Cedars Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 So a few questions...Can they fly at night at all? I would imagine they would have a hard time orienting and such. It's not too cold outside (about 48F right now), but is it possible it will not make it through the night? Should I try to scare it away? Porch light on or off? It may be confusing him. :phones: Told you it was strange. :cheer: I know this was posted a while back but no one responded. Seems Robins are day migrators: Avian Migration and Navigation: Information and Much More from Answers.com I would assume their night vision is limited. You dont say how long the bird was trapped and it was actively trying to escape, so I would say the sitting is resting/regrouping behavior and it being comforted by being freed and perched in a familiar place (in a tree again). I would have let it be. When I have birds hit the windows (mostly during the winter months) I go out and gather up the little guys and put them in a container I have until they regain their senses (or die). They usually become active within a few minutes. Its shock that I worry about with dropping body temps combined with rapid heat loss due to the cold. But these guys are knocked senseless enough that I have time to put the boots and jacket on and make my way thru the berry bushes to scoop them up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedars Posted March 27, 2008 Report Share Posted March 27, 2008 I bought a new camera to aid my picture taking. I still take lousy pics but once in a while I nail one. Heres the Red-breasted Nuthatch thats been hanging around all winter. The pic posted is 1/2 size of original. I heard my first Sandhill Cranes of the season right before easter. Then the snow hit over easter weekend. Lots of eagles had been moving through and the nest near me seems to have a bird sitting. I will be getting a pic of this soon. Groups of Robins have made their presence known in the last couple of days. Juncos and American Tree Sparrows are chittering and peeping alot in the yard now. They have the impulse to begin heading north but weather is holding them back. White-breasted Nuthatches are coupling up as are the Downy and Hairy woodpeckers. It seems my Pileated Woodpeckers may have laid eggs already, as the pair is never together at the suet, and their visits have reduced in number. The Barred Owls survived another winter and have coupled up now. I dont know that they are sitting yet, but the nights have become quiet again, after a robust period of calling to each other nightly, just outside of the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedars Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Took some pictures of the nest just down the road from home. The birds are around 400 feet off the road so it was a test of the lens as well. The bird flying was around 200 feet away and is the partner of the bird on the nest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedars Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Heres a pic taken today also. One of my favs, I had to resize it to upload it. The original picture is larger than my computer screen. I am really liking this new camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DougF Posted April 1, 2008 Report Share Posted April 1, 2008 Very nice pictures Cedars,you've got the gift keep it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedars Posted April 3, 2008 Report Share Posted April 3, 2008 Very nice pictures Cedars,you've got the gift keep it up. :hihi: Thanks Doug. This camera has opened a brave new world for me. Birds are moving now and I hope to have a few more pics tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedars Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 Birds didnt flood my yard as I expected today, but tomorrow brings another chance. Lots of the big hawks were running the ridge (east-west) and that indicates to me they are just not ready to push north yet and are hovering. I've seen this before when taking off on a birding adventure at Crex. The trees will be covered with hawks and eagles then 20 miles north of me, the numbers drop significantly, resulting in a less than spectacular outing at the Meadows. House finches were calling from tree tops but being very evasive towards photography. My first fox sparrows showed up today and I heard red-winged blackbirds across the street. A few others whos calls are familar were sounding from hidden points in the brush and trees. The pair of Sandhill cranes which nest near me have joined up again. One bird has been back for awhile and calling out, unanswered. I had begun to worry his partner had not survived the winter. Today I heard their happy calls from the swamp east of me. The pair north of me came back together and a new pair showed up southwest of me. I dont know if this couple is staying or just passing through. Several vultures passed through today also, again running east-west. The pic of the flying chickadee took me like 10 tries to get. The bird was flitting branch to branch looking for bugs and it was a focus -click-hope you nail it thing. This is the ONLY one I got of him flying. The auto focus had alot of difficulty keeping the bird separate from the background/foreground, and I gotta get a grip and quite shaking as I click. Distance from this teeny little bird was around 40 feet, so I am pretty pleased none the less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted April 5, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 ...The pic of the flying chickadee took me like 10 tries to get. The bird was flitting branch to branch looking for bugs and it was a focus -click-hope you nail it thing. This is the ONLY one I got of him flying. The auto focus had alot of difficulty keeping the bird separate from the background/foreground, and I gotta get a grip and quite shaking as I click. Distance from this teeny little bird was around 40 feet, so I am pretty pleased none the less. Congratulations there Cedars! You have gone full on photographer now. :) :hihi: Love the in flight freeze. :hyper: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted April 5, 2008 Report Share Posted April 5, 2008 I'm astounded...without words even...chickadee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racoon Posted April 8, 2008 Report Share Posted April 8, 2008 I just thought this link might be useful to Birdwatchers out there... WhatBird | identify birds | bird identification guide | north america It helps you identify birds. :) It also includes bird song recordings. Check it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedars Posted April 13, 2008 Report Share Posted April 13, 2008 Things have been cold, or stormy, or cloudy, or snowing, or all of the above, some of the above, or just crappy picture taking days. But today was different. I am still learning how to use this new camera, but I am impressed with the battery life. Lots