Daily Bird Pictures Vol. 461

Here's the next volume for sharing our bird pictures and experiences. To see the last thread, visit
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1387902/ for some fun stories and photos.

Here is a little Common Yellowthroat who sang for me as I was standing outside watching for the Kestrels. The Kestrels were a little shy that day, but I can tell you, those mosquitoes were not!

Saw something interesting early eve today. A group of 7 blue heron were flying over. At least I am pretty sure that is what they were. I saw this one other time last year. They were in somewhat of a formation. What do you make of it? It is an unusual sitting for me.

It's very cool to watch a flock of birds flying in a v-formation. I've watch Pelicans migrating through our area, and every time is like the first time I watch them. It's truly is a treat.

Here is our residential Great Blue Heron fishing by the pier. Our pets can't wait to wake up in the morning and rushing out of the door to chase these Herons off their territory. :)

Crackin' Yellowthroat! Thanks for starting #461!

Kittiwake (Black-leg) with chick

Resin

We seem to have a big batch of male cardinals this spring. they are constantly flying in and out of the trees. I don't know if the have more than one brood a year, but these are either last year's gang or an early brood here. They are quite red, so perhaps from last year.

This message was edited Jul 2, 2015 4:22 PM

The mourning doves are building just outside the front room window. I've yet to get a good picture.

It's that time of year when the goldfinch come feast on the Rudbeckia flower seeds.

Nice pictures, Brenda. My Maximilian Sunflowers are just starting to bloom and they eat off them even before they go to seed.

I have a couple other flowers, besides sunflowers that these little guys enjoy. They eat the native coneflower seeds and they eat my zinnia seed. Which are neither one, far enough along as of yet for them to be feasting on them. And like you say they like the sunflowers. I'm not familiar with the Maximilian sunflower. I'll have to check that one out. I plant the oil seed sunflower and the larger sunflower with the gray/white striped seed. Last year I put tulling around a couple of the sunflower seedheads that I wanted to save and low and behold they ate a hole through the tulling and feasted.

Lovely goldfinch pics. brendak.

I thought to share this neat picture I took on one of my vacation at Orange Beach.

great photo

I'm sure those pelicans (I guess they are pelicans), were fun to watch. I was fortunate to get to see the white pelican in my area winter before last, stopping along the way to fish, during their winter migration. I couldln't stop watching them.

Those are among my fav. birds to watch. Brenda, the white Pelicans do migrate through here as well. But if I wanted to see brown Pelicans, I have to go to the coasts to see them. :)

A few days ago in the tops of some forest trees - I think it is a tananger.

Beautiful photo of the male goldfinch feeding on the Maximilan. Guess what - it was the very last photo there in the plant file. I was looking really hard and then it WOWED me. I think the goldfinch was working his way to the seed - doubt that it was eating the green. That is probably where the first of the mature seed starts - don't ya think?

I think the Maximilian is a native - don't you? We just don't have any in our area, as I would know those guys if we had them as they are really loaded with flowers. When they spread - do they spread by root or do the reseed freely (what the birds don't eat)? I may have to plant some as I have some pretty wide open spaces. Just don't want something that I cannot control.

Actually, he was picking off the greens. Some people complain that goldfinches eat at their plants.

The Maximilian is a native, that's why I planted it. I just checked and it is native to your state, too. It originally grew in the Tallgrass Prairie regions and restorations around us include vast numbers of this plant and it is just amazing! Mine have been blooming early the last couple of years. The usual bloom time is between August and September.

They spread by both rhizomes and seed. I found stray ones in odd locations, so those must've been from the seeds. They were just fine where they went, but I would think any in spots you do not want would be easy to pull while they are still small.

1. Here is the growth last summer from a full sun area. I put four dormant roots in the ground about three months before this. This year, that patch is not much bigger. I planted a dozen bare roots around the property, some did better than others.

But if you do plant any, make sure you have no intentions of moving it. I wasn't thinking when I planted some in a front flower bed. After the plant died down, I dug up the roots to give to a friend. I missed some and now have small Maximilians in that spot. Oh, I planted too much there.

2. Here is that front patch. I do not know how everything will fit in a couple of years. I like how it works now. There's early spring flowers and before they die, the Columbine blooms. Now that those are fading, the summer stuff is just about to start. I don't know that I could have done that on purpose if I tried. If you recognize Ironweed, you can see the two shorter, lighter Maximilians on either side of it. Oh, and I think there is one on the far left. Tallgrass Prairie flowers do get TALL. That Ironweed now towers over me.

The Maximilians do fine in part shade, but thrive in full sun. The only watering I gave them was maybe the first few weeks after putting them in the ground. They do well with whatever rain we get.

