Daily Bird Pics # 400

This IS the intended pix.

To a corner of the garden where there is little traffic. The Brown Thrashers really like to perch in this area to hunt for insects. Sometimes, there are as many as 4, 5 of them here. One of their fav. perch.

Great pics guys!!

We reached near 90 degrees this week which is unseasonably hot for this time of year and the stress showed in the panting birds.

Common Grackle....

Panting Pileated Woodpecker...I wondered if he might come down and get a drink. But he didn't!

The number of Gray Catbirds have increased at the platform. This one was enjoying some orange!

This one preferred grapes!

I always enjoy thrashers,lily. Don't have any around my place. And who doesn't always get a thrill from seeing a pileated? Saw one briefly at the lake yesterday, but no pic opportunity.

We frequently walk by this 'bird' and thought I'd share. It's a bronze replica of a Steerman bi-plane commemorating the Navy base that was located here in WWII. It was cast by the Crucible Foundry here in Norman. One of my favorite sculptures. It looks life sized, but isn't.

This message was edited May 15, 2011 10:24 AM

This message was edited May 15, 2011 10:26 AM

A displaying male grackle.

I've been seeing a lot of Catbirds too Nanny.

Great shots everyone!

Some Canada goslings from the OU Duck Pond this a.m.

A pair of Western Kingbirds from across the pond.

Red, glad you took that drive. Love the tanagers and all the rest-nice job on your pictures! Awesome photo of that big yellow bird and love the grackle shot. The goslings are adorable and nice shot of the flycatchers.

Hack I always love seeing all the pretty birds you have there.

Burn, my swallows are allowing us to get up to 4 or 5 feet from them, but only when they're nesting on our decks. Great selection of birds at your place too. Love that grosbeak's colors.

Lily, I remember that how loud those cicadas can be, but think how nice it is for the birds to find food. I'll be surprised if that beautiful datura turns out like the parent plant. A friend just sent me seeds from one of hers. Funny how your thrasher is so much different from ours-seems like they should be separate species.

Nanny, love your birds. The one with the grape is so cute. I'm still trying to feed fruit here but the birds won't even try it.

Here's one of my House Finches.

This female House Finch was collecting blooms.

This Anna's Hummingbird didn't like the Goldfinch being in the birdbath.

I love seeing the younger Hooded Orioles. They seem to change colors overnight.

Cassin's Vireo sat still long enough for me to get some photos. I've only (very briefly) seen this bird once before.

Great shots duc! Love all your birds.

Cute goslings red!

duc has some cool birds. Yes, pelle, the goslings are cute. Too bad they grow up to be such nuisances.

Daddy.

neat statue red!

Very cool shot of the hummer & finch duc!

Tiger...very nice Vireo!!

I see this big bird in the bath often these days...a Gus Bird! lol

HA! a wanttobe bird, I suppose with the weather in the 90, Gus will need every drop he can get. Crazy weather, we're having.
Duc, your finch eats blooms too! I seen the Purple finch do the same thing in the fushia.
Tiger, great shot of your Cassin Vireo.
Red you have such a nice variety, the Bluebird is beautiful.

Goldfinch in full color.

A White-throated Sparrow enjoying the warm sun a few days ago.

A few male Purple Finches.

Scissor-tailed flycatcher.

I hope the members appreciate my efforts for this pic. It's difficult to focus on picture taking while you're being hit on the head by two angry mockingbirds. They have two eggs in their nest now. I may have to get a batting helmet or something to chronicle this nesting.

The male mockingbird on the red dirt hill behind the house.

Great shots everyone! So many wonderful birds.

I meant to post this the other day. It is the very first time that a male and female Red-bellied Woodpecker have been on a feeder together let alone being at the same feeding station. The males will normally drive the females away quite angrily. I think I have 3 pairs of these birds coming into the yard.

When I was down at my sisters house near the shore ( but in the woods ) I saw birds flying into the top edge of her front garage door. I told her they were nesting in there.
Yesterday she calls me and says as she was trying to close the garage door before leaving and it wouldn't close. She thought it was mulch or leaves stuck in the tracks.
Suddenly she spot's a large snake up there and then a second snake both around 5 ft. long. They had of course been up there eating the eggs or chicks. A lot of people came there to see them before wildlife management came to remove them. No one bothered to say what type they were for some reason or whether they were poisonous. She said they were grey with white stripes. The wildlife guy just put them both in the woods behind her house and said they wouldn't be back. Way too much excitement for her,lol.

wow. How in the WORLD did the snakes know there was a nest in the GARAGE!

Snakes are adept at detecting chicks in nests, they can smell, taste and detect the vibrations of cheeping birds.

One of the snakes was so swollen with birds that while the guy was trying to get him out of the track the belly got ripped open a bit. Yuck.

WOW.......GROSS!!! But if they got there the first time I would really worry about them coming back...just sayin'!

Red I appreciate your efforts!! I love mockingbirds....I didn't get one late this winter like I have the last 2 years.

Awful shot of a Hermit Thrush this morning......I just happened to look over towards the neighbors yard...or I would have missed it. The beak was a clue it was not one of our regulars so I grabbed the camera and shot. The morning sun is behind the bird so I am shooting right into the light...not good! lol

This message was edited May 16, 2011 4:28 PM

Sorry but I have to say I do not appreciate your efforts red. The fact that the parents were so upset that they were attacking you is a complete deal breaker for me.

If I thought that I was disturbing any bird even half that much I would back off immediately. No photo is worth upsetting them especially to that degree .

Here is a post from another site on this subject. I have had to soften some of the wording to be polite.

Bird nests are a different story. "Birds will abandon nests if disturbed early in the incubation process," says my friend Barb, a former zookeeper (no kidding) and bird expert. "It's not the scent of Homo sapiens that keeps them away, it's the foolishness of Homo sapiens for having disturbed them in the first place. Later in incubation, birds have a stronger bond to the nest, which increases when the young have hatched. However, some species are more sensitive than others. So please tell your readers to stay the heck away from all nesting birds, especially because they could be arrested if I ever catch them."

The full page on this can be found here. http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2287/if-you-handle-baby-birds-will-their-parents-shun-them

What about the accepted routine of inspecting bluebird boxes, pelle? Doesn't that upset the parents? It used to mine, but they are used to me now and don't fuss at all if I have the box open. I'll bet these mockingbirds raise healthy babies and are used to my presence before the summer is over.

Hi Red, We are not talking about inspecting nest boxes.

Some birds tolerate checking nest boxes much better than others (such as Bluebirds).

It's just not a good example for others that you would invade their space upsetting the parents to that degree risking possible abandonment of the nest just for a shot of eggs.

Have a good day.

Mockingbirds are known for their aggressiveness. Short of constant harassment, I doubt you could run one off a nest. I'm not going into detail about how I've had a plan to expose these birds to our daily routines since they started building this nest right next to our back door and patio. This ain't my first rodeo. The crows that feed daily on broadcast grain near their nest put a lot more stress on them than I do and they built on this site despite that and our activity.

BTW, Many male bluebirds will dive on nest inspectors. Mine used to but now is almost a pet. And these mockingbirds will be the same way. I'm teaching the male how to whistle.

Again we are not talking about nest boxes.

I've made my point with a statement from an expert and you have made your reply. The problem is that I don't want to see other people doing this just because of your post.

Red, If you want to talk to me further about this please contact me using D mail. :-)

Lets move on.

A steller's Jay making a full flap landing.

A scrub Jay also landing.

Male Black-headed Grosbeak heading for the suet.