The Uncaged Bird - An Eastern Towhee

I believe this is the Downy Woodpecker but the bill is long so is it a Hairy Woodpecker?


Morganna said:

I believe this is the Downy Woodpecker but the bill is long so is it a Hairy Woodpecker?

How big is it?  Hairys are somewhat larger than Downys.  We see a lot more Downys than Hairys at our feeders.

We've had a Red-Bellied become a regular recently also. 


sac said:
Morganna said:

I believe this is the Downy Woodpecker but the bill is long so is it a Hairy Woodpecker?

How big is it?  Hairys are somewhat larger than Downys.  We see a lot more Downys than Hairys at our feeders.

We've had a Red-Bellied become a regular recently also. 

I'm pretty sure it is a Hairy because of the larger size and the longer bill. I bought a nesting box specifically for Woodpeckers but after a couple of years remaining empty, it was snatched up as prime real estate but this year's Starling! It looks as if a pair are sharing the feeding. She sits sometimes looking out of her window and singing the loveliest songs. I caught her in a blurry picture. They love suet cakes and morning baths.


Barn Owl babies!

https://youtu.be/bdrUmC_Bd3E


Morganna said:

Wow, @dave! A Greater Sulfur Crested Cockatoo! I had adopted the smaller version. I am crazy about them! Great shot.

It's actually a yellow crested.   Quite endangered, but many in Hong Kong's central business district.


Our barn swallows are back! At least three pairs, swirling and swooping around after bugs. I love love love watching their aerial acrobatics. And our hummingbirds are back too, using the feeder I put out a few days ago. We also have a bit of a glut of red winged blackbirds this year, which is a nice surprise. And a pair of mourning doves is bobbing around the deck hoping for more food.

I'm having a great time watching the nesting house finches taunt the cats through the window. They are nesting in an evergreen right outside a living room window, and the cats sit right in that window watching the birds chitter furiously at them from about four feet away. The cats chitter right back!


dave said:
Morganna said:

Wow, @dave! A Greater Sulfur Crested Cockatoo! I had adopted the smaller version. I am crazy about them! Great shot.

It's actually a yellow crested.   Quite endangered, but many in Hong Kong's central business district.

@dave Will you join the 2nd Global Big Day? I attached the link with the form for 5/14.


PeggyC said:

Our barn swallows are back! At least three pairs, swirling and swooping around after bugs. I love love love watching their aerial acrobatics. And our hummingbirds are back too, using the feeder I put out a few days ago. We also have a bit of a glut of red winged blackbirds this year, which is a nice surprise. And a pair of mourning doves is bobbing around the deck hoping for more food.

I'm having a great time watching the nesting house finches taunt the cats through the window. They are nesting in an evergreen right outside a living room window, and the cats sit right in that window watching the birds chitter furiously at them from about four feet away. The cats chitter right back!

@PeggyC, can you get pictures to post? I would love to see them. Last year I joined the Cornell Ornithology Feeder Watch and logged in weekly. It runs from fall to spring. You just pick the same 2 days a week and input the data. It would be interesting to see the MOL variety with participants from as far away as Hong Kong and Australia. By the way I have not seen my hummingbird since his first appearance, but my garden is all decked out in red and ready to party!

I did catch this Northern Mockingbird though.


I will try to catch the house finch atop the evergreen chastising the cat. It really is hilarious, and it is so close that I can probably get a good shot of it. I'll see what I can do about the others. The swallows in particular are SO fast that I have not captured a shot in motion yet, but sometimes they come and perch on the pergola and puff out their rust-colored chests.


I'm really enjoying this thread and learning a lot! 


i got the eBird app. Is there an app you can recommend that will show birds specific to a local area with pictures to help with ID-ing of the observed birds? 


Sweetsnuggles said:

I'm really enjoying this thread and learning a lot! 

Well sign up for tomorrow's Global Big Day! I'm counting in my own backyard and I doubt I'll catch any bird as exotic as dave might, but think of the fun of being counted among all of the people around the world who have one simple thing in common, their love of watching birds. Its more than counting the birds its the joy of being part of a Global Tribe.


I'm in Maplewood right now, so it's going to be robins and maybe a cardinal.  


zet said:

i got the eBird app. Is there an app you can recommend that will show birds specific to a local area with pictures to help with ID-ing of the observed birds? 

I don't have any apps but I may consider one. I have a couple of books that I rely on. I keep my camera handy and if I snap a bird I'm not sure of, I jump on my computer. I just found this blog on bird apps.

Bird Apps - Blog | The Nature Conservancy

Best Birding Apps for iPhone – Bird Watching Bliss


dave said:

I'm in Maplewood right now, so it's going to be robins and maybe a cardinal.  

Well then, according to New Jersey Audubon you are right in the middle of the Atlantic Flyway!

"Well, in terms of migration, New Jersey has the corner on the market for a superb location - more importantly, because the state exists at this crossroads, the natural resources of its habitats are extremely important to the success of migrating animals.