Here is where I ordered mine from:
http://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/wildflowers-forbs/helianthus-maximiliani-maximilians-sunflower.html

I would have no problem passing seeds on to you later this fall. They should be put in the ground by winter for best germination, or gone through the cold stratification.
http://www.prairiemoon.com/catalogs/starting-from-seed.pdf

Chillybean - I certainly enjoy you sharing the above info and photos. What birds besides goldfinch enjoy these native sunflower? I checked out the Prairiemoon website and ended up asking for their cultural catalog after flipping through both catalogs that they offer. I have a lot of the native plants and I think I have domesticated them - hum. Queen of the Prairie is something (another native) that I am trying really hard to keep growing. I have had it for about 3 years and I have to keep an eye on it and kind of baby it along. Do you grow that? I'm thinking it may like acidic soil and mine is by no means acidic.

Yes, if you can remember to save me a few of Maximilians (seed) and you can think of something I may have that we could trade seed, that would be grand. I am familiar with the ironweed and have that growing as well. Like you said it is very tall now, but it will show off it's purple in late August here.

I heard a pileated woodpecker about an hour before dark and I think a pair of mocking birds are building in one of my clematis.

Thank you for your kind words. To be honest I have not seen other birds at the Maximilians, but most are away from the house, so I have no idea who the other eaters may be. I know I had fewer birds at the feeders last winter, but knew they were around. My husband planted another prairie patch for me, but across from the driveway where I can see it through the window. It's that first year, so needs to be kept mowed... drives me nuts, but it will be worth it.

I planted several Queen of the Prairie this spring. Most are doing ok, but like a lot of water. A someone mowed down one of my patches with Queen of the Prairie, Joe Pye Weed and Sweet Indian Plantain. I put it there to get the field run off. I've been using rain water every day and there is already new growth. I have others that look pretty good.

I don't know if this is true or it's just me trying to be logical. With regard to soil pH, if a plant historically grew in your area, it should be fine regardless of soil type. Some things may change the soil, but I've had success with plants that are supposed to be acid. We are neutral to alkaline from the soil tests we had done in different spots. We've not added any acid, except to a child's raspberry bush.

That is so neat about the Pileated. This is the only Iowa woodpecker that has not come to our yard. We're too far from their favored habitat.

One of my favorite summer singers, a Dickcissel.

So glad to see the photos as I have not seen either bird in 'the feather'. We do have scarlet tanagers here, but it is some years since I have seen one.

Summer Tanager - thought so. Thanks!

It's been a while since I've seen the Dickcissel. Interesting about the Queen of the Prairie.

Canadian Geese - photo taken today on my way home. These are summer yard residents and it is the goose and the gander and the 4 offspring in the center. That seems to be the way they travel whether on land or water with the offspring in the middle. The offspring are about ready to learn to fly. That's a hoot............

Woops - left off the geese picture. Crazy me - what was I thinking..................

That's cute, Brenda. :)

I know this is about wild birds, but we have a little batch of chicks. They're nine days old now. When they are bunched together, one of the children say they look like monkey bread. :) Their wings are starting to feather out a bit and boy, do they practice. That same child calls it the Leapin' Peepin' Disease.

Too cute. Hen hatched, incubator, or store?

We picked them up from a hatchery the same day they hatched. It's only two counties away, so close enough to save them having to go through the mail.

Wouldn't be McMurry's Hatchery by chance? At least I think that is the name of the place I was debating on ordering some Red Bantam Cocham from. Can't make up my mind. Have had them before, and they seem to attract the hawks, but the sure are not the scratchers the other chickens are.

My bird for today is this baby - what fun - found it feasting on my zinnia.

Yes, it was McMurray's. I've never dealt with anyone else, so no comparison. They seemed ok the best we can tell.

We will not be letting these birds run completely free because we want to keep a buffer of sorts for the people who have those large chicken houses that visit. Those big houses are all around us, but I am noticing more and more backyard chickens in the area since the avian flu.

Red-tailed hawks are in the area most of the year, and Cooper's in the non-breeding months, but our birds will be protected from them.

Yesterdays bird for today. I think this was supper from start to finish.

McMurray's was recommended to me - and I feel confident if is a great place to purchase.

fantastic photos. heron? which one?

Thanks - I was excited to get the photos. Green Heron. Usually I cannot get that close - but the heron just kept walking towards me, yet in search of a fish.

As the only green is on the head, I have never understood why it was called so. Great photos!

No bird photos today - I think the green heron would be hard for me to beat. I was just at the right place at the right time.

Glad you enjoyed!

Never thought much about the GREEN. But you are right.

photo 1 &2 keeping with the Heron theme, my sister found this and took me to see it. It was a group of Great Blue Heron nests. I haven't seen this before and it was by a small creek in a rocky canyon, not near a significant body of water.
3 Mountain Bluebird
4 Western Scrub Jay - the two I missed were stronger colored, so I assume it was an immature.
5 Female Western Tanager

PS to Resin: Bullock's Oriole possible but habitat makes Tanager more probable, plus it was a little on the small side for Oriole.

This message was edited Jul 14, 2015 12:51 PM

I enjoyed seeing your heron rookery. There would almost have to be a good source of fish in that area for them to have a rookery. Glad your sis found the herons and took you to see so you could share with the rest of us. Enjoyed your pictures!

My fun photo for the day - lots of hummers this year. I don't feed them, but I do provide LOTS of flowers. They have to get their food the old fashioned way, here.

Great!