen to the rather distinctive song.

My choice is the Olive-Sided, but this is little more than a guess. Please let us know if you heard the song.

I just read Dinadan's post and I think the odds are on his side. But I am going to hold out hope it was a rarity.

Gentlemen, thanks for the help on the bird.
We have kept a bird book over the years and when we would see an unusual bird in the yard we would look it up in the book and then put the date we spotted that particular bird. On 10/18/94, an Eastern Phoebe was in our sight according to the notation. I do believe this is what the one in the picture is. The picture was taken by a game camera so we didn't have an opportunity to hear his song.
Treefarmer

I was driving down one of the busiest four lane thoroughfares in Birmingham the other day.

On one side was a shopping mall. On the other side was a large cemetery.

Sitting on top of a street sign five feet from me, was a large Cooper’s Hawk, unperturbed.

Charlie

Spotted a herd of Wood Storks while out today...

Nice and interesting shot, Scott.

TripleF wrote: ↑Fri Jan 10, 2020 10:34 pm Spotted a herd of Wood Storks while out today...

Cool!
Certainly not anything we'd see up this way.

Nice Wood Storks, Scott. They never make it to my area, as far as I know, anyway.

Nothing too exotic in my back yard this week. The most common bird in my trees this time of year are Yellow-rumped Warblers. They love Myrtle berries, and the first photo below is of a Yellow-rump in my myrtle tree. They will get down on the ground if a lot of other small birds are rooting around in the grass (second photo), and they like to perch in the tops of Popcorn Trees and keep an eye on things. Note the yellow rump visible in the second photo.

Philip, Scott, Dinadan, all great pic's. Haven't had much at the feeder lately by a pair of cardinals, a blue jay and a male house finch. But like to watch them and to watch you all's as well.

I sure do miss all that green you fellers are enjoying right now, coming from cold and snowed under Saskatchewan Canada, .
But i'm happy yer not having to ever deal with it .
Willy

Dinadan wrote: ↑Fri Jan 10, 2020 11:47 pm Nice Wood Storks, Scott. They never make it to my area, as far as I know, anyway.

Nothing too exotic in my back yard this week. The most common bird in my trees this time of year are Yellow-rumped Warblers. They love Myrtle berries, and the first photo below is of a Yellow-rump in my myrtle tree. They will get down on the ground if a lot of other small birds are rooting around in the grass (second photo), and they like to perch in the tops of Popcorn Trees and keep an eye on things. Note the yellow rump visible in the second photo.

Excellent!

Thanks for the comments, fellows.

Willy, I would enjoy having a few inches if snow on the ground for a couple of days. In my area we get maybe two days of snow every three years or so.

Best bunch of turkeys not AAPK members.

I’ve lived in Michigan my entire life and have never seen an owl. Apparently this year numerous folks have been seeing snowy owls. Part of their natural migration puts them in the southern Michigan area. One was spotted at the park by my house recently and another person took a lot of great photos of one by her house. Check out these two photos:

Fantastic pics Jeff!!!
John

jmh58 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 11, 2020 7:41 pm Fantastic pics Jeff!!!
John

Indeed!