We came from here
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1177406/
Saw a bluebird yesterday!!!!! I've probably seen eight or nine in my lifetime. The friend who was with me didn't see it and asked,"What's so special about seeing a bluebird?" Sigh.....
Judy----
Why did you open a new Thread after just 20-30 something Posts?????
Usually, this happens after about 200 Posts....
Just wondering.....We still were all talking about Birds.....
.Was anything out of context???
Gita
Sally, I "borrowed" your bird house pic as I don't have a picture of a bluebird. Maybe some one here does?
I'm also enjoying the company of a crow that perches on a dead branch in my favorite sit under and rest a spell tree. They sure are smart birds. I read somewhere that crows are able to identify individual human beings (friend or foe) and pass on that recognition to their offspring! I think I'm on the friend list ever since I put out some chunks of jalapeno cornbread followed by some blue berries and strawberries!!!
I see bluebirds at Kinder Park , coleup. Before going in the gate., turn left towards the athletic fields, and look for them near the bluebird house near the lake.
First ever bluebird for me was Jug Bay Wetlands Sanctuary- what a pretty bird they are.
Crows are smart.
I visited my sister in Richmond over the holiday weekend. She has birdfeeders and houses all over her yard and has 2 Bluebirds nesting in the houses. They are beautiful and I enjoyed watching them as well as the Cardinals and others.
I was sitting on the dock at the pond last weekend and an osprey circled and tried to land in one of the trees. I guess he didn't judge it exactly right, so he flew back up, circled, and came in for a second landing attempt. Still didn't work out, but the third attempt worked like a charm. The limb he landed in was about 30' from where I was sitting, so I had a pretty good view of his activities. He spent about an hour cleaning his feathers and getting situated, and then tucked his head under his wing and was in for the night. Pretty interesting to watch. He was still there when I got up in the morning, and then by 7:00 am he was gone. I've only seen an osprey one other time at the pond, but that was years ago, and he had just swooped in and snagged one of the rainbow trout! They are HUGE birds.
How Cool, What a great experience.
Great Terri!
We went paddling yesterday in the huge marsh off the Potomac at Indian Head. Several good sightings of great blue herons, in the trees or marsh, taking off or landing.
OK! Must think of something bird-related to mention.....
The other morning--about 5:30AM--as I was driving to work on a rather busy
road--there was this Buzzard chowing down on some remains that was hit by a car.
As my car approached--another car to my right went past me.
The Buzzard was right on the dividing line of the lanes on this road...
As the other car passed--at 50+ mph---it just jumped about a foot to the left--
towards me about to pass it.
He never flinches as I did! Just kept pickin at the remains of the road kill.
I did happen to see that he was a large bird--his wings semi-spread as he was
working on this dead thing.....
I thought--How brave of this Buzzard to almost pay NO attention to
cars driving by it at over 50mph.....
The road kill here is either squirrels--Coons--or Possums.....
Gita
Yes they amaze me next to roads, so do the crows. Seems like they just know that cars wil stay on one side of the line, but who told them that?
I heard a barred owl this eve ning, a rare thing in this neighborhood.
gold finch have found some sun flowers ready to eat, now when I approach the veg garden if I remember to go slow I can watch them
This forum has been so quiet... hellooooo... Or should I say cuckoooooooo :-)
Anyway, autumn is here and some birds are leaving us for the south. I wish the hummers were all gone for their own sake, but a few are still hanging around. Never thought they could make it through last weekend's cold nights.
I have no bird pics to post, but I do have two photos related to birds. This little chipmunk eats thistle seeds! I never knew chipmunks could climb thin metal poles. Anyway, he is a cute little guy.
Will post the 2nd pic in the next post (wish DG would allow multiple pics per post).
This message was edited Oct 5, 2011 10:34 AM
Who needs a circus when you have acrobatic squirrels!
Great shots donnerville!!! I've never seen a chipmunk off the ground.
LOL Donner we were just watching the squirrels at my Parents home on Monday they sure kept us entertained. Especially watching my Mom try to chase them away just to return only a minute later.
How about a few North Carolina birds.
Taking flight
Gone
I'm hearing chickadees a lot this week.
My Grandson says his Vermont bird friends are "Heading your way, Grandma"
What birds are they, Holly? They look like some sort of water birds. Lovely pics! Thanks for sharing.
The feeder we have is a pretty one, looking like a modern sculpture. The looks are totally ruined by our attempt at stopping squirrels from getting to the food. The yellow disc in the picture was a sign we bought from the Home Depot and the green thing was a plastic cutting mat. We tried a variety of other contraptions before this one. Although squirrels were frustrated by the new obstacle each time (hilarious to watch), eventually they always figured out how to overcome it.
