Any fellow birders here?

[Pink Elephant]

Yep, I use ebird, although it comes in spurts. I'm inspired to get all my old bird data in this year so my data aren't just sitting on my computer, but actually contributing to science. I have it in another program, but it's not an easy transition. The birdlog app is super easy to use in the field, so I usually don't need pen & paper now.

 

I would be up for doing a Big Year, although I'm not going to be working very hard at it like hardcore birders, it would inspire me to get out more. My boss's boss is down on the Eastern Shore of Virginia right now finishing up his Big Year - he thinks he'll get ~360 species. He's staying over until Jan 1 so he can see the same birds the next day and count them for 2015 ;) Silly birders...

 

My general goal is to see at least 1 new species in a year (preferably more!!). It's hard for me to do in the US without some concerted effort. I was thinking about heading up to Michigan to see a Kirtland's Warbler this summer perhaps. Oooh, I have a Golden Eagle Working Group meeting in Maine in June - I can go see Atlantic Puffins!! :) Now that would make me happy! Maybe extend it into a trip up into Canada... :001_tt1:  I have always wanted to go to PE Island & Nova Scotia

 

 

And PattyJoanna - loved your pictures! A nice camera is on my wish list. I need to figure out which one and which lens. Nice quality but low budget and good for taking pictures of small birds...it's hard to comb through all the reviews and figure out what I need.

 

As full-fledged Canucks, my husband and I dream of visiting the Maritimes one day.

[Lady Florida.]

I forgot about brown headed cowbirds until I read transient Chris' post. We call them the Walmart birds because they're always in the parking lot at any local Walmart.  :lol:

 

Her post also reminded me of the vultures - both black and turkey. We see them a lot. Speaking of turkeys, we also see wild turkeys. We saw quite a few on our way to dss and ddil's house on Christmas day. They're often on the side of the road in the less populated areas around metro-Orlando.

[Pink Elephant]

An entry-level Canon or Nikon DSLR would not disappoint. The expensive part would be the lens. It is amazingly tricky to get clear, well-framed photos of birds unless you have at least a 200mm zoom lens. A 300mm would be my preference, but I haven't sprung for one yet.

 

Quill. Your post couldn't have come at a better time! We have been wanting to upgrade our digital camera but have no idea what to get, so the above information is such a welcome!

 

Hmmm... I sense a digital camera thread coming up! Thank you for this.

[Pink Elephant]

I'll tell about our birds in my next post, but this thread takes me back to the first ever homeschool "project". Ds wasn't even technically homeschooling age yet (didn't have to report to the county until the following year). It's a bittersweet memory as we head into our final year of homeschooling. <sniff sniff>

 

When we first set up a feeder in our yard ds got excited about the different birds we began to see. We decided to keep track of the birds we were seeing. The project was all for fun and never made to feel like a chore. We made a poster and I printed out photos of the three birds we saw most often, which at the time were cardinals, bluejays, and mourning doves. I split it into a grid for breakfast, lunchtime, and dinnertime. We have a small bay window in the kitchen and the feeder is just outside of it, so those times made sense since that's when we'd usually be at the table. I taped the poster to the window. We had stickers and put a sticker in the appropriate time frame each time we saw one of the birds. We weren't counting actual birds, just which birds we tended to see at each time of day. It was far from scientific but was so much fun and sparked an interest in birds for both of us. My 17 yo isn't as interested as he once was, but he can identify a number of different birds, sometimes just by their song. 

 

Sigh. Homeschooling was such fun back then. 

 

A lovely story!

 

I have a niece who is a bird-lover, and her and I always chat about birds and anything new we've seen or experienced. Lots of fun and one that makes for enjoyable memories.

[ScoutTN]

This thread reminded me of my grandfather, who loved birds. He could whistle many calls and had chickadees that would come to him and eat from his hand!

