Daily BIRD PICS VOL. 455

We came from here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1340395/

Here are some usual winter visitors. Blue Jay and Northern Cardinal.

Thanks!

Here's one of my usual winter visitors, a Redwing

Resin

Thank you Marna, for the new thread. Resin, I should have said the birds is common here and not very well liked. He's a mystery because he's so well hidden. There are 14 Doves, that we can see but the 15th one is completely covered by the one in front, but am not counting that one.

That sounds like a Starling.

Yes, It`s a Starling.

American Wigeon in Arkansas River
Just a Eurasian Collared Dove, but I thought photo turned out well

Oh those wigeons are so cute!!

Just a couple of pics of the Painted Buntings. The feeder is in the middle of a "jungle" bed this year and in shadows, making for not such nice shots as previous years, but am still enjoying taking special care of these beauties during their winter vacation in Florida.

The eagles are back...Unfortunately, the lookout at the dam is closed to the public so these pics were taken along the road that leads up to the dam. It looked like there were quite a few eagles out on the river, but couldn't get close enough to see!

A few more pictures of some of the visitors to our feeders!

Quagbe, if you are still around - RE Daily Pix 454 Post #9729473, Starlings with wing-bars:
I misidentified these as Starlings until I looked closer at the photos. This is four-and-twenty blackbirds, specifically Red-winged Blackbirds, all female and immature. The immature males will start to show wing-bars.

Last night, I forgot to bring in the suet cake from the feeder. If I don't, either a raccoon at night or a squirrel early in the am make off with it. I think a squirrel did the damage this time since it is mostly there but shredded.
Pine Warbler
Downey Woodpecker
White-breasted Nuthatch
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Carolina Wren

The birds took most of the day, but they cleaned it up nicely.
Pine Warbler
Tufted Titmouse
Yellow-rumped Warblers
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Dark-eyed Junco

Great pics! Great detail

Thanks pollengarden. I sure had fun watching them all.

Very nice, beclu.

Wow. love that collection of birds, Beclu.

Unrelated note: The cardinals have started their spring mating calls. LOVE that sound.

Thanks Burn and Marna. Today the YRWs are taking over the suet. They are even chasing away the woodpeckers. Amazingly feisty little birds. Its 26 degrees this AM.

Do they always start their mating call, this early, Marna?

Burn, I've been hearing them at the end of January and beginning of Feb for the past couple of years. I don't think I paid attention much before then. As each year passes, winters get harder for me psychologically, so I look for signs of spring!

Same here, Winter IS hard. Only sign that remind me of Spring here, is a White -crowned Sparrow, and I make sure he's well feed.

aww.
Are you having any Redpolls yet? I haven't seen any reports in Illinois.

No they didn't come down this year. I miss them. They bring so much life in the yard, when they're around. Sometime people that walk, will stop at the end of the driveway, to watch them eat.

I checked Ebird and there are hardly any sightings anywhere. Sigh.

Hi Mrs. Ed, Burn, and all my friends on this forum. Yike! This winter is taking a toll on us, as well as our feathered friends! It stays on the below freezing here for most part of the days. Ways tooooo cold.

I tried to keep my birds fed to withstand the cold. I've a few that just "camp" out by the feeder waiting for more.

Hope you will see some redpolls soon. I had a flock of chippings sparrows at the feeder this morning, but that's as close as we come to redpolls-look-alike down here.

Just a couple of "bird pics" to share.
1. Under the birdfeeder
2. Blackbirds in the trees

A little birdie told me it was cold. haha
Goldfinch.

Cardinals are silent here so far OR it is too cold to go out & listen. Heard a barred owl 1 am in the morning.

I haven't been to this thread in awhile. Not too many bird sightings out of the ordinary.

I call the first photo, "When the Fat Man Sings". :D It's a Western Meadowlark we saw today when it was -6 degrees F. They've never stayed around all winter like this before. There are six in our little group. I guess it makes up for the lack of Redpolls. :)

This was a strange encounter for one of our Meadowlarks. It was pounding on something when Mr. Red-bully lands on it. We never know what we're going to see out here.

HA! That is the puffiest Medowlark ever.

I had a rolly-polly cold round Robin, the 1st in 2 months, but I missed my photo opportunity.
Chillybean - that is a really interesting photo of a strange interaction. It is almost as if the Woodpecker mistook the Meadowlark for another Woodpecker.
When we first moved here, we had Meadowlarks - but the neighborhood has gotten too built up without enough open space. I really miss their singing in the spring.

Not much new here.
1 Leucistic Eurasian Collared dove
2 Only photo with another EAC in it - the regular colored ones didn't seem to like Leucy.
3 Two White-winged doves (& a brave EAC, they don't like the WW either). Originally native to the Sonoran desert, they have been moving into the Arkansas valley in recent years. My population increased from 1 to 2 just today.
4 just an American Robin - but it returned just this week after nearly 3 month absence. I think it has been too dry, not too cold - Robins usually winter here.

I like the doves. My daughter helps with saving them at our local wildlife center. There is such controversy over them but the reality is that even if they are not native they provide food for our many predator species. We were just noting the other day that our wild population of rodents seems to be way down. The doves could be filling an important role in an already caddy wampus eco system. Well, there's my soap boxing for the day, LOL.

Yes, our rodent numbers are down and our rapters with it - at least in my neighborhood. I feel the same way about the doves and squirrels - instead of complaining about them eating the birdseed, I give them their own feeder with their own favorite food.
I even like the House Sparrows - they have been around as long as I can remember so they almost seem native. And they are comical - if you choose to see it that way.

Some pictures from snowjam 2014 atlanta...

Pine Warbler
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Northern Mockingbird
Downey Woodpecker

More snowjam pics

White-breasted Nuthatch
Pine Warbler
Northern Cardinal
3 YRW, PW and Carolina Wren on suet. Usually the YRW's won't share at all. But... it was 14 degrees!

Little cold birds. My birds don't know how good they have it, LOL.
The cardinal is so beautiful, well they all are. We have red-headed woodpeckers here, they are so fun to watch. They like my cat-tail bird feeders.

I like your feeders, Domehomedee. Haven't seen flowers in quite some time. :) Thanks for sharing.
Beclu, you guys had it rough.. I was very concerned to see all those people stuck, on those icy roads. But bad weather sure brought in the birds for you. I like the expression the YRW standing on the post, He doesn't seem to like the weather, one bit. :)
Pollengarden, It's true that the Leucistic, get a bad rap from their own species. I did notice that here too.