of eagles moving through today. Heard some swans yesterday off in the distance and hidden behind clouds. The migration has suffered some setbacks due to the weather, but my first Fox Sparrows showed up thursday and today I have at least 10. My Tree Sparrow numbers have fallen greatly, with just a few stragglers around. Juncos are singing like crazy and I expect them to disapear this week. But I got a pretty cool pic of them in flight today and thought I would share. I hope to hit Crex Meadows on Tuesday and if things go well, I hope to have a few kodak moments with the sharp-tailed grouse there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedars Posted April 15, 2008 Report Share Posted April 15, 2008 My trip to the Meadows has been delayed. We have STRONG winds today and that just makes the birds extra spooky, keeps them low and generally makes for poorer birding. Maybe tomorrow. Saw a couple groups of Sandhill Cranes float by yesterday. Many eagles and hawks are still moving. But today the skies seem quiet. These guys (fox sparrows) were shy the first couple of days. I have been spending more time outside getting them used to me and its working. I have to remember to put on the sun shield thingy and check the settings before I start snapping pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted April 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2008 My trip to the Meadows has been delayed. We have STRONG winds today and that just makes the birds extra spooky, keeps them low and generally makes for poorer birding. Maybe tomorrow. Saw a couple groups of Sandhill Cranes float by yesterday. Many eagles and hawks are still moving. But today the skies seem quiet. These guys (fox sparrows) were shy the first couple of days. I have been spending more time outside getting them used to me and its working. I have to remember to put on the sun shield thingy and check the settings before I start snapping pics. I'm ashamed to even post this video after your beautifully sharp & well framed photos, as my image quality isn't even poor. :rant: :( But, I need some help on the ID of this raptor. After going over my field guide, I have a best guess that it is an immature Bald Eagle? ;) Opinions? Setting is Cascade Mountains in Gifford Pinchot Forest @ approximately 45º 55' 34" N, 122º 13' 32" W, Elevation: 1122 Feet. :shrug: YouTube - Raptor over Cascade Mountains http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHtOZPnHPCA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedars Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 I'm ashamed to even post this video after your beautifully sharp & well framed photos, as my image quality isn't even poor. :rant: :eek2: But, I need some help on the ID of this raptor. After going over my field guide, I have a best guess that it is an immature Bald Eagle? ;) Opinions? Setting is Cascade Mountains in Gifford Pinchot Forest @ approximately 45º 55' 34" N, 122º 13' 32" W, Elevation: 1122 Feet. :shrug: I am still junking half the photos I take cuz they're blurry. So dont let what seems to be easy shots fool you. I cherry pick them for display :( And a camera is way different than a video. The video is really hard to make a definate ID, but I would say its not a young bald eagle. I am leaning towards vulture based on around the 15-17 second spot the head seems to disappear, at around the 27 sec mark, it looks like the bird is holding its head below the back line and at the 54 sec mark the head disappears again and you get the v shape wing hold (kinda like this ^-0-^ ). The other thing that makes me lean towards vulture is the rocking back and forth. Eagles are predators and try to avoid this extra movement cuz it alerts prey. You'll see eagles rock too, but mostly they try to get out of the condition causing the rocking. This bird doesnt seem to be bothered by it. Vultures dont care cuz their food is already dead and wont be fleeing the scene. Heres a shot of what I mean by holding its head below the back line:http://www.hawk-conservancy.org/images/Image-16.jpg However, another possibility is the Golden Eagle. I am not very experienced with these guys and see them more than I am comfortable declaring. Theres lots of migrations when I think, yeah, maybe. Theres very few where I can say Yep, Golden. Heres a site that has some comparison photos:Bald Eagle Identification Its not always easy to tell a vulture from an eagle and there a plenty of times I just dont know for sure (especially when they are really high or far away) I am going to try to get some vulture /immature bald eagle photos this summer for just such comparisons. freeztar 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeztar Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 I have a pretty hard time identifying hawks from eagles from vultures down here in GA.The last link you posted, Cedars, should help me in the future, thanks. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turtle Posted April 17, 2008 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 ...The video is really hard to make a definate ID, but I would say its not a young bald eagle. I am leaning towards vulture based on around the 15-17 second spot the head seems to disappear, at around the 27 sec mark, it looks like the bird is holding its head below the back line and at the 54 sec mark the head disappears again and you get the v shape wing hold (kinda like this ^-0-^ ). The other thing that makes me lean towards vulture is the rocking back and forth. Eagles are predators and try to avoid this extra movement cuz it alerts prey. You'll see eagles rock too, but mostly they try to get out of the condition causing the rocking. This bird doesnt seem to be bothered by it. Vultures dont care cuz their food is already dead and wont be fleeing the scene....However, another possibility is the Golden Eagle. I am not very experienced with these guys and see them more than I am comfortable declaring. Theres lots of migrations when I think, yeah, maybe. Theres very few where I can say Yep, Golden. Heres a site that has some comparison photos:Bald Eagle Identification Its not always easy to tell a vulture from an eagle and there a plenty of times I just dont know for sure (especially when they are really high or far away)... Acknowledged all. Reading the above link you gave, I think Vulture too now, but because of the squared tail. Thanks for the aid. ;) ...The tail is also a clue as the eagle has the rounded tail and the tails of the vultures are more squared. ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hill Posted April 17, 2008 Report Share Posted April 17, 2008 I bought a new camera to aid my picture taking. OK, I'm curious. Just what is the new camera and or lens. It gives good results. :) Nice pics. Of course the photographer has a lot to do with it.;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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