[Laura Corin]

Our common birds include woodpigeons, tawny owls (heard but not seen), swallows (in summer), great spotted woodpeckers, skylarks, pied wagtails, wrens, dunnocks, blackbirds, thrushes of some kind, european robins, blue tits, coal tits, great tits, treecreepers, jays (occasional - this is the edge of their range), magpies, jackdaws, crows, rooks, starlings, house sparrows, tree sparrows, goldfinches (visit in small flocks), chaffinches, greenfinches, bullfinches, yellowhammers, european buzzards, grey herons, pheasants, mute swans, kestrels, oystercatchers (common on fields in winter, looking for worms), various sea birds (but I'm not good at identifying them - apart from puffins) and various ducks.

 

I'm not a birder, but I have a bird feeder and I notice the common kinds.  We keep an identification book by the corridor window that gives onto the bird feeder, so I look things up when I notice them.

 

L

[Pink Elephant]

We're mostly backyard birdwatchers, though this time of year we often go to one of the local wildlife refuges (we have 2 favorites) to see the snowbirds (not the elderly human ones lol). There's a huge variety that come here for the winter but we have a pretty big group of year-round birds too.

 

In our suburban central Florida backyard we regularly see cardinals, bluejays, mockingbirds, red-bellied woodpeckers, white ibis, mourning doves, Eurasian collared doves (which people often mistake for white-winged doves), and red-shouldered hawks. Dh saw a hawk grab a squirrel once. I've only seen a hummingbird once but I know they're here. We often hear barred owls at night. Ds had to take the dog out in the middle of the night one night and saw one on his backyard play fort. We see robins twice a year - usually in October and February as they make their way south and then north again respectively. I occasionally see a brown thrush, though they like to stay well hidden. I have a hard time distinguishing between the different blackbirds and crows we see, but I believe our most common backyard one is the American grackle. We often see sandhill cranes by the roadside, sometimes with their babies. Oh, and there's a pair of swans that made a nest in a local retention pond. At our old house which was much more secluded, we had pair of ospreys that came back to the same nest every year. 

 

We once saw a bobwhite walking through our yard. When I read up on them I discovered it's rare to see one alone, so I don't know if this one was lost or what. It was walking across the lawn. We used to hear them all the time at night at the above mentioned old house. 

 

In winter we see butter butts (yellow-rumped warblers), a variety of wrens (mostly Carolina wrens), and red-winged blackbirds. We see the occasional catbird or tufted titmouse. I've only seen cedar wax-wings once, but was so excited when I did.

 

 

If we go to the wildlife refuge we'll see kingfishers, roseate spoonbills, anhingas, several different kinds of herons, crested caracara (elusive but so cool when we see one), bald eagles, ospreys, snipes, snowy egrets, other kinds of egrets, and killdeers. There are a zillion others, but those are the ones we see most often. 

 

 

Some years back, we had our yard certified as a wildlife habitat. We have a number of native plants loved by the birds, butterflies, and bees. The birds especially love our beautyberry and our native firebush. 

 

Beautiful!

 

This thread has been such an inspiration for me to look-up and read about a number of species I have never heard of before.

 

Imagine what a lonely world it would be without our feathered friends.

[Pink Elephant]

I forgot about brown headed cowbirds until I read transient Chris' post. We call them the Walmart birds because they're always in the parking lot at any local Walmart.  :lol:

 

Her post also reminded me of the vultures - both black and turkey. We see them a lot. Speaking of turkeys, we also see wild turkeys. We saw quite a few on our way to dss and ddil's house on Christmas day. They're often on the side of the road in the less populated areas around metro-Orlando.

 

I love it when one can find a suitable nickname for a wild thing that already has a proper classification.

 

We refer to our Mountain Chickadees as masked bandits!

[Pink Elephant]

This thread reminded me of my grandfather, who loved birds. He could whistle many calls and had chickadees that would come to him and eat from his hand!

 

How I wish I could do bird calls and songs! I try and try, but just don't have it, but that doesn't stop me from carrying on! LOL!

