Birding?

[True North]

Is anyone here a birder, specifically in western North America? I needed some help ID'ing a bird so I decided to join a Facebook group for birding and discovered there was none specific to my area. So I created a group If anyone is interested in joining it, you can find it here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/2205312 ... 1/?fref=ts

[Flanders]

I'm from PA but I have a fantastic little book, called "Birds of Pennsylvania" by Stan Tekiela. I have the version that came with a leather protective cover and an audio CD of all the birds sounds. Its arranged by color, so even if you only get a quick glance, its usually pretty easy to figure out what type of bird it was. The book includes a picture and some facts about birds that are year-round, seasonal, and migratory. I think he published similar books for other states.

[serenassong]

CT here, but I have a collection of bird eggs that Roger Tory Peterson did, as well as his guides- they are outstanding.
http://www.amazon.com/Peterson-Field-Ea ... 0547152469

He did other nature field guides as well- and was an expert in bird calls

[Carotene]

I'm in SW Ontario does that count lol! Since we moved out to the country 3 years ago, I've become a bird enthusiast. I have 5 different feeders and my family got a bird ID book and binoculars for Xmas. It's neat seeing the different kinds and their behaviour. Put out a bird bath too and that's just funny to watch. Some drink and some bathe. My bf made me a bird house last Xmas that looked just like our house! Put it out first week of April and had a mom and eggs not much later after that. So cool!

I'd even eat my words and go on a birding vacation now lol! Before I would have rolled my eyes "laaaame."


Jenn

[serenassong]

As far as birding vacations go, Belize is supposed to be the Holy Land of Birders.

http://www.birdinginbelize.com/birding_belize.html

[Miesque1973]

I live in Texas, so I don't know a lot about birds in your area, but the Cornell University website has info on every bird in North America.

This site is great: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search

(Is the Ivorybill Woodpecker extinct or not?)

I used the site to ID what kind of woodpecker we have in our neighborhood.

~Miesque

[Flanders]

(Is the Ivorybill Woodpecker extinct or not?)

Its believed to be extinct but people have reported seeing it. Of course, people have reported seeing bigfoot too.
It would be great if the Ivorybill was still alive. But even if it is, the population is next to nothing. There are very few(if any) forests left that it could live in.

[Miesque1973]

(Is the Ivorybill Woodpecker extinct or not?)

Its believed to be extinct but people have reported seeing it. Of course, people have reported seeing bigfoot too.
It would be great if the Ivorybill was still alive. But even if it is, the population is next to nothing. There are very few(if any) forests left that it could live in.

Yeah, I remember seeing a (slightly silly) documentary about the birds, where someone claimed to have spotted one in Arkansas (?), but the bird filmed in flight was dismissed as a pileated woodpecker. Since ivory-bills were known to tear away bark from trees to get to their food, the lack of trees in that condition in areas where they've been 'spotted' would indicate that all sightings have just been pileateds. They are pretty similar-looking.

Pretty sad that they're probably gone. They were beautiful birds.

~Miesque

[ElPrado2]

I see pileateds all the time. I had them in my oaks yesterday. Also red bellied, flickers, downys, and red headeds. I had immature red headeds in my oaks yesterday, too. My next door neighbor has a fountain bird bath that runs constantly. The woodpeckers fight the blue jays for the use of it all the time. The jays will be in it, then a squadron of woodpeckers will dive bomb them out of it.
The woodpeckers are really fun when there is a lugger hatch coming out. Luggers are huge grasshoppers that start out black and yellow but eventually fade out to green and yellow. They get to at least 4 inches long. The woodies seem to regard a new hatch as a smorgasbord. They even get on the ground chasing the things around.

[Miesque1973]

Shoot, I'm waiting for the day I might get a relatively up-close view of an Eastern bluebird! We have had painted buntings visit our feeders. Gorgeous little birds.

I did get a pretty close-up view of a tufted titmouse one day. Poor little guy got in the car and couldn't figure out how to get out. It took a lot of careful waving of arms and 'swishing' to get him out again. I suspect he was scared out of his wits.

~Miesque

[serenassong]

I've got a bunch of Tufted Titmice living in a tree right next to the house, they seem to have a good time in that- and there are others trees right next to that one, which provides lots of cover for such timid birds. I've seen a few Nuthatches with them as well. I find the black capped chickadees will practically eat from my hand, and are very curious.

