Bird sightings
I spent the last 45 minutes identifying the two neat/new-to-me birds I saw today and had to share. Also, if I don't write it down somewhere, I will forget their names :)
A Western Meadowlark was in my backyard! Haven't noticed one of those before. The black 'chevron' on his chest stuck in my mind and I had to know what it was.
I saw at least three golden crowned kinglets on a nature walk. They were flitting around a wooded pond and I watched them for a few minutes - adorable!
We had tracks in the yard a few weeks ago that husband claims were pheasant tracks, but no sight of the birds despite me throwing out shredded bread most mornings.
Normal sightings in our backyard:
Robins
Cardinals
Bluejays
Goldfinches
House finches
Red-winged blackbirds
Sparrows
Black birds
Crows
Sea gulls of some sort (???)
Wild turkeys
Canadian geese
Mallard ducks
An occasional Sandhill Crane
One great blue heron a few weeks ago
What have y'all seen lately?
Waukesha County, Wi
Zone 5a
Zone 5a
Waukesha County, Wi
Zone 5a
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(post #11503, reply #1 of 25)
Everything was proceeding quite boringly the same until this morning. Chickadees, Spotted Towhee, Junco and House Finch for weeks on end.
This morning the following returned: White Crownede Sparrow, Gold Crowned Sparrow, Robin, House Finch and Violet-Green Swallow.
Happy birding!
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
(post #11503, reply #2 of 25)
Oh, Frabjuous Day! A pair of Canada Geese are visiting!
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
(post #11503, reply #3 of 25)
I just ID'd a bird I saw once last year, then again the other day - American Redstart. Pretty little thing. We had about a dozen sandhill cranes migrating north go over a couple of weeks ago.
(post #11503, reply #4 of 25)
Lucky you. We don't get either of them here, though the Sandhill's do visit just the other side of the Cascades
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
(post #11503, reply #5 of 25)
When I lived on the plains of TX, we had squadrons of thousands fly over during spring and fall. I'll never see that again.
(post #11503, reply #6 of 25)
Those visions are particularly moving. I often go down to the Klamath Basin to see the geese and eagles in the winter. There is something so hauntingly beautiful about seeing vast flocks of geese honking overhead in sagebrush country at dusk that I get shivers just writing it down.
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
(post #11503, reply #8 of 25)
Canada geese are common as ticks around. And about as welcome in some places. Now a big field of snow geese.... I wish the different kinds of ducks and geese were more common here. Then again, I wish we had Stellar's jays and magpies.
(post #11503, reply #9 of 25)
Now, personally, I think Magpies are great, but hunters hate 'em because they warn all the game when you approach. Stellars Jays are another matter. If I can catch the five that keep emptying the bird feeder in ten minutes flat, I'll cage them up and ship them to you. Scrub Jays I love.
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
Marty
"The plants have been good to us." Lester Hawkins
(post #11503, reply #10 of 25)
Ok, I have to admit that I've always loved blue jays. So Stellars are just breathtaking for me. I'd feed them cat food if they'd come to a feeder for me.
(post #11503, reply #11 of 25)
I love blue-jays, too Jeana, even though I know they are marauders. I always wanted a really good print of jays to hang up and the only one I found shows them doing their "dirty work" - eating the eggs and robbing nests.
I live in an apartment, and bird seed on my balcony only messed up my neighbor's patio down below, but I so wanted them to come to my balcony. I discovered they like crumbs of Jiffy cornbread, so now I bake it just for them. Don't attract much more than sparrows, but I don't mind. A local "couple" raises a new bunch of kids every spring, and shows the kids where the cornbread goodies are. Sometimes I have 8-9 sparrows all lined up on the banister or flapping about for position. There is also a "bird bath" of sorts - a little copper bowl with a scalloped edge that I found at Good Will. With my big "patio" door, I can watch them from my recliner.
Other bird stuff - have an acquaintance here in the county who feeds turkey vultures that visit her farm every year. (She reports count each year to the conservation officer in the State Park nearby.) I forgot what commercial feed she uses but one funny thing she does is watch for road kill and pick it up in her truck to take it home for her vultures.
Didn't see any bird sighting posts for January of 09 so thought this might start some.
Pat/Lunaria
(post #11503, reply #13 of 25)
They also love peanuts in the shell if you don't have too many squirrels. As for your local couple, if you ever see a baby jay on the ground - leave it. Jays are one bird that WILL attack you if you approach their young on the ground and they WILL try to inflict injury.
Jeana
Never try to baptize a cat.