[Pink Elephant]

Our common birds include woodpigeons, tawny owls (heard but not seen), swallows (in summer), great spotted woodpeckers, skylarks, pied wagtails, wrens, dunnocks, blackbirds, thrushes of some kind, european robins, blue tits, coal tits, great tits, treecreepers, jays (occasional - this is the edge of their range), magpies, jackdaws, crows, rooks, starlings, house sparrows, tree sparrows, goldfinches (visit in small flocks), chaffinches, greenfinches, bullfinches, yellowhammers, european buzzards, grey herons, pheasants, mute swans, kestrels, oystercatchers (common on fields in winter, looking for worms), various sea birds (but I'm not good at identifying them - apart from puffins) and various ducks.

 

I'm not a birder, but I have a bird feeder and I notice the common kinds.  We keep an identification book by the corridor window that gives onto the bird feeder, so I look things up when I notice them.

 

L

 

So lovely!

 

You mention something interesting Re: range. In our area, Blue Jays shouldn't (by all accounts) reside here, and in fact, up till about 12 years ago we had no Blue Jays in our area whatsoever, however, through evolution and climate change, Blue jays now abound plentifully in our range, and even more interesting... some even winter in our area, which for the species is totally unorthodox.

[Lady Florida.]

heir daily bird sightings into ebird? Or is anyone doing project feeder watch? We've been using ebird for a few years, and this is our second year for project feeder watch. We did the nest watch this past spring/summer, too.

 

 

 

It's been a few years, but we used to participate in The Great Backyard Bird Count. That was always fun.

[Lady Florida.]

I think starting a social group for birders would be a good idea :)

 

I'm having trouble with the multi-quote feature today. If I could, I'd also quote Patty Joanna's post about this being the official 2015 bird thread. I'd be on board with either a dedicated thread (probably this one, since it's already started) or a social group.

[KrissiK]

All right ladies, I am ready to go! I got a little $ for Christmas and just placed my order on Amazon for a Bushnell birding binoculars and Sibley's book for the Western United States. Woohoo! I am excited!

[Pink Elephant]

All right ladies, I am ready to go! I got a little $ for Christmas and just placed my order on Amazon for a Bushnell birding binoculars and Sibley's book for the Western United States. Woohoo! I am excited!

 

All I can say is, right on! You are absolutely going to LOVE the Birders Guide! So comprehensive it is and you'll have it as a reference manual for forever. Money well spent and so totally well worth it! So excited for you I am, because when you get the Guide you won't believe how simple it is to identify and learn about whatever species it is you are wanting to know about, and the pictures are great, too!

 

And so jealous of you I am Re: your binocular purchase! Binoculars are the one thing I still need but haven't gotten around to buying yet. I should make 2015 my year for binoculars!

[Pink Elephant]

Patty. I just checked out your pictures and wow... professional quality or what! Super awesome job!

 

The sweet little ducklings are my favourite! I've always had a weakness for cute adorable ducklings. When DH and I go out in the Spring to watch all the duck babies, I never want to leave.

[KrissiK]

And so jealous of you I am Re: your binocular purchase! Binoculars are the one thing I still need but haven't gotten around to buying yet. I should make 2015 my year for binoculars!

Well, the bird feeder is across the yard, and I've been having trouble making out the markings on the various sparrows that have visited. And I was sure I saw a house wren this morning, but couldn't get a good look! I went to this website http://www.birding-binoculars.net and got a little help. The binoculars I got were pretty inexpensive (I am just a beginner), but recommended on this website. And got almost 5 stars on Amazon.

[Guest]

Patty. I just checked out your pictures and wow... professional quality or what! Super awesome job!

 

The sweet little ducklings are my favourite! I've always had a weakness for cute adorable ducklings. When DH and I go out in the Spring to watch all the duck babies, I never want to leave.

 

 

Thank you! 

 

I'm going to make another post about a birding site you might like on FB.  My birding buddy started it.  :0)  

 

But I have to go find the link.  

