A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2006 Bird pictures.....

Love those Cindy. I am so looking forward to getting some. Someone here told me we are just getting into hummer season. I don't know how true that is, but we shall see.

Oh, YEAH!

They land on me now...and the Head Hummingbird fights off the others that land on me.

I love them!

Cindy

It's funny how if you watch them long enough, you can see personality traits. At first I had one female, then two, then three. They were there all the time for awhile, but I guess one of them told a male and now that little bugger sits in the tree and waits for the girls to show up. Then he chases them off. lol. I think they're working together now though. One of the girls lures him away while the other two sneak in.

I don't know their breed, but the girls all have green backs and the male does too, but he has a brilliant red throat. It almost looks like he has a bright red satin ribbon there. I do enjoy them and their shananigans.

I also have a lot of sparrows around. I know they're not people's favourite bird but I don't mind them. When I took that picture of the chickadee, I was holding the camera up and staying very still and suddenly a sparrow flew over and just perched on my arm! I guess they're pretty comfortable here too.

Unfortunately for one the next day, he flew into my window and knocked himself silly. I saw him sitting dazed on my deck so I picked him up and sat him on my counter by an open door. I was worried about a cat coming along while he was loopy and also wanted to make sure nothing was broken and he wasn't suffering. He ended up staying for about 1/2 an hour and then when the headache subsided a bit, he flew out. But not until I took a picture.



~Suzy~

SuzyQ. you are describing a Ruby-throated Hummingbird. I didn't know they got that far west but according to Sibley's bird guide, they do.

Aww Suzy....I'm glad you helped the little sparrow...you know I really don't mind them at all even though some people think they are nuisances.....I like watching them.

Cool pics Cindy. I bought another feeder, so now I have 3 hanging up in the yard too...My neighbor probably thinks I'm nuts, but I love watching them feeding at all of them and fighting over them.....

Well I just did some research and it looks like I got my feeder out right when I was supposed to for fall migration of hummers in my area. Here is what I found, we are considered the panhandle.

Four species of hummingbirds are found in Nebraska, one in the east and three in the west. Ruby-throated hummingbirds migrate through eastern Nebraska in spring and fall, and some nest here, mostly along the Missouri river valley. Typically, ruby-throat migration in Nebraska peaks about May 5-17 and September 2-18, but northward migration may occur from April to June and southward flights from August to early October. Broad-tailed and rufous hummingbirds are seen in the Nebraska panhandle during fall migration from late July to early September with most sightings in early to mid-August. Calliope hummingbirds are seen rarely in the panhandle area. These four hummingbird species spend winter in Mexico and Central America

Thanks Thornius! Ruby Throated Hummingbird. Who'd o' thunk it? lol

Triss, from what you said regarding migration, this must be one of the places they migrate to. I don't know why they'd want to come this far north, but sure am glad they do! I'll let you know when they leave so you can put your porch light on for them.

I finally got some really clear pictures this morning! YAY! This is the male showing off his fancy red sash. It shows the brightest when you see them head on.



But when they turn slightly, it seems to fade.



The downside of these photos is it shows how badly in need of paint my windows are! lol

~Suzy~

Awesome photos ya'll! I love all the pics.. even that squirrel was soooo cute!

Meg

I wonder if anybody knows what kind of bird this fella is. It's definitely some kind Woodpecker or Sapsucker, but I haven't been able to find a picture on the net with the real name. I thought at first it was one of my little chickadees because the colouring is similar, but then realized he was larger (and not quite as cute. lol). The rat-a-tat-tat on this dead treetrunk also gave him away.

Unfortunately I think these little buggers are responsible for the death of five of my birch trees over the last seven years, so I'm not feeling really close to them right now.

SuzyQ,
You have a White-Breasted Nuthatch there! They are fairly common in dense, old-growth forest and aften occur in pairs. Thay have a distinctive, "Yank! Yank!" call. Check out the pictures of them on Google Image Search, or their picture, information, and an audio recording of their call, on eNature.com.

And by the way, SuzyQ, they are NOT responsible for the death of your trees. Some other factor is responsible. They are NOT Woodpeckers or Sapsuckers , but like them are VERY beneficial for keeping your trees FREE of pests. A very nice and adorable bird to have around your house.

P.S. That's a male White-breasted Nuthatch. They have a black patch that runs from the back of their neck over their head to the start of the bill. The females have a gray cap on top of their head.

OH Thanks, Thornius! Okay, I like them now. lol. I smiled when I read the description where it said they're "usually seen creeping on tree trunks, head downward." Because that's how my picture was taken but I rotated it. lol. And it said "they often join mixed flocks of chickadees, woodpeckers..." Just before I snapped that one, a chickadee came over and the Nuthatch chased him off. AND not only that! There WERE two of them. You do know your stuff, Thorny! Thanks again.

You also solved another mystery for us. The sound they make. I have about an acre of bush and I hear that sound all the time in there, especially in the morning. I've always wondered who was making it.

There is something pecking at my trees though. They leave a real organized pattern in the trunks and I think the trees bleed out. They also wake me up pecking on my house outside the bedroom window every now and then too. It's cedar siding. Sounds like a noisy little construction crew. lol

Maybe I'll get a picture of one of those some day. I'm still trying to get close enough to my bright yellow American Finches before they leave but haven't had any success. Not yet anyway. They are really beautiful.

