Birding

[Turtle]

___Well, just as the title suggest, this is all about watching birds. How often do you watch them? How serious are you? Do you keep lists? Travel to spot birds? Do you have a bird ID book?

___All things birding then. I live in the Pacific Northwest & have an interest in birding that waxes & wains, but remains an interest. I live on a hill overlooking the Columbia River & I frequently see Osprey (River Eagles) riding the thermal updrafts off the face of the hill. Two days ago I saw a Bald Eagle fly by (which I never saw here before) chased by a crow.

___Other common bird here, the English or House Sparrow, Robins, Jays,& Starlings. More elusive birds I've seen, Rufous Sided Towhees, Casins Finch, Cedar Waxwing (a whole flock on the wire across from the house!), Golden Crowned Sparrow...my memory just dropped out.

___Anyway, you get the idea. Let's go birding! ;) ;)

[zadojla]

Not serious, but I like to see them. Recently:

turkeys

turkey vultures

black vulture

flickers

pileated woodpecker

blue heron

robins

cardinals

rock dove

grackels

crows

mockingbirds

american goldfinches

tufted titmouse

red-tailed hawk

[UncleAl]

Birds are utterly slaughtered by Enviro-whiner alternative energy windmills. One need only stand in a wind energy field and let the birds come to you. Enviro-whinerism: expensive, shoddy, deadly.

[C1ay]

Well, I don't particularly travel to see birds but I do watch birds wherever I go. I also maintain a variety of feeders and birdhouses to attract birds for us to watch at home. It's also a pastime we enjoy a lot when we go camping.

[Turtle]

___Those are great lists you guys! C1ay, what comes to your feeders? Anything unusual?

___A serendipitous encounter the other day when I happened to meet with a bird enthusiast who visited the house. Anyway, he returned yesterday & brought his list of sightings & also a CD with JPGs of some of the birds.

___Keep those stories coming!

 

(Argh... no bird emoticons! ;) )

[WhitePhoenix]

I love watching birds....I could do it for hours....I have a question about one type of bird that I see in my backyard not sure if its a red wing black bird or not...the reason I say that is because it is an all black bird with red on the inside of the wing but also yellow. Any ideas on what type of bird this is?

[Turtle]

___Mmmmm...I will check my bird book; offhand, the Red Wing Blackbird has red on the outside of the wing feathers, ie. you see a red splotch when the wings are folded & the bird is roosting. I don't recall them having yellow though.

___I have found the Red Wing Blackbird to be the most ubiquitous bird I know, having seen it all across the US. I like their call too!

[Queso]

i watched birds yesterday.

florida has amazing bird wildlife here. the tall, stalky ones are sometimes even creepy to me. especially when they stare.

and why is it that the sea gulls here have black heads, and in california their heads are white?

is this like a natural east/west coast gang thing going on?? :eek:

[C1ay]

___Those are great lists you guys! C1ay, what comes to your feeders?

Hummingbirds to the variety of hummingbird feeders scattered around. To the seed feeders we have Cardinals, Bluejays, Bluebirds, Robins, and a variety of small finches, swallows and wrens. There is also a variety of sparrows and an occasional warbler.

[Buffy]

We have a large number of cats near by, so fewer birds. I hate cats.

 

Woof,

Buffy

[Fishteacher73]

I'm not that big on birds, but I do love to look at nature. I tend to like the creepy crawlies though, or aquatic critters. (I worked for too many years in pet stores, and for some reason as a general whole, bird people were about as level as cat people (ie, not)).

[Turtle]

___Probobably Fish, only inasmuch as they were 'pet' people. :rant: I enjoy the birding as just another one of my varied interests & love to hear how others approach such topics as this. In an otherwise reclusive life, it is refreshing discourse.

___On the topic of aquatic creepy-crawlys I have an anecdote from the range of that famed Spotted Owl. While camping on the Green Fork in Gifford Pinchot National Forest, the kids were catching what they were calling tadpoles. When I went to look at the catch, I thought what they had were leaches, as I had never seen a tadpole like this. Quite simply, they looked like leaches. Years later I was reading some piece or other on native wildlife & I find that this very are is the only habitat of the only tailed frog known. I haven't been back to look, but I have no doubt those kids caught the tadpoles of the rare tailed frog. :rant:

___On the birds here today, they are calling but hiding as the heavy rains continue unabated.

[C1ay]

I'm not that big on birds, but I do love to look at nature. I tend to like the creepy crawlies though, or aquatic critters. (I worked for too many years in pet stores, and for some reason as a general whole, bird people were about as level as cat people (ie, not)).

You'd probably like the new Goliath Birdeater (theraphosa leblondi) I picked up Saturday. Hopefully I'll get some pictures up soon.

 

Attached is a quick picture that is approximately lifesize at 1024x768 on my 19" monitor. It has a blue tint because of my flash. She is really more of a dark brown with rosy hairs on her legs.

[Turtle]

___Orby asked, "and why is it that the sea gulls here have black heads, and in california their heads are white? is this like a natural east/west coast gang thing going on??

___My Nation Audubon Guide Western Edition lists 47 types of 'gull-like' birds. I don't have the Eastern Edition, but likely there is some difference as well as some crossover.

___C1ay, your list is nostalgic for me! I haven't seen a Cardinal for decades, or a Bluebird, or a Blue Jay either! We have Scrub Jays & Stellars Jays here. You transported me. :rant:

___On the bird WhitePhoenix described, "an all black bird with red on the inside of the wing but also yellow. " I checked my reference & while the description doesn't mention yellow, the phot (male) shows yellow. Very likely a Red Winged Blackbird for you!

___Buffy, the cats are a national problem for bird kill; I don't know how many rats & mice they kill either though, & cats are often introduced purposefully to this end. I think a big help would be better pet cat owner responsibility. It is legal here to live trap cats in your yard & call the city pound to take them. In fact they rent traps for this purpose.

[Buffy]

I think a big help would be better pet cat owner responsibility. ...

NO one owns a cat. They own you....

 

Arf,

Buffy

[Turtle]

___This is slightly off birding ( :rant: ), but I found a cool link on the tailed frogs I referenced up in post #13. They describe the sucker mouth on the tadpoles that made me think they were leeches.

http://www.naturepark.com/tfinfo.htm

___Now I'm getting off this machine & go out for a look at some birds. :rant:

[WhitePhoenix]

Hi All!! I just discovered an amazing website http://www.birds.cornell.edu/programs/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/

 

I spent hours on it going thru the list of birds and listening to them. Woo hoo I love it!!