[Pink Elephant]

Well, the bird feeder is across the yard, and I've been having trouble making out the markings on the various sparrows that have visited. And I was sure I saw a house wren this morning, but couldn't get a good look! I went to this website http://www.birding-binoculars.net and got a little help. The binoculars I got were pretty inexpensive (I am just a beginner), but recommended on this website. And got almost 5 stars on Amazon.

 

Having a set of binoculars to ones name definitely makes for easier bird-spotting and identification. There is so many times I see a bird in a distance but without binoculars, I'm at a loss as to identifying it. I can't wait to get a pair, and after seeing your post as to ordering a pair, you've given me inspiration to start looking for a pair for myself!

[DaffodilDreams]

KrissiK, we have Bushnell binoculars, and they've served us well. Good choice!

[Pink Elephant]

Thank you! 

 

I'm going to make another post about a birding site you might like on FB.  My birding buddy started it.  :0)  

 

But I have to go find the link.  

 

I can't wait! I wish I had the talent you do when it comes to taking pictures. Absolutely magnificent! Keep up the great work, Patty!

[-M-]

On the subject of the dark-eyed junco, I offer the following....

 

In her paean to birding, Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds, Lyanda Lynn Haupt writes:

 

There is a game birders play on New Year’s Day called “Bird of the Year.†The very first bird you see on the first day of the new year is your theme bird for the next 365 days. It might seem a curious custom, but people who watch birds regularly are always contriving ways to keep themselves interested. This is one of those ways. You are given the possibility of creating something extraordinary — a Year of the Osprey, Year of the Pileated Woodpecker, Year of the Trumpeter Swan. This game is an inspiration to place yourself in natural circumstances that will yield a heavenly bird, blessing your year, your perspective, your imagination, your spirit. New year, new bird.

 

After her breathless anticipation, Haupt is confronted with… an Eastern Starling, or “sky-rat.â€

 

Year of the Eastern Starling. Inauspicious, yes, but not without its charms, according to Haupt.

 

When I first read about Haupt’s charming birding game, what, seven? nine? eleven? years ago, I resolved to play on every January 1 remaining to me. Imagine my delight at espying a dozen of our dark-eyed junco friends beneath the feeders last New Year's Day. I hope for the same again tomorrow.

 

And on the subject of backyard birding, here is my list:

 

American Crow
American Goldfinch
American Robin
Baltimore Oriole
Black-capped Chickadee
Blue Jay
Chipping Sparrow
Common Grackle
Cooper’s Hawk
Dark-eyed Junco
Downy Woodpecker

Eastern Wild Turkey
European Starling
Hairy Woodpecker
Hermit Thrush
House Sparrow
House Wren
House Finch
Indigo Bunting
Mourning Dove
Northern Cardinal
Northern Flicker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Red-tailed Hawk
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Sharp-shinned Hawk
White-breasted Nuthatch

 

My middle child taught herself to read using / memorizing bird identification guides and birding texts, and when we moved from Chicago to this tiny town on the prairie in 2004, it was largely because she and her sister wanted birds and trees in their own backyard.

 

One of my goals for 2015 is to (finally!) complete the home study course I began through Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Speaking of the Lab, the same daughter and I are registered for the "Understanding Bird Behavior" webinar next week. Anyone else?

[gaillardia]

The bluebirds have been hanging around for a couple of months, I thought they migrated further south. We have the usual, juncos, crows, sparrows.

Two years ago in the fall we got to see for more than 20 minutes a heavy migration of hawks. I had never seen a thing like that, it was as if they were evacuating the planet. There were truly thousands. They were up very high but a few came down lower to rest or eat then quickly went back up into the lines of hawks.

 

Question for the day: when there are so many, what do we call that? We've got covey of quail, flock of geese, etc., but what about hawks?

[Pink Elephant]

On the subject of the dark-eyed junco, I offer the following....

