DAILY BIRD PICS VOL. 397

In case you missed the last thread... http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1175640/

With arrival of more and more summer birds everyday things are really getting busy around my yard!

The Rose-breasted Grosbeaks were still around this morning. Although they are in the area during the summer, I usually only get them at the feeder when they first arrive. I think it is just too busy for them. And as much as they eat it may be best they don't visit all summer. I would go broke trying to feed them! lol

So this thread will start with summer birds that were all in the yard this morning!

This message was edited Apr 28, 2011 3:26 PM

The male Eastern Towhee came by for breakfast today...very nice surprise!

The Baltimore Oriole was checking what it is over here that has all the other birds so excited. The safflower seed didn't interest him! lol

The Gray catbirds showed up yesterday too.....It was big day here yesterday!!

Had a Brown Thrasher in the yard today......woo hoo!

And last but not least...this photo was taken yesterday...but he is still around and feeding frequently!

Ruby Throated Hummingbird!!

Wonderful start nanny! Glad your seeing new birds migrating in.

Duc, Lovely photos at the end of the last thread!

Wow Nanny...color me very jealous of all the summer birds you are seeing. I love them all but the Grosbeak steals my heart!!

Nice pics on the last thread too and Duc that Golden-crowned Sparrow is an awesome shot!!

FAB-u-lous start!!! I'm waiting for all those guys to show up for a few days too.

You have some good birds, nanny! A young Wood Duck hen.

And a mature drake. They were in the same area, but didn't appear to be a couple.

Wow great start with the Summer birds Nanny! What is the catbird eating in your feeder, Oranges? Oh and great Jay party on the other thread.
Can't wait to see that video Mrs-Ed. The males here are chasing the females, but it's a no no.

The Yellow-bellied Sapsucker was her this morning.

Great start Nanny! I love your Grosbeak and Oriole! I have never seen either one though I would love to!

Reddirtretiree... Great Wood Duck pair!

Burn... Love the Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers! So pretty!

Thanks you all!

Burn, I have oranges, grape jelly and red grapes on the platform. The catbirds seem to prefer the grapes. The robins found the grapes this morning so I will have to put out more now! I am going to try some apple and applesauce to this year after reading ducs post. Maybe some waxwings will come by too!

I saw something last night that just stunned me even though I have read about it! I have read that Pileated Woodpeckers do fall prey to hawks and we do have hawks around but I just never imagined I would witness an ALMOST successful attack on one in my backyard!

I was clearing dishes off the table and saw the pileated out on the tree at the suet feeder, so naturally I stopped to watch. I saw it look back and then throw up its wings to take off...in an flash there was a Red-tailed Hawk coming right at him...I was horrified!!!

The hawk did miss him thankfully then landed on the fence for just a few seconds. This is the Red-tailed we saw in our tree several weeks back now. It is very distinctive as it is a light version. I have heard it often so it seems to be staying in the area. I will not rest easy tho until the pileated shows up again.

This was taken Wednesday afternoon day out side. I was just on my way out for a walk when I heard his laughing so I new he was coming in so went around the side of the house and got a couple of quick shots. I didn't want to disturb him from getting food.


By the way...very jealous of red's wood ducks! :)

This message was edited Apr 29, 2011 10:34 AM

After being off for a few days for my birthday, and spending most of it outdoors, I've gotten lots of photos of different birds... just don't have them all processed yet.

Go back a few days for some CG goslings...

Sorry we cross-posted Nanny... but I always love your Pileateds!

More CG babies...

This is one of my faves... only the one on left is in focus becasue of the shallow DOF, but they were so cute running towards me!

Close up of a GBH...

And close up of a GH...

My first photo op with a Tree Swallow!

And checking in on my Osprey pair...
Doing well and sitting on eggs.
Mama is a bit thin though.

This is a new one for me... and I saw it in two different locations in the same day!

A Northern Rough-winged Swallow

I am very jealous of all of you and your summer birds. Not much variety here, way too many White Crowned Sparrows, I remember clearly how they clipped off all my cherry blooms 2 years ago and I did not get one cherry. It was a large tree, Rainier, and loaded with blooms.

Still have a lot of Goldfinches, but pretty expensive feed to have to share with the White Crowns and House Finches. So I am hoping soon to see a catbird, or even swallows, but none have shown up.

Donna

Good shots, rose. I haven't seen a Green Heron in OK this year. I'm luck to have a pair of Scissortails in the field behind the house. They are always out there, but always out in the open and on the move. Don't often let me get close enough for a good shot.

This message was edited Apr 29, 2011 1:21 PM

A Myrtle's Warbler at a local park.

Great start Nanny! You are so lucky to have all those great birds all summer. I had a hummer today but soon they will all be gone.

VA_Wild_Rose, BEAUTIFUL! Nice selection too.

Red, stunning duck shots and scissortails and just saw the myrtle -- lovely! Hope I'm not intrupting your posts.

Went to High Island yesterday. It was incredible! I got 8 lifers. There were so many warblers moving around in the bushes that you didn't know which one to look at! There were so many Magnolia Warblers around that people started saying things like, "oh that's just another magnolia." -- Seriously! Didn't get as many great shots as I thought and I'm having major computer problems, so haven't even gone through them all. Thought I'd share a few though.

Cape May Warbler. This was a lifer and I saw 3 of them! -- 2 males and 1 female.

White-tailed Kite with its catch. Three of us were looking at it with binoculars and a scope and none of us noticed the mouse. I didn't see it until I got home!

Another lifer -- a Bay-breasted Warbler. He was actually too close to me!

Summer Tanager.

As I said, Magnolia Warblers were everywhere and yet I didn't get a very good pic. There were so many that I didn't take enough shots to get a good one! I just started ignoring them like everyone else! This one is pretty good though -- the dappled sun is kind of hard on the eyes though.

I'll make this my last one. Another lifer -- a Western Kingbird.

High Island is an interesting place. Low key and not a lot of people, so my kind of place in addition to having some good birding. I'll visit again for sure. I put this pic from this morning of a Black-chinned Hummingbird on the Western HB thread, but thought I would post here as well. The literature shows OK out of range, but this is the third summer I've had them and I know folks are routinely seeing them in SW OK. I recropped this, but still has pretty good detail.

Elphaba, four lifer in one outing is amazing!!! Congratulation. Nice capture of the Kite.
Aww those CG babies are so adorable.congrats on the lifer to you too. Never seen a rough-winged Swallow. I will have to check and see if they are in my area.
Glad the Scissortail allowed you to get that close,Red. He's beautiful.
That would been quite a tragedy, if that Hawk would have gotten the Pileated. Nanny, they are rare sighting.

Hairy Woodpecker came around this afternoon.

Man-o-man! Look at you all go! Just great jobs, everyone.

An Evening Grosbeak watching from a Spruce tree.

More Purple Finch are arriving daily.

And the male PF.

A Brown-headed Cowbird near the pond.

We had 2 pairs of GB,so glad I saw the oriole photo .I will put the jelly feeder out.

Went down by the swamp yesterday. Lots of red winged black birds but they were too far away. This from about 200 feet.