A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Hobbies, Crafts and Creativity The Bird Lovers Forum Today's Birds (part 2)

I saw my first Brown Thrasher this morning! It was so pretty. I also (finally!) got to see a House Finch at my feeder today. The Eastern Towhee was out with his mate (i'm assuming!). I had 3 male Cardinals fighting at the feeder. Both my male and female bluebirds were here. And of course, my most regular visitor...the Chickadees and Titmice were here in between invasions of house sparrows.

And I'm not sure which woodpecker it was I saw out my bedroom window...it was either a Downy or a Hairy. I was looking through a flurry of snow from a distance, so it was difficult to tell exactly. But I'm thinking it was a Downy.

The snow has been falling since 9:30 this morning. Jiffy, I'm not sure exactly where Effingham County is...but Carroll is just inside the GA state line from Alabama where I-20 comes in. All the snow is probably why I have such a diverse number of birds today.

Annette

Snow brings birds out in DROVES to feeders. Snow on the ground is the BEST time to photograph birds for a multitude of reasons.

And it HURTS when Finches come out your Wazoo, Terry!

You think they are pretty to look at? Just wait till you hear one sing! It is like the voice of an angel! They SOUND like a Mockingbird at first (They're CLOSE cousins to Mockingbirds and Catbirds) but then you'll notice they are NOT imitating anything. They are singing UNIQUE phrases, always repeated TWICE, in clear, sweet, bell-like tones. They remind me of Alison Krauss' voice.

that top finch looks like he's trying to hang himself.

My daughter lives in Milledgeville, GA and it's been snowing there for a while too. She's so excited. Her husband is from Delaware so he's not sure why she's running from window to window.

I think all my birds are trying to stay out of the pouring rain which has now turned to pouring sleet. He's so cute all fluffed up.

I had a red-bellied woodpecker in the yard a few minutes ago. And I don't mean just in a tree in my yard. He was eating the sunflower seed on the ground that had spilled when I filled the feeder this morning. It was really cool to see the FRONT of a woodpecker for a change! LOL I also had a downy wooodpecker in the magnolia...so 2 different types in the same area, at the same time...kinda neat.

Annette

I filled all the feeders and put out peanut suet so everyone can have dinner in the cold.

Nothing like a bribing photographer.

Sheri what is the one with brown on it ?? Make a nice dog color.

he's hanging on for dear life

oh dodge, he's an Eastern Towhee

Ha ha funny way to set.One foot on each limb..

Maybe its going to the bathroom..
Towee tooie .

I think he was trying to keep from being blown away.

i CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

A Junco!!!! I have a Junco outside my window right now!!!! I've been wanting to see one, and now I have! I'm so tickled! LOL

My red-bellied woodpecker is back again today. He stayed all day (off and on) pecking at the same spot under the magnolia. He doing the same thing today. Why is that, do you think?

I had 4 male cardinals vying for the attention of a single female yesterday. It was rather funny to watch. They were evenly spaced around her on the ground. But if one got too close, the other 3 would make him back off. Then they would all stand sentry around her again. She acted as though they weren't even there! LOL

Hey, Thorn? I saw another *unidentifiable* yesterday, too. It was the size of a sparrow, but had a soild reddish-brown head, back, and wings with no markings that I could see. The underside was light colored with a few darker streaks/spots. I know it wasn't a carolina wren...it looked more like a sparrow in it's shape. Any ideas?

Annette

Maybe a Song Sparrow?

Here's a Song Sparrow I snapped yesterday.

This is Christopher Wren from yesterday.

It was taken through the storm door so I couldn't use the flash.

Also from yesterday. It's Rufous again.


This is my 5 in 1 shot. L to R--Cardinal Junco, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Goldfinch. I used my flash, but it doesn't work as well against bright snow.

Thats awesome
Everyone showed up.. Red cardinal too..

b

I see you have seeds on the snow. I feel like an accomplish to murder. My cat killed another bird today. A sweet carolina chickadee. Two days ago it was a male house finch.

Yes, I felt sorry for the birds yesterday since most of the seed was buried by the snow, so I scattered some BOSS and some cracked corn around.

My birds are a bit safer with the deep snow. It's harder for Taboo to catch them. No fresh kills here.

The birds have found my bird feeder. It didn't take them long at all. They have much about half of the seeds so far. I'm not sure what kind they are but I'm going to be studing the bird site here real soon. Not only to find out what the small ones are that are at the bird feeder but to find out what the flock of very large birds are that are roosting in the top of my trees this morning. I wish I had invested in a pair of binoculars already but I hadn't.

Take picture, TK. We'll tell you WHAT they are!

They look like some kind of hawk or eagle but predators don't flock do they?

Out at the feeder was a cardinal and a blue jay and the flock of finches. I don't know what kind yet.

And a crow that ran away all of the finches although the blue jay ignored him.

I don't know if they block TK, but when I have hawks hanging around, I have more than one.

They're most likely vultures Tammy. There are 2 local types. The Turkey Vultures have bare red heads like a turkey's. Black Vultures have bare black heads and white patches near their wing tips which you can see when they are in flight.

Vultures have a favorite roosting spot along the road I travel to work. One evening I spotted about a hundred of them circling in the sky approaching their roost.

You're kidding! You have vultures there as well? Having been watching these bird threads for a while, I am constantly amazed at how many bird types you have over there. I guess we have a lot as well, but I tend to not notice them as much, as they are not such a novelty. But you have a lot of very attractive birds over there. I guess the vultures don't fall into that category!

Vultures are very attractive. Vultures are found on most every country on earth. We have nearly 1,000 species of birds in North America. I have personally seen about 200 of those and am familiar with most of the others. Most every country on earth has certain kinds of birds, like Wrens, Woodpeckers, and Ducks. The Mallard Duck is NATIVE to EVERY Continent on Earth except Antartica. I can look at an Asian Wren or Woodpecker and IMMEDIATELY identify them as Wrens and Woodpeckers even though they are different species of Wrens and Woodpeckers from the ones in my yard.

this little bird was singing his heart out this afternoon






as soon as he saw me this is what he did

This Little Bird is a Northern Mockingbird.

I listened to him sing for about 30 minutes before I just had to get a picture. As soon as I snapped he flew away.

They have an amazing repertoire and they love to learn new sounds. You can whistle a new phrase at them and they will stop, [BLEEP] their head and listen as you repeat it, and then start trying to imitate it. I taught Mr. Mocky the opening phrase of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. That's how I call him to me and identify myself to him.

Thats truly amazing ....perhaps more than one bird can be taught to speak and sing?????
Just thinking?

Nice story SHeri/Thorn..

Exactly. At first I thought several birds were in that tree. He was up so high I had to go upstairs to find him. He was singing several tunes.

They imitate other birds perfectly. When we are birding in spring we listen carefully to each bird song to see if it changes. If the song changes, it is a Mockingbird. If the song remains the same (with apologies to Led Zeppelin), the bird is the Real Mccoy (with apologies to Grandpappy Amos and the girls and the boys). It is my theory that if you listen to a Mockingbird, and make note of what birds he is imitating, then that will tell you EXACTLY what birds have been in the area recently, and what birds to expect to find nearby.

Your certainly a dedicated birdman /women.

Ours seem to sing the same song over an over.. Drive me batty at times..

Starting this time of year through June, Mockingbirds, Robins, and Yellow-Breasted Chats (if you have them) often sing ALL night!

don't blame it on the birds dodge.

I've noticed at least 2 mockingbirds in my yard Thornius. Can't wait to get home.

Who do I blame it on? YOu ?