They win every round :-(
Interesting, I didn't know they had birds in Atlantis. :-) Do they fly like puffins? Ric
I had to dump out the thistle seed my husband had put in a regular feeder by mistake. I thought maybe the birds might pick at it. Imagine my surprise when I came out to look at it next day and the entire pile was gone! the chipmunks probably filled their little storehouses full! Speaking of chippers, I have a squirrel-proof feeder, the kind with a surrounding cage, which kept them out just fine, but the chipmunks could shinny up the pole and climb into the feeder through the holes in the cage. I had to get a baffle for the pole!
I just looked closely at the thistle that sat out, ignored, in my feeder this summer. It was moldey and full of worms..... BLLLLEECCCHHH
I had to revive this old thread to share with you my excitement!
Coleup, I saw a "shiny cowbird" in my backyard! I actually saw two of them land briefly and fly away. I'm familiar with the common birds by now (blue jay, red throated woodpecker, oriole, cardinal), but I was so surprised at this bird's iridescent sheen and the dark body and dark blue head. I googled and shiny cowbird is the only one that fit.
And I looked it up in DG and came across your posting! This is so exciting, and strange that this South American native is now here in MD.
Cool, thats new by me.
I've been loving the bird songs with the spring mornings. House wren, though a pest bird, has a constant gurgling song these days. He makes several nests and then calls to get a lady friend interested.
Wrens are my fav :-)
We saw a grosbeak last year, and again recently. Very exciting. We had to look online up and down to figure out what it was.
Awesome, Sally. I've only had them once that I know of. Its so exciting to see new birds!
Carolina wrens with the bold eye stripe are OK. House wrens, more dull coloration but elaborate song, are said to be nest predators, esp of bluebirds
Nuthatches are common for me but I didn't know that for a long time, till I learned how to hear them.
It has been a very long time--but a Mockingbird is back sitting on my neighbor's
old TV antenna on the roof.
Such lovely songs--never the same.......Gita
I think it's amazing you all can ID birds by sound. The only sound I can ID are the owls' hoos and the pecking of woodpeckers.
I also can't ID the females very well. They all look brown and plain to me.
Yes, Sally. I meant the Carolina wrens with white 'eye brows'. They are such good singers!
I don't think I have ever seen house wrens. Or maybe I just didn't notice them very much.
Hummers are also back. We put the feeder out later this year and have only seen a few of them so far.
One at a time, ssg- it took me awhile!
THe Carolina wren will come to my deck for crumbs, He/she is friendly and so cute!
Hope the hummer sees my Coral honseysuckle; I've been thinking how much they would like it.
Oh, mockingbird! That's the common bird I see everyday in my backyard! I don't think I've seen any carolina wrens, though.
ss It is exciting to spot and id a new bird!
The shiny cow bird I wrote about last year and you found the link to in your id search is back again this year! The shinys are much more loners than other cowbirds I've read about. Last year this one was a threesome, then a twosome and then a loner for most of summer. Loved to take baths in a hidden pool of standing water. Enjoyed it so much that instead of draining it I threw in mosquito dunks! This return bird her or him sits on the same branch and scolds me when I come into its territory. It sounds very close to the bird song I listened to last night here
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Shiny_Cowbird/sounds
Momma sitting on her eggs under the deck on our gas line to the bbq
Wow, you all take such wonderful pictures.
FlowAjen, what kind of a bird is that?
Mourning Dove
Mid-At bird experts, please help me identify a bird!
Today I saw a small bird feasting on the seeds (flowers?) of donnerville's Golden Jubilee agastache.
It was a small bird, but definitely not a hummingbird.
I couldn't get close enough to get a good look, but it had a dark edge to its wings. That is, the rest of the body was neutral colored, maybe beige or light brown, but the edges of the wings were possibly dark blue or dark brown.
I think the neck might have been more colorful (maybe yellowish?), but this bird just wouldn't let me take a good look!
finch?
Yeah, I was thinking maybe a juvenile goldfinch they definitely are seed eaters
Yipee! Thank you! I think juvenile goldfinch is it!
I thought I saw a bit of yellow there on its neck and also when it flew away. :)
Oh, and I did some googling after your tip, and found these pics:
http://www.pbase.com/hemlepp/finches
http://www.pbase.com/hemlepp/image/72194247
That's a great website for a newbie like me!
That second pic is exactly what it looked like. Thank you again!
