Daily Bird Pics #408

Yes, I will be putting stones in the water for the birds to get a foot hold. I was thinking of putting it on the ground but I have a large white planter that I had my tomatoes in, I was thinking of either putting the lid on top of it while it is upside down or just sitting the lid in the top, which do you think would be best? The trash is out of it of course, do you think it would be too deep if I set it in the top of the planter? Or should I turn it upside down and try to get it to stay on there?

Teddy, I have been thinking about this and probably the best thing is you to try and see which would be most stable. Unless you just a jumbo sized bird coming, you should be fine raising it off the ground with your planter.

Looking through my pictures, I just do not have a lot of wild birds right now. But I do have my ducks. They will use anything to bathe in when it's hot, like this overturned sand box lid filled with water from the sprinkler.

oh how cute!! I had a pet duck for awhile when I was a kid!

I haven't seen an adult male Baltimore Oriole for 2 days now. :(

I saw this oriole was sitting in the platform.....I was afraid that maybe it was injured so I pulled a chair within about 5 feet or so and stood up on it so I could see. Turned out it was fine....just the jelly dishes were empty!! It did give me a nice photo op though!

Really???

The spot on the chest intrigues me.....

I t was so nice to pose for me that I did go & fetch more jam for them!

Wonderful shots nanny!

Sweet ducks Chillybean!

Some pics from Santa Fe.

A Spotted Towee behind the casa last night.

A Pine Sisken at the Randall Davey Audubon Center.

A Canyon Towee at Randall Davey Audubon Center. Some of the trails are closed due to fire danger. The Nature Conservancy property across the road is closed too.

Sorry to hear some of trails are close. Red.
Nanny love your Oriole.

A Downy Woodpecker in the tree this time.

I love these little Black-capped Chickadees, they clean up the bug sin my trees. Especially the leaf miners.

Lots of Purple finches, don't know if this one is a female or a juvie.

The Goldfinch are showing sign of reproduction. Here's a couple.

The patrolling Robin.

And of course I still have Grackles. A juvie at the top of the stream.

Good ones, burn! Today's prize-- a Western Tanager. Also saw an interesting little flycatcher I've yet to i.d.

Same tanager teasing me. I missed a really close shot.

A Western Scrub Jay near Santa Fe. The tanager was up near Red River about 9,000 feet elevation in a pine/aspen forest.

Love that Western Tanager!

Sweet pics burn!

That is interesting, Resin. Cornell's online guide 'All About Birds' does not include the Woodhouse's Scrub Jay and neither does the reporting form on eBird. What's up with that?

Cornell list it as a regional difference:

Still interesting. Reading between the lines, it seems to say that Cornell doesn't consider them separate species. I understand these things are important to the scholarly study of birds, but my enjoyment comes from the watching birds and other creatures in their natural habitat. The labels man has attached don't matter a whole lot to me.

Here's one I bet not many folks have seen. It was sitting on a structure on one of the trails in the Randall Davey Audubon Center, Santa Fe.

Red, how hot is it there to go on the trails in the heart of summer? I'm heading out that way in few weeks. Just currious. Thanks for sharing those pics.

Lily, In the west the temperature depends greatly on your elevation. I was up around 9,000 feet yesterday and at mid-afternoon and the temp was 73. It has been 90 the past couple of days in Santa Fe, but dry air doesn't hold heat and the nights are cool. Around 60 in the morning. I'm sitting on the veranda and the cool air is wonderful. It's also the time of year that thunderstorms start appearing on the mountains in the afternoon. We are going up to Santa Fe Ski Basin this morning and do some hiking/birding before the rain comes. We love the wide open spaces of the west. You have the best of both worlds in Santa Fe-- a unique, sophisticated culture and wilderness a few minutes away.

Yes, I too like the open spaces of the West. Its beauty is rugged and natural. Have been out there for Hot Air Balloons festival, but haven't been on birding trails. Something perhaps I can explore on next trip.

Back East, it rains heavily since last night and hasn't stopped. Much needed rain. The Pekin ducks seemed happy before the rain arrived.

I wish I was there right now!

Very few orioles left here now and too hot to go out looking for anything else! I did hear a towhee and flicker this morning. Another shot of the oriole juvie.

Beautiful photos everyone. Interesting information on the Scrub Jay.

Here's one of my bald eagles flying by.

And an immature Brown-headed Cowbird.

One of my Hooded Orioles showing his colors.

One of our resident hummingbirds, she is now guarding the feeder, she thinks it is hers alone!

Enjoyed those orioles, duc! Our trip to the Santa Fe Ski Basin got cancelled. Same story-- fire danger. Half-way up the mountain, Hiway 475 was barricaded and closed. All the USFS land is closed. Hard to find a place to hike/bird. We went back to the Audubon Center and I got a few pics of 3 Ash-throated Flycatchers. Saw a pair of Cassin's Finches and the usual towees, goldfinches, siskens, chickadees.

A Pine Sisken splashing it up in a waterer.

Ash-throated Flycatcher.

Ash-throated Flycatcher in flight.

A male Lesser Goldfinch feeding on sunflowers behind the casa.

A little bit better picture.

Nice shots guys!!

Ooooohhhh.....The male Pileated has been here several times today. I thought he must have a young one to feed. And sure enough while we were having dinner he brought in a juvie!!! I wasn't able to get a photo of it. They are very skittish. But I will be watching and see if I can get them both!

Nice that you get to see the hummers on the branch there teddy. Red, the Pine Siskin in bath plash was so nice. But most of all. Nan. I'm SOOOOOOO excited to hear of your Pileated wp with his youngin'!!!! Looking forward to the pix.