Backyard birds

That's a silly looking heron, SW. Goofy looking!

Linda

{edited} to fix "emotional" content, hehe

{edited} to say, it must be a baby. The legs are so short on SW's pic. It looks "juvenile" to me.

This message was edited Apr 19, 2009 9:10 PM

This message was edited Apr 19, 2009 9:13 PM

Nah, it can't be, you guys! I opened two windows side-by-side to compare them. The NECK is so short. Even a juvenile would have a longer neck, wouldn't it?

Linda

Doesn't look like the herons we get up here. I looking in my NW book.

Well, the debate around here is a juvenile blue heron (me), but DH thinks it's a king fisher of some kind. I've had adult blue heron around here, and a baby may have been blown off course because of those dratted winds last week. He showed up the day after they quit. I'll send a few more photos. It sure has me stumped. Look at the curvature on the neck. Not as visible in the other photos.
WIB,
SW

Here it is in my gold fish/turtle pond. I might have lost a few goldfish and polliwogs. I watched him for a long time, and have probably a hundred photos of him, but I never saw him actually take a bite of anything. Turtle was watching him, but not giving up his lily pads.

Can't find it in any of my books. But the neck is too short and fat and the legs are too short for a Great Blue. Even when they pull their neck down, it folds like an accordion.

SW did you post it on the bird forum? They'll be able to tell you quickly. LOL

Sneaking up on it for a better view. He wasn't worried.

Sally, I will if no one here knows, he did show up in my backyard. LOL!
In this photo, he is watching the area where the pollywogs and mosquito fish congregate.

Not the most flattering of views. He waded around the edge of the pond to reach the other side.

He made it! Look at the feet on him.

My last view of him. I haven't seen him since he showed up and spent the day visiting last Friday. I hope he left with a full belly, rested and knowing where he was going. He looked lost and lonely. Or maybe dazed and confused.
I also hope my favorite goldfish were too big for him to skewer. I don't mind about the smaller ones. They are feeder fish after all, and I certainly don't begrudge the feathered one a meal.
WIB!
SW

He's definetly a backyard bird, but a very unusual one. LOL

Thanks Sally,
We're up too late. DH just turned out the light.
Sleep well!
WIB,
SW

You've got me curious about your visitor. Great pics! I especially like the "Sneaking up on it for a better view" shot. I've had an egret visit my little patio "pond" several times this spring. It's pretty much as big as my water feature itself and I'm not exactly in a rural area, so imagine my surprise when I spotted it! Unfortunately it ate most of my beloved fish, and the water feature is now covered with two window screens. Glad to hear your mysterious visitor seems to be behaving for now ;-)

I live next to a river, so between the raccoons and the river birds a pond would just be too hard. I just keep the fountain running (except for now, it's got polliwogs) so the coons have some place to wash up. LOL

Oh yeah, I hear you about those darn raccoons, Sally! It sounds like you would definitely have a challenging pond situation. After the raccoons ate fish and trashed the pond last year, we set up this elaborate pond/raccoon sensor "system." This involved motion detectors turning on a light by the pond and activating an alarm inside the house. The next step was to run out onto the upstairs balcony and spray the heck out of the raccoon with the hose (dragged up onto the balcony for this exact purpose). We had mixed results and many sleepless nights, especially since many other things set off the sensors besides the raccoons. Oops. ;-)



This message was edited Apr 20, 2009 12:02 AM

I live in a townhouse, and my neighbors across the fence have a dove nesting in their hanging plant. How sweet is this?

I ran into them this afternoon, and they invited me in to take a look at the nest from inside their house. The dove is literally staring in their window! Apparently there are two eggs, and mom and dad (or at least two different birds) take turns on the nest. I couldn't get a good shot from inside, but what a great view they have!

How sweet is that? What fun to be able to watch it from so close. Doves are hard for me to photo unless it's from inside. They leave at the slightest sound.

O.K. this is the closest I could find. Coloring isn't right, but close if you read the description. And it certainly looks like it, so maybe in the same family?

http://fireflyforest.net/firefly/2007/01/01/black-crowned-night-heron/

Been there, done that SunnyG. For two years I had a dove pair lay and raise 3 clutches each year! They actually returned years 2 and 3. Year three I covered the plant with a frame for one of those pads to carry potting soil and plant to hang outside. The plant was at eye level just outside my bathroom window, which I would open and close at least twice a day and startle her. But the final straw was that I couldn't water the plant and it would die each summer.

Phooey! I told her on year three she could rent from someone else. And doves don't make nests here; they just occupy your space and leave broken egg shells and poop behind, LOL! I did enjoy having her, tho.