 

In her paean to birding, Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds, Lyanda Lynn Haupt writes:

 

There is a game birders play on New Year’s Day called “Bird of the Year.†The very first bird you see on the first day of the new year is your theme bird for the next 365 days. It might seem a curious custom, but people who watch birds regularly are always contriving ways to keep themselves interested. This is one of those ways. You are given the possibility of creating something extraordinary — a Year of the Osprey, Year of the Pileated Woodpecker, Year of the Trumpeter Swan. This game is an inspiration to place yourself in natural circumstances that will yield a heavenly bird, blessing your year, your perspective, your imagination, your spirit. New year, new bird.

 

After her breathless anticipation, Haupt is confronted with… an Eastern Starling, or “sky-rat.â€

 

Year of the Eastern Starling. Inauspicious, yes, but not without its charms, according to Haupt.

 

When I first read about Haupt’s charming birding game, what, seven? nine? eleven? years ago, I resolved to play on every January 1 remaining to me. Imagine my delight at espying a dozen of our dark-eyed junco friends beneath the feeders last New Year's Day. I hope for the same again tomorrow.

 

And on the subject of backyard birding, here is my list:

 

American Crow

American Goldfinch

American Robin

Baltimore Oriole

Black-capped Chickadee

Blue Jay

Chipping Sparrow

Common Grackle

Cooper’s Hawk

Dark-eyed Junco

Downy Woodpecker

European Starling

Hairy Woodpecker

Hermit Thrush

House Sparrow

House Wren

House Finch

Indigo Bunting

Mourning Dove

Northern Cardinal

Northern Flicker

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Red-tailed Hawk

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

Sharp-shinned Hawk

White-breasted Nuthatch

 

My middle child taught herself to read using / memorizing bird identification guides and birding texts, and when we moved from Chicago to this tiny town on the prairie in 2004, it was largely because she and her sister wanted birds and trees in their own backyard.

 

One of my goals for 2015 is to (finally!) complete the home study course I began through Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Speaking of the Lab, the same daughter and I are registered for the "Understanding Bird Behavior" webinar next week. Anyone else?

 

Great post, MM!

 

Not far from where we live, in a river valley, Osprey's can be found again, but for the longest time the Geese had taken up residence in their nests that had been so long ago vacated. It's nice to see the Osprey's back again.

[KrissiK]

Mental Multivitamin..... I love that idea! I am going to do it. What a timely suggestion, since we can do it tomorrow! My prediction is that it will be a White-crowned sparrow, although if I get up before dawn and go walking I could probably find an owl. We live by the river and have lots of owls in our subdivision. I was out walking once and found myself in the middle of a conversation between a trio of owls, each perching at the top of his or her own redwood tree. It was magnificent!

[-M-]

Great post, MM!

 

Not far from where we live, in a river valley, Osprey's can be found again, but for the longest time the Geese had taken up residence in their nests that had been so long ago vacated. It's nice to see the Osprey's back again.

 

I was able to add the osprey to my life list on a trip to New York nine or so years ago. Gorgeous.

 

This time of year, we like to "eagle hunt" along the river. *smile* We saw one on the way home from Chicago yesterday. Magnificent.

[Pink Elephant]

Krissi and MM. Sometimes I wish I had unlimited time to loose myself in the wilderness doing trail-walks, etc. I always arrive back home again revitalized and full of wonder, not to mention relaxed and free of pent-up stress.

 

Even so, there are times I arrive home from shopping and contending with lineups, etc, yet within a few seconds after sitting quiet and watching the birds play and sing, my troubles and stress melt away.

 

There's something so meditative about watching wildlife.

[-M-]

Krissi and MM. Sometimes I wish I had unlimited time to loose myself in the wilderness doing trail-walks, etc. I always arrive back home again revitalized and full of wonder, not to mention relaxed and free of pent-up stress.

 

Even so, there are times I arrive home from shopping and contending with lineups, etc, yet within a few seconds after sitting quiet and watching the birds play and sing, my troubles and stress melt away.

 

There's something so meditative about watching wildlife.

 

Just for you, Pink Elephant....