(post #11503, reply #14 of 25)
The sparrows here like to fly in thru the small chicken house door and eat the girls' laying mash. On winter days when the temperature stays below 20 degrees all day, or there's a really bitter cold wind, the chickens have no interest in going outside and we leave the door closed. The sparrows (sometimes 10 or 12 of them) line up on the window sill outside and stare in at them. Finally after an hour or more, they'll give up and fly around the house to the bird feeders. That laying mash must be pretty special.
(post #11503, reply #15 of 25)
What a cute picture! One apartment I lived in was in a house in the woods and it was the first time I ever saw a pileated (sp). woodpecker up close. It is a huge bird! A few years ago, Indiana introducted eagles at a big reservoir lake near Bloomington. I actually saw two in a sycamore one day in the early spring. Now that was a thrill. I don't go birding, but there are plenty of opportunities here, and a column in the local paper that tells of unusual sightings. I have a couple of beautiful bird prints framed that I love. If I want to see finches I visit my neighbor downstairs who feeds them. They are two sweet. Pat/Lunaria
(post #11503, reply #16 of 25)
The place where we go in Maine in the summer has eagles. Last summer we were able to watch one of the parents get a fish for the 'baby'. I put baby in quotes b/c this bird was huge! He was in the nest making all kinds of noise ('Daddy, I'm hungry!') and the parent caught a fish for him. It was amazing to watch. I'll try to find one of my photos of the baby.
(post #11503, reply #18 of 25)
Look forward to photo! Wildlife up close is thrilling. Even though I hate what they do to my flowers, last year our little "herd" of deer nearby had a set of twins and we watched them grow up through the summer. I live on the 2nd floor of my complex and have a neighbor downstairs who has a little garden by her patio. Momma deer and children visited her bed more than once to her delight and thankfully only nibbled a little. The deer live in woods right behind our complex, and there are other woods in the neighborhood. We have the usual raccoons and possums wandering around, but one night when I had insomnia and was sitting on my balcony, I actually saw a cyote... chyote...(why on earth can't I spell that!?).
When I was out working in my garden, Momma and children would graze in the grass only a few feet away. Sorry I didn't take pictures but I think a neighbor did. Pat/Lunaria
(post #11503, reply #19 of 25)
That must have been wonderful to watch the fawns grow up. I think deer are so graceful looking. The poor possum is so homely. I can't imagine seeing a coyote. When I lived in NY (rural) I used to hear them at night which was somewhat unnerving. I would also hear fox which is scary sounding. Even though you didn't get a photo, you have a mental image of the doe and twins which is a lovely memory I'm sure.
(post #11503, reply #21 of 25)
Yes the memory is wonderful. Reminds me of another time. I lived in the country and drove a country road to town to work. One morning it was foggy. In a meadow some deer were grazing but their legs were hidden by the mist along the ground - they seemed to be floating. I will never forget that image. It was truly magical. Pat
(post #11503, reply #22 of 25)
You've described it so well that I can picture it in my mind; thank you!
(post #11503, reply #17 of 25)
Found some of the photos of eagles. One of the baby, one of the parent and one of the parent flying w/ a fish in his talons. Hope you like the pictures.
(post #11503, reply #20 of 25)
Wonderful photos! Thank you for sharing! Pat
(post #11503, reply #12 of 25)
My only experience with Stellar jays is a memory. I saw them when we toured a park in California. They were hopping around everywhere in the parking lot of the gift shop and there were signs that said "Please do not feed the birds." They were very tame. Lunaria/Pat
(post #11503, reply #7 of 25)
Hi.
In my backyard here in Essex co. Ont. this week, I've had a Sapsucker, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow and today a Brown Thrasher. I'm near Point Pelee National Park and have Spring and Fall migrants passing through.
(post #11503, reply #23 of 25)
Birds in our area:
eagle
raven
black capped chickadee
stelars jay
magpie
red poll
rufus hummer
varied thrush
robin
Trollius(in Alaska)
(post #11503, reply #24 of 25)
Our birds this year include:
Osprey
Woodpeckers
Cardinals
Woodpeckers
Juncoes
Woodpeckers
Goldfinches
Woodpeckers
Nuthatches
Pilleated Woodpeckers
Flickers
Downy Woodpeckers
Sparrows
Woodpeckers.
Most remarkably though, the feeder has only been raided by squirrels once this year, and we haven't had any cats stalking the feeder at all. Do woodpeckers chase squirrels away? Do they taste bad to cats?
If it can die, I can kill it.
Certified Brown Thumb, 4th degree
(post #11503, reply #25 of 25)
No, I don't think woodpeckers scare squirrels away. No idea if they taste bad to cats. Maybe they have plenty to eat this year without raiding the feeder. I read that it's a high mast year (ie, lots of acrons) in many parts of the country.