A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity The Bird Lovers Forum New arrivals 2008

I saw my first new arrivals, the American Robins back in January. Then a week or so ago, I saw a vireo. I think it was a Yellow-Throated Virio, but I couldn't get a picture.

Yesterday the first Red-Winged Blackbirds showed up:



They came back in greater numbers today. I saw as many as 6 at one time.


These are all males, the females will arrive later.

Also yesterday, I saw my first warbler. I had to look it up in my Audobon Field Guide. It looks like an immature Bay-Breasted Warbler.

Today, I saw my first Grackle, probably a Common Grackle. I had been taking pictures of a female Northern Cardinal when all of a sudden there was the Grackle in the view finder of my camera. I was too surprised to get the shot, though.

However, I had another new arrival, the Fox Sparrow. Actually, it was a pair of them.

That Warbler is most l;ikely a Palm, Pine, or Prairie Warbler this time of year. It's a bit early for any aother type of Warbler. I would say that it is a Pine Warbler. OK, I just checked Sibleys. That IS a Pine Warbler. Note the yellow spectacles around the eyes, faint olive streaking on the sides, and white belly and undertail coverlets. That, and the fact that the Pine and Yellow-Rumped Warblers are the only Warblers that are found in the Eastern US in Winter, means that that IS a Pine Warbler. Bay-Breasted Warblers will probably not pass through on their way to Canada until Late April or early May.

Ahhhh! Yes, I had seen Pine Warblers before, but when I'd seen them on my vacation to Fairystone State Park fall before last, they had seemed much longer and leaner like the picture in my Audobon's. That's why I dismissed the idea.

The brighter yellow shadings on the neck, throat, and near the eye match up perfectly. Pine Warbler it is! I guess this one was all fluffed out and fattened up for the cold.

Thanks Thornius!

Here's a shy Eastern bluebird I photographed yesterday on top of my rain gauge next to the bluebird house.


He's been house-hunting with his lady the last couple of weeks. I need to move his house as it's in a dangerous spot on the clothesline pole as you can see in the topic "Birdwatchers anonymous". Cats aren't the only problem either, 5 or 6 years ago, a Black Snake actually head it's head through the hole of the nest box, before I was able to intervene. The parents were making quite a ruckous.

I have a pole set up nearby, I just need to get a couple of pipe straps to attach the nest box with.

Oops, that was supposed to go into "This mornings birds"

I see warblers all the time in my area& red winged blackbirds too since I live in an area with wetlands nearby.

I was able to get my first pictures of the grackles today.


Also this morning, the first female blackbird showed up.

Yesterday, I saw my first Northern Flicker of the year. I took 2 pictures, but it was too far away. They didn't turn out good.

I have yet to get a picture of a Northern Flicker. I see a lot of them but never have a camera.

I'll get a better picture later, this was the best I could do at the time. This guy didn't want to sit still for an instant, and Taboos decision to jump up on the back of the couch to join me by the window was disastrous for my photo attempts.

My first Rufous-Sided Towhee of the year!

I saw my first Brown Thrasher yesterday at my mom's. No camera though.

Today, I saw my first Chipping Sparrow. Was almost ready to take a shot, but a Junco chased it away.

I took my first picture of a Northern "Yellow-Shafted" Flicker. It's still not a great shot, he was way up in the top of my oak tree.



Here are my first Rufous-Sided Towhee pics.



You can see his red eye in this next one.

Errrm, Terry, The official name of the Rufous-Sided Towhee has been changed to Eastern Towhee. (I still like Rufous-Sided Towhee, better.) That's a Male by-the-way. The Female is brown all over with NO black on her but looks the same otherwise.

I think you told me that last year. The thought was triggered this morning, I thought by my Yellow-Shafted Flicker pic, but I couldn't remember what bird's name had changed.

Spotted my first Brown Thrasher out my window today. I kept cutting it's tail off!

That's him! Now just wait till you hear him sing!

I think I have, he has quite a repertoire doesn't he? I guess that's not surprising as he's a relative of the Mockingbird.