 

From Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study:

 

In my belief, there are two and only two occupations for Saturday afternoon or forenoon for a teacher. One is to be out-of-doors and the other is to lie in bed, and the first is best. Out in this, God's beautiful world, there is everything waiting to heal lacerated nerves, to strengthen tired muscles, to please and content the soul that is torn to shreds with duty and care.

[Pink Elephant]

Just for you, Pink Elephant....

 

From Anna Botsford Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study:

 

In my belief, there are two and only two occupations for Saturday afternoon or forenoon for a teacher. One is to be out-of-doors and the other is to lie in bed, and the first is best. Out in this, God's beautiful world, there is everything waiting to heal lacerated nerves, to strengthen tired muscles, to please and content the soul that is torn to shreds with duty and care.

 

How lovely is that. Thank you, MM.

[Wheres Toto]

Cardinals, finches of various types, nuthatches, woodpeckers, chickadees, sparrows, blue jays, morning doves, and tufted titmice are the most common feathered friends at this time of year.  A red tailed hawk also visits from time to time. 

 

These are our usuals too.   We also get downy woodpeckers, red headed woodpeckers and once we had a pileated woodpecker. Evidently they are very shy and hard to see but he got stuck in our garden (we have a fence over most of it to keep out deer). 

 

Robins, grackles, blue birds, hummingbirds, cowbirds, catbirds, redwing blackbirds, grosbeak, goldfinch.

 

I have a Pinterest board where I put pictures of some of the birds we see. https://www.pinterest.com/dottieanna29/view-from-my-backyard/

 

My grandparents and father were/are HUGE bird watchers.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I was at a local park with some non-birder friends.  I said "Oh, look!  There's a red-winged blackbird!"  My friend laughed and laughed and said "That's a funny name you made up.  I wonder what it's really called?"  I told her that really was what it is called and she's lucky I didn't see a yellow-bellied sapsucker!

[Sherry in OH]

The bluebirds have been hanging around for a couple of months, I thought they migrated further south. We have the usual, juncos, crows, sparrows.

Two years ago in the fall we got to see for more than 20 minutes a heavy migration of hawks. I had never seen a thing like that, it was as if they were evacuating the planet. There were truly thousands. They were up very high but a few came down lower to rest or eat then quickly went back up into the lines of hawks.

 

Question for the day: when there are so many, what do we call that? We've got covey of quail, flock of geese, etc., but what about hawks?

 

A cast. http://baltimorebirdclub.org/gnlist.html

 

I’ve seen a crows take down a dove.  They are well named a murder.

[Guest]

If you are interested in seeing the photographs of my birding buddy, and of more than 800 other people, take a look at The Birder Nation on FB.  It says it is a closed group, but all that means is that you have to ask to join.  It's "open" for membership; closed to keep it from getting spammed.

 

My birder buddy started the page, and he is so encouraged when people show interest in it.  He has had a number of his photos used by Cornell as "the" picture for a given species.  Not bad for age 17.  

 

:0)

 

 

[Pink Elephant]

These are our usuals too.   We also get downy woodpeckers, red headed woodpeckers and once we had a pileated woodpecker. Evidently they are very shy and hard to see but he got stuck in our garden (we have a fence over most of it to keep out deer). 

 

Robins, grackles, blue birds, hummingbirds, cowbirds, catbirds, redwing blackbirds, grosbeak, goldfinch.

 

I have a Pinterest board where I put pictures of some of the birds we see. https://www.pinterest.com/dottieanna29/view-from-my-backyard/

 

My grandparents and father were/are HUGE bird watchers.

 

Pileated Woodpeckers can be quite destructive if they hit upon a tree they are determined to mine with that big powerful beak of theirs. Neighbours of ours had to selectively prune severely damaged limbs on two of their trees, because the limbs had been destroyed to the point of being a concern over disease.

 

Thank you for the Pinterest link!