The Atlantic Flyway runs north to south or south to north and is defined by the Appalachian Mountains to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.  The Appalachians are part of an ancient ridge system that has been used as a visual guide by birds for thousands of years.  A piece of this range slices through the northwestern corner of New Jersey and then bookends the state on its western edge effectively putting New Jersey between a rock and about 125 miles of coastline.  The ocean acts as a physical barrier to migrating land birds and insects.       New Jersey's latitude puts it about midway between the equator and northern forests and the Arctic.  Its central location means that the state serves many populations of migrants.  Northern populations pass through the state as they head south in the fall or return northward in the spring.    Migrant populations to the west are pushed eastward each fall by prevailing weather patterns.  Southern populations disperse northward after breeding.  Some migrants end in New Jersey, while others begin here. If we conceive of migration as a transit system, New Jersey is the hub where major flight lanes along the coast, the river valleys and the mountains converge and radiate out to destinations north and south.  New Jersey is truly at the crossroads of migration."

And you thought it was only famous for Maplewoodstock.


Let's watch some birds!

https://youtu.be/PcmvwFcfWmY


Early Bird Special: Mixed Bird Seed, Nyjer Seed, Suet Cake, Running Water & Hummingbird Nectar served at the Patio Garden.

And of course the pool (Bird Bath) is open!

Guest List:

Cardinals, Male and Female

Starlings

Blue Jays

Mourning Doves

Sparrows

Red Bellied Woodpecker

Hairy Woodpeckers, Male and Female

Downy Woodpecker

White Breasted Nuthatch

Robins

Tufted Titmouse

Catbird

Wild Turkey, Female


Global Big Day 2016 | eBirdebird.org/globalbigday

http://ebird.org/globalbigday/


Lots of activity, lots of birds, but no Hummingbirds.

https://youtu.be/Gg6ATHJt0mE


Saw a Hummingbird yesterday being chased by a larger bird! I had just planted 5 large Columbines far away from my feeders to give them a peaceful place! Not fair!


On the flip side, I am seeing tiny birds chasing the huge crows away from their nests on a daily basis. The house finches are FEISTY!


PeggyC said:

On the flip side, I am seeing tiny birds chasing the huge crows away from their nests on a daily basis. The house finches are FEISTY!

Ah Hah, I was looking at crows at the garden center and wondering why I don't have any. Now I know. It must be those feisty finches!


I have not sighted a single hummingbird.  I have two different feeders placed in separate areas of our yard and I change the contents every other day.  Two years ago we had hummingbirds galore, and also large Luna moths.  Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?  I've put in lots of plants to attract them - Monarda, Joe Pye Weed, Butterfly bushes.  

ETA - just figured out they were not Luna moths.  They were hummingbird moths. 


Sweetsnuggles said:

I have not sighted a single hummingbird.  I have two different feeders placed in separate areas of our yard and I change the contents every other day.  Two years ago we had hummingbirds galore, and also large Luna moths.  Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?  I've put in lots of plants to attract them - Monarda, Joe Pye Weed, Butterfly bushes.  

I saw the first one that I posted than one being chased a few days ago, but that's it. I did read that the males arrive first so maybe the majority have not reached our area yet. I too feel like my garden is dressed for success and I'm changing the food. Maybe I have too many large birds and its intimidating them. I'm not giving up. I'm feverishly adding their favorite plants!


New study.

http://stateofthebirds.org/


I searched for any news about a woman I visited in Jamaica, who charmed Hummingbird's out of the trees. As I sat with a feeder in my hand holding out my finger, believing with all my heart that a hummingbird would fly to me out of the jungle as she promised, it happened and I will never forget the experience. She was called The Bird Lady of Anchovy.

http://articles.philly.com/1989-06-09/news/26105076_1_bird-lady-anchovy-patio


Morganna said:
Sweetsnuggles said:

I have not sighted a single hummingbird.  I have two different feeders placed in separate areas of our yard and I change the contents every other day.  Two years ago we had hummingbirds galore, and also large Luna moths.  Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?  I've put in lots of plants to attract them - Monarda, Joe Pye Weed, Butterfly bushes.  

I saw the first one that I posted than one being chased a few days ago, but that's it. I did read that the males arrive first so maybe the majority have not reached our area yet. I too feel like my garden is dressed for success and I'm changing the food. Maybe I have too many large birds and its intimidating them. I'm not giving up. I'm feverishly adding their favorite plants!

I have tried several years and not succeeded.  They seem to return to the places they know, although that doesn't explain your situation since you used to have them.  I'm going to try again this year if I can get off my duff and get feeders and some attractive flowers in the next week or two.


I saw a tiny bird and it might have been a Warbler. New to me, and I admit I hoped it was a Hummingbird but it had dark streaks on it yellowish chest. Tiny, cute and lit in a tree outside my window. I don't believe I've ever spotted one before and I've been here over 20 years. Anyone ever seen this bird. I found a picture online. It didn't seen quite this strong a yellow but the picture gives a sense of the size and why I first thought I saw a Hummingbird.


OMG, I saw a Baltimore Oriole yesterday!!! I'm so excited -- I've never seen one in the yard before. First I spotted him near the bird feeders, and then later I saw him perched at the top of an evergreen. What a blaze of color.


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