The bird that leaves the organized pattern in yout trees is a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. It drills a series of evenly spaced holes completely around a tree trunk, leaving parallel rings of holes in the trunks. It appears to do no damage to the tree. after a few days it returns to drink the sap and eat the insects that collect in the holes. Here in the Southeast U.S. we only get this bird in the Winter. Here is a picture of the bird AND the holes it makes in two different trees in my front yard. I took these pictures about a year ago.

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker


The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker strikes again

I found it! It's a Ladder-Backed Woodpecker. Still couldn't get close enough with my camera, but I found one online and I know this is it.



It's been raining here for almost two weeks and has finally stopped, so there must be quite a smorgasbord out there for all my feathered friends. While sipping my coffee this morning on the deck, these Woodpeckers were all over my backyard trees, along with the Nuthatches and Chickadees. And big old Red Breasted Robins scooping up the worms on the ground.

What a cool world this is. I wish I'd appreciated them all sooner. Unfortunately for now, I think my little hummers have skipped town. Haven't seen them for a few days. Oh well, something to look forward to next year.

I've never considered their migration habits before, so now I realize I'm lucky so many come here to nest.

Here's the very first bird picture I ever took. (Early this summer.) I thought they were Barn Swallows but when I looked them up, I see they're actually Cliff Swallows. They come every year and build their little mud condos under the eaves of my house just above my deck. It's a bit dark, but to get close I was hanging out an upstairs window shooting up into the air. lol. These were the first guys to tweak my interest.



Haven't seen them around for awhile either lately. Now I'm already looking forward to next summer.

~Suzy~

Suzy,

Have not seen many woodpeckers this year. I think they come later for us.

Hoping your hummers come my way to say hello. I still have just seen the one.

We have tons of barn swallows. They chase the dragonflies all over the place. Really cool to watch.

You are right, that is a Cliff Swallow, Good Job! Your Woodpecker may be a Downy Woodpecker, or a Hairy Woodpecker. They are identical in appearance, except, the Hairy Woodpecker is about 50% larger than the Downy Woodpecker and the bill on the Hairy Woodpecker is almost the length of the head, whereas the bill on the Downy Woodpecker is only about 1/3 to 1/2 the length of the head. Otherwise they are IDENTICAL in both appearance and behavior. They do NOT interbreed.

Suzy Q if you are really interested in birds, like I have been for 20 years, may I suggest you get a good set of binoculars. preferrably something with a 7 or 8 power of magnification. Most birders really on a 7X35 pair of binoculars. Buy the best you can afford. Prices run from $20 - $2000 U.S. I have several pairs that I use in the $20 to $100 price range. I have tried some $2000 pairs in the fieldand if I had the money I would buy a pair in an instant!!! Also get a good field guide. The best currently available is The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of North America.

Oh Geez! Looks like more homework for me. lol. Now I'll really have to try to get a shot of one and find out if it's Hairy, Downy or Ladder-Backed. Good, clean fun though, isn't it.

Hope you get a bunch of Hummers Triss. Your kids will just love them!

Looks like we were posting at the same time, Thornius. That's good advice! We also have deer and moose wandering around here and binoculars would be great to have. (Something else for my letter to Santa.)

I also see many hawks around here, but never close up. I'm amazed at how the other birds protect their young ones though. We have these black birds (picture to follow next summer) and they zip around the hawks, poking at their backs and just irritating them in general, I suppose to keep them away from their nests. Well that's what I think they're doing anyway.

I'll probably end up with permanent rings around my eyes and a stiff neck if I get some binoculars. lol

here are some bird forums I am a member of:

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=start&webtag=ab-birding

http://www.birdersworld.com/brd/community/forum/

The first forum is GREAT, much like this forum. the second one is slightly more academic but he people there are very kind and REALLY like to help beginners! They have GREAT bird photographers on the second site.

Thanks for the links Thorny.

I think you're right, Thorny. I think it's a 'Downy Woodpecker' I have. They were back this morning and I tried to memorize as much detail as I could but they didn't stay long when I opened the door. I noticed the bill was shorter and the bird was a bit larger than the Nuthatches. Now that I've seen this picture, I don't think it's a ladder-back anymore. I just didn't realize there were a bunch of similarly marked woodpeckers.

This morning I had these big old cranky Blue Jays hanging around too. They're pretty constant here, but what a racket they make!! lol. They come to steal the peanuts I leave for Merle the Squirrel. The other birds usually take off when the Blue Jays show up too. I guess they're just not quite in with the 'in-crowd' around here.

And while I'm on birds, I think a neighbour nearby got a Rooster! Luckily they're not right next door. lol

I LOVE Roosters! And by-the-by the proper name for chickens is, "Southeast Asian Jungle Fowl". NO FOOLIN'! Chickens were first domesticated in Southeast Asia and spread through trade to the rest of the world. As a matter of fact domesticated chickens reached South America SOMEHOW long before Columbus or the Vikings!

Earlier this month afgreyparrot posted 3 pictures of hummingbirds. The one in the middle looks like one that I have seen on my Butterfly bush this week. The one here has an upside down yellow triangle on it's throat. There is another one that seems to be dark green all over with no markings. My bird book has pages of hummers but I don't see them in it. It says Ruby throats are the only common one in my area but these don't have ruby throats. Any ideas?