[Rachel]

I just saw my first bird of the year today.  We normally have dozens of little birds in our backyard while I eat breakfast but this morning there wasn't a single one.  I stood by the back door trying to figure out why there wasn't even a squirrel hopping on the branches when I saw a large bird about 100 yards away on a lone tree.  I couldn't tell if it was a hawk or owl (it's a little late in the morning for an owl) so I grabbed my binoculars.  I still wasn't sure and was about to head upstairs to see if I could get a better look when one of my kids shouted out the window and caused it to stir.  It flew to another tree and was definitely a hawk, a red tailed hawk.  When it flew to the other tree I realized there was a second one out there too.  That explains why all the little birds and squirrels were hiding.  My husband said that the 2nd one had actually been in the tree right by our playset 20 minutes earlier.  I've seen many hawks in the area but never in our yard.  Is it bad that I hope they get the mice and rabbits (that keep eating my blueberry bushes) but leave the birds alone?

 

Are we keeping a 2015 list somewhere?  I'd be happy to start a social group is that's what others want to do.

[Pink Elephant]

The bluebirds have been hanging around for a couple of months, I thought they migrated further south. We have the usual, juncos, crows, sparrows.

Two years ago in the fall we got to see for more than 20 minutes a heavy migration of hawks. I had never seen a thing like that, it was as if they were evacuating the planet. There were truly thousands. They were up very high but a few came down lower to rest or eat then quickly went back up into the lines of hawks.

 

Question for the day: when there are so many, what do we call that? We've got covey of quail, flock of geese, etc., but what about hawks?

 

I've never before witnessed a Hawk migration. We do see a Hawk or two on occasion, but typically they hunt away from our home and that suits me just fine, though one did startle me one day by flying right over-head in pursuit of prey.

 

I often refer to organized groups as gatherings.

[Pink Elephant]

I was at a local park with some non-birder friends.  I said "Oh, look!  There's a red-winged blackbird!"  My friend laughed and laughed and said "That's a funny name you made up.  I wonder what it's really called?"  I told her that really was what it is called and she's lucky I didn't see a yellow-bellied sapsucker!

 

LOL! I remember as a kid thinking the name, Yellow Warbler, was funny!

[Pink Elephant]

If you are interested in seeing the photographs of my birding buddy, and of more than 800 other people, take a look at The Birder Nation on FB.  It says it is a closed group, but all that means is that you have to ask to join.  It's "open" for membership; closed to keep it from getting spammed.

 

My birder buddy started the page, and he is so encouraged when people show interest in it.  He has had a number of his photos used by Cornell as "the" picture for a given species.  Not bad for age 17.  

 

:0)

 

That sounds lovely, Patty! Thanks for that.

 

What a credit to your friend Re: Cornell using pictures of his!

[Laura Corin]

My first bird of the year this morning was a blue tit.  That's fine as a bird of the year: busy, domestic, but light on its wings.  We always have at least one pair that nests in a safe box high on the garage.

 

L

[Pink Elephant]

I just saw my first bird of the year today.  We normally have dozens of little birds in our backyard while I eat breakfast but this morning there wasn't a single one.  I stood by the back door trying to figure out why there wasn't even a squirrel hopping on the branches when I saw a large bird about 100 yards away on a lone tree.  I couldn't tell if it was a hawk or owl (it's a little late in the morning for an owl) so I grabbed my binoculars.  I still wasn't sure and was about to head upstairs to see if I could get a better look when one of my kids shouted out the window and caused it to stir.  It flew to another tree and was definitely a hawk, a red tailed hawk.  When it flew to the other tree I realized there was a second one out there too.  That explains why all the little birds and squirrels were hiding.  My husband said that the 2nd one had actually been in the tree right by our playset 20 minutes earlier.  I've seen many hawks in the area but never in our yard.  Is it bad that I hope they get the mice and rabbits (that keep eating my blueberry bushes) but leave the birds alone?

 

Are we keeping a 2015 list somewhere?  I'd be happy to start a social group is that's what others want to do.

 

Though I've never witnessed an attack, we have friends who have, and they said it was utterly amazing how adept Blue Jays are at avoiding capture.