[BaroqueAgain1]

* I got a good look at a bluebird a couple months ago...in the mulberry tree of relative's house northwest of Los Angeles! I presume there must be a Western version of the bluebird. Pretty bird, and no missing that vivid blue color!
* I have a pair of titmice who frequent the sizable water dishes I keep in my parched backyard. The dishes are up on overturned 15-gal pots, to keep the water out of the reach of snake-tempting mice and rats, and next to a well-pruned juniper bush. The titmice love the juniper and spend much time in it hunting for insects.
* The dishes also draw finches, sparrows, little goldfinches, California towhees, rufous sided towhees (very pretty), blue jays, mockingbirds, nuthatches (who also like the juniper), orioles and, very rarely, a thresher. And, judging by the empty dishes and heart-shaped hoofprints, deer at night.

[Catalina]

There's several varieties in the bluebird family. The ones I see here in South Texas tend to be pretty much blue all over, they don't have the rust colored chest.

[Catalina]

The blue jays along with their almost requisite cardinal companion made their first fall appearance here one or two weeks ago. Clear sign that autumn has arrived. And, indeed, we have morning lows in the low 50's forecast for middle of next week. Seems like lows were 75 to 78 only yesterday.

[Miesque1973]

There's several varieties in the bluebird family. The ones I see here in South Texas tend to be pretty much blue all over, they don't have the rust colored chest.

Hm. I wonder if those might be lazuli buntings instead? They might be western bluebirds, though. I don't know South Texas birds too well.

I've seen western, eastern and mountain bluebirds, but not close enough to be satisfying. We have red-bellied woodpeckers around here, and cedar waxwings by the truckload (they take over entire trees, unseen but always twittering away), plus bluejays, mockingbirds, cardinals, a type of wren I can't quite identify, and ruby-throated hummingbirds do battle over my feeders. We also get American and lesser goldfinches during the summer, and one day, we looked out in the backyard and a red-tailed hawk was tearing a white-winged dove apart. We've not had any in our yard, but roadrunners are not uncommon around here, and I know some kind of owl spends the night in a tree near our house. I've heard him hooting. Plus there's red-wing blackbirds and those adorable little killdeer in fields in these parts. I get excited if I see a killdeer.

Oh, and we have white-winged doves. Lots and lots of them. Dove season is my favorite time of year--the songbirds can finally eat at our feeders!

~Miesque

[Catalina]

Not lazuli buntings. They look pretty much like mountain bluebirds to me. Best as I recall - haven't seen any recently.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... uebird.jpg

[Flanders]

Not lazuli buntings. They look pretty much like mountain bluebirds to me. Best as I recall - haven't seen any recently.


http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... uebird.jpg

Might be an Indigo Bunting as well. The males are brilliant blue all over.

I have seen a few Indigo Buntings around here. I have a resident Red Tail Hawk family who were really causing a lot of ruckus this summer, I honestly thought one was hurt because it was making a different noise than normal. But then I realized there were at least 3 making the noise from different areas and they were moving around.

I've seen a Bald Eagle, an Osprey, lots of Eastern Bluebirds, American Goldfinch, Barn Swallows, a Baltimore Oriole pair had a nest in a tree by my house a few years ago, Cardinal, Blue Jays, Great Blue Heron, random ducks(they take off to fast to get a good look at), Woodpeckers(Downy, Red-Bellied, Pileated, Hairy, Northern Flicker), etc. During the winter, I get Tufted Titmouse, Darked-eyed Junco, and White-bellied Nuthatch and woodpeckers at my feeder. I also see owls on occasion. My mom who lives maybe a mile from here gets a TON of Rose Breasted Grosbeaks, at least 10 pairs. The males fight with each other and the male Cardinals, they have some serious hate for each other.

I tried to keep my feeder up this spring/summer but the raccoon wouldn't leave it alone.

[ElPrado2]

I know of 2 osprey nests in the southern end of the AF base I live just north of, and one 100 ft pine tree has a huge conglomeration of sticks near the top that I have seen a bald eagle pair standing around on. We were not allowed to mow near that when I worked there.

[seahawkgal]

The blue jays along with their almost requisite cardinal companion made their first fall appearance here one or two weeks ago. Clear sign that autumn has arrived. And, indeed, we have morning lows in the low 50's forecast for middle of next week. Seems like lows were 75 to 78 only yesterday.

God I cannot stand it when the Bluejays arrive. They are the noisiest birds. No more Robins anymore. I miss them and their songs, chirps. I love Robins. We live in town so we don't get too many cool birds. Basically just Robins and Sparrows. When fall arrives, the Bluejays come. Oh, did I mention that I hate Bluejays?
When we go over to our friend's house out in the country, they have such cool birds. Chickadees, Cardinals, Tufted Titmouse, Morning Doves, Redbreasted Grosbeaks, Woodpeckers, Finches, oh and now that fall is here the loud and annoying Jays.

I miss my Robins!!!!

[seahawkgal]

Here is my favorite bird. The Osprey or Seahawk.