It's not just the repertoire, It's the tonal quality of the voice. They have a higher pitched, more metallic, more bell-like quality to their voice than does the Mockingbird. ALso, they don't really imitate anything as does the Mocker, they INVENT each phrase that is UNIQUE to them. They also repeat each phrase TWICE, whereas the Mocker repeats each phrase over and over again. Brown Thrashers initially sound like Mockers, but when you stop and listen for awhile, you realize that they are nothing like Mockers.

I like Thrashers and Mockingbirds too, but for some reason, Mockingbirds don't hang out here. I've only seen one once on my property although I saw one at one of my neighbors' also.

Here's my first Chipping Sparrow photos from this morning. Yesterday, I had 4 different types of sparrows at my feeders: Chipping, Song, White-Throated, and Fox. Thankfully, I don't get House Sparrows here.

Hes cute.
Your a good birder.

Now go get a frog . Ours were out full blast today. It was raining an all fog.
I have them on another page .

Oh, yeah? Well I got yor House Sparrers right cheer, Baby!

You are a good birder. Does that make you a cuckoo?

Sparrow has its own bird bath too/////Very nite.

wonder if I'll have any woodpecker left come spring...my dog hates those and everytime I go outside there are yellow and black feathers all over the place...then later I find the beak

oh my. You'd think the bird could get a way from a dog. What's the woodpecker doing on the ground anyway?

I have no idea, and the dog can't climb, she's got a mentel brace in her leg and can barley climb steps, she does okay running, bet the bird was eatting her dog food

Hopefully your other birds were watching and will stay away from the dogs food.

she can have all the black birds she wants, I came in a week ago and the entire yard was covered in black birds.

I hope she doesn't get a red bird, they are so pretty.

maybe she's a bird dog

she's a mutt....mixed, could be, hubby says grayhound the way she runs

From your description, your woodpecker is a Northern Flicker, the Yellow-Shafted sub-species. Although they ARE Woodpeckers, their diet is mostly ants, which they probe for on the ground. They should be technically called "Ground"pecker, I guess. Also, your dog caught it because it DOES feed on the ground. The Yellow-Shafted subspecies have feathers with the hard, quilled, shaft, colored yellow, hence the name, and hence the yellow and black feathers on the ground. There is also a Red-Shafted Species that is found in the Western U.S. and Canada. Otherwise, they are the same bird.

Yesterday, I saw my first Cowbird and then this morning what I think were 4 female Cowbirds.

I finally got my first decent picture of a Yellow-Shafted Northern Flicker yesterday.

Last week, when Thornius posted a picture of his Northern Mockingbird, I attempted to post a reply, but after previewing it, apparently never went back to submit the post.

Any, when I was still at home and we lived down in Franklin County, we always had Mockingbirds. It was great fun watching them dive bomb the cats and making them run.

But since I've lived where I am now, I had never seen a Mockingbird until a year or two ago, and then only the once. Now, after posting that (or attempting to), on Saturday I saw 2 of them out in my garden. I didn't see them yesterday, and assumed they had moved on, but again today I saw 2 again. I was out at my car and saw movement out of the corner of my eye. There was a Mockingbird barely 10 feet away from me in my Dragon Lady holly and another in one of my lilac bushes not much farther away. I hope they stay around.

All these pics are from Saturday:





These first 3 pics I believe are a female. The form of the bird is rounder and softer: more feminine.

I think this one is a male. He's bigger and bulkier: more butch. AND he's got that gleem in his eye that says "Hey baby, know what I'm thinkin' about?"

Sheri, I think your Mockingbird was a female and it looked different to me, because I had the picture of a male Mocking bird in my mind.

Do you think I'm right about these 2 birds Thornius?

Mockingbird sexes are identical but those two are definitely Mockingbirds. In birds where the sexes are identical the bulkier, larger ones MIGHT be the males. It's hard to say. Mockingbirds LOVE suet and Apples and Peanut butter. put out plenty of these to keep the Mockingbirds around. I like to take apple slices and smear peanut butter on them and lay them on a platform feeder. Mr. Mocky really goes for these. Also if two Mockingbirds are together and NOT fighting They are a mated pair. Mockingbirds are very territorial and will NOT tolerate other Mockingbirds of the same sex as themselves, so if you see two cooperating together, one is a male and one a female.

I like the red headed one.