 

Due to the Hawks size, they don't have the maneuverability as smaller birds do, so in the case of the Blue Jays, our friends mentioned how the Jays stayed safely in the tree, staying completely calm, and hopped from lower branch to higher branch, lib to limb, again and again, until the Hawk moved on.

 

I would have loved to witness such an event.

[Pink Elephant]

My first bird of the year this morning was a blue tit.  That's fine as a bird of the year: busy, domestic, but light on its wings.  We always have at least one pair that nests in a safe box high on the garage.

 

L

 

This is our next step, building a few houses for the little ones.

 

It's still dark here so nothing to note as far as the first bird of the year goes, but my guess is either a Mountain Chickadee or Red-Breasted Nuthatch will be the first. We also have what looks to be a Song Sparrow that visits daily.

[Laura Corin]

This is our next step, building a few houses for the little ones.

 

It's still dark here so nothing to note as far as the first bird of the year goes, but my guess is either a Mountain Chickadee or Red-Breasted Nuthatch will be the first. We also have what looks to be a Song Sparrow that visits daily.

 

We have about four tit boxes and two for wrens, etc.  I have to resite the latter, however - the birds need more shelter to feel safe from the local corvids.

 

L

[Sherry in OH]

My first bird was a sparrow.  A whole host flew in together.  They were probably chipping sparrows but could have been tree or swamp sparrows.  A pair of cardinals joined them at the feeder. 

[Pink Elephant]

We have about four tit boxes and two for wrens, etc.  I have to resite the latter, however - the birds need more shelter to feel safe from the local corvids.

 

L

 

Do the birds regularly use the safe boxes you have? How about seasonal changes in the way the birds use them, or the frequency they use them, as in do you notice any changes as to them vacating the safe boxes at certain times of the year or during certain months?

[Pink Elephant]

My first bird was a sparrow.  A whole host flew in together.  They were probably chipping sparrows but could have been tree or swamp sparrows.  A pair of cardinals joined them at the feeder. 

 

Sparrows and Finches are so fun to watch!

[Laura Corin]

Do the birds regularly use the safe boxes you have? How about seasonal changes in the way the birds use them, or the frequency they use them, as in do you notice any changes as to them vacating the safe boxes at certain times of the year or during certain months?

 

They tend to start visiting them in the winter, then they nest in them, so they use them for the one or two clutches of eggs that they raise.  They are probably empty by June each year, I would guess.

 

L

[Pink Elephant]

They tend to start visiting them in the winter, then they nest in them, so they use them for the one or two clutches of eggs that they raise.  They are probably empty by June each year, I would guess.

 

L

 

Thanks for the insight, LC! I cherish the thought of having a few nest boxes or actual birdhouses out for our little guys.

[Lady Florida.]

Though I've never witnessed an attack, we have friends who have, and they said it was utterly amazing how adept Blue Jays are at avoiding capture.

 

 

 

The blue jays here are the alarm system for all the other birds. Usually when I hear them screeching loudly, if I look outside I'm almost guaranteed to see a hawk nearby.

 

My first birds for 2015 are common ones - The first one I saw was a mockingbird. The first one I heard was a mourning dove, before I got up.

[Pink Elephant]

The blue jays here are the alarm system for all the other birds. Usually when I hear them screeching loudly, if I look outside I'm almost guaranteed to see a hawk nearby.

 

My first birds for 2015 are common ones - The first one I saw was a mockingbird. The first one I heard was a mourning dove, before I got up.

 

Here, too... though ours seem to forever be screeching. LOL!

 

First bird spotted for the New Year is my little Song Sparrow friend.

[KrissiK]

This will be The Year of the Hummingbird. I can see the feeder from my bed and as I opened my lazy eyes at 8:00 this morning I saw a sweet little hummer at the feeder.

[KrissiK]

Sparrows and Finches are so fun to watch!

The most fun I had watching birds was at my mom's house. She'd just turned off the lawn sprinklers and there was a puddle and there was at least 8 or 9 little birds just splashing and drinking and fluffing their feathers in this puddle. It was the sweetest thing I'd ever seen.