Linda

WOW, SW! I would never have guessed after looking at all of those pictures that the egret-or-something-or-other had a neck all folded up like that, especially as s/he is moving about on her feet. I mean . . . what about balance, for crying out loud.

But that 11:15 photo sure does make it plain as day, doesn't it? UNbelievable! Well, now it looks like the earlier example from Kaper, to me. My my, but that neck and the camouflage feathers hiding the folds are not to be believed.

Linda

That's why I've been confused. This is what a heron neck usually looks like when it's pulled in. And look at the size of the legs.

Well that didn't work very well. This is better.

sunnyg, great idea to cover your water feature with window screens. I usually use bird netting, but this year the water lilies went nuts and we have built in hiding holes down under the water for the fish. Still have gold fish and polliwogs, so he didn't overdo his welcome. I'll bet you were surprised when the egret/heron came to visit!
Yes, the doves are darling. I love to hear the mourning doves that live here. Not around the house, but they do live on the farm. It was nice of your neighbors to let you get photos of them. Tell them I said Thanks!
Twincol and Sally, I can't tell, so I'm going to post the photos on the bird forum. I still am thinking it is an immature blue heron. I'll let you all know what happens.
WIB,
SW

SW, I believe your bird is a Black- Crowned Night Heron. They aren't as big as the Blue Herons, or as leggy. We have a lot of them along the coast.
Carol

Carol you and the folks on the bird watching forum are in agreement on what the bird is. He must have gotten blown inland on Thursday last week. I hope he made it back home safely, our usual afternoon breezes come from the ocean, so he should be able to find his way home.
Always happy to have new visitors to my back yard, and his was a treat.
Thanks for the id, Carol. Nice to have it confirmed and to win a bet with DH, chortle! : )
WIB,
SW

CHORTLE?!?!

Puleeeease, SW! You made me split my sides, girl!

Chortle?!?! Too funny.

So, is there a price attached to that win?

Linda

That's what I thought it was, the link showed different coloring, but the description matched. Carol....are the ones in your area the same coloring as the one that visited SW? And SW you won a bet? Haven't heard a chortle in a long time. LOL

No question what these are, came to visit for a while this afternoon. Had to take pics through the window, the sentry was on guard in his favorite spot....they would have bolted if I went outside.

There were about a dozen of them, but most of them were on the other side of the flower bed.

Oh, I LOVE quail!! My friend, who lives a little farther out of town, has them in her yard all the time, and I'm just pea-green with envy!

I like the way they come in a group. Mama's herding the little ones, one of the Papa's on duty. A sound from him and they all go up into the trees at one time. Haven't seen babies yet.

Very cool pics, Sally !

Thanks JasperDale.....wish I could take them outside so they would be clearer. But they are such timid birds.

Linda, LOL about your dove nesting drama. It certainly is neat to have them nest so close to the window like that, but it sounds like the situation was less than ideal for you. My neighbor said he'd let me know when the eggs hatch, so hopefully I will have some baby pics to share at some point. How great to learn the identity of your mysterious visitor, SW! He is a handsome guy, that's for sure. Sally, your quails are so sweet! They are such a joy to have around, and I miss seeing them, living where I do now. I hope you get to see the babies. Those little fluff-balls are just the cutest things!

Sally,
You got Quail! Lovely! They always come and hide on our place come Sept. 1. (Hunting season starts that day). The doves hide out here too.
Resin said that the Black-crowned Night Heron was a juvenile, and was probably about 2 years old. Which was why his coloration wasn't what we thought it should be.
Nobody chortles anymore? How sad.
I'm going to the Glen Ivy Hot Springs Spa tomorrow. DH is going to pay for it. CHORTLE!
I've never been to a spa, so it will be an interesting experience. I've never even had a manicure for gosh sakes. Which is fine with me, 'cause I usually have dirt under my nails anyway! LOL!
A massage would be nice. So would a facial. Never had a facial either but SIL swears they are great.
Back on topic. This bird came to visit yesterday, and I'd never noticed anything with the coloration it has. Am sending three photos of him.
Time to play guess the bird from three photos! LOL!
1st photo, where he was roosting at the top of the poplar tree.
WIB,
SW

Not the best photo, but it does show it's back. #2 of 3.

#3 of 3. Here is the face sort of.

I lied, here is a cropped photo of the bird coming in for a landing. Forgot that I can't count sometimes. The bird only stuck around for a short time. Was very cheerful looking.
WIB,
SW

My first thought was a King Bird. We get them here. http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/324/_/Cassins_Kingbird.aspx or http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/349/_/Western_Kingbird.aspx

The first photo I thought showed a black crown, but the other photos look lighter. Did it have a fluttering flight, like a flycatcher bird?

whatbird.com is a great web site for narrowing down the search.