Cooper's Hawk

The cemetery this morning about 10AM was dripping, overcast and 45°F or so. A Cooper's Hawk flew up from a low perch into the top of an oak as we approached, and tolerated us on the ground for about 5 minutes before shifting position and ultimately flying off over the hill. It was backlit so I couldn't see too much detail, but the size seemed about 16" tall, and sported the accipiter's long tail when flying.

Barred owls and bad weather

OK, here duck is falling, the sky is overcast and lightly sprinkling, temperature is in the lower 40s F, and I'm hearing a Barred owl hooting nearby, four or five series. I haven't heard one around this house in many months.... I dunno.

Suet

The Carolina wrens and the nuthatches have taken a liking to my suet made with bacon grease, peanut butter, flour and several seed  varieties.  There are several recipes on the web; this one I adapted from a Bluebird suet.

Flocks

Squirrels were huddled on the tree trunks, fussing away as the two Red-tailed hawks found perches high in the oaks. Flocks of American robins are out in the mild, wet air after last night's rainsqualls. Further on, large flocks of Red-winged blackbirds, grackles and other icterids squawked and whistled from the treetops.

Back at the feeder the Carolina wren, Titmouse and Carolina chickadee feed.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Bluebirds galore

4 at once on my 8" wide feeder! Even the White-breasted nuthatchs stood in line. Also had a couple of mockingbirds, first time at the feeder.

Ruby-crowned kinglet

WOW just saw a r-c kinglet male displaying a HUGE crown, visible with nekkid eye from 40'! A little orangier than a redheaded woodpecker.

mixed Icterids

Large flock of mixed blackbirds at the cemetery this afternoon. Although it was a grey day and the flock about 500' I could make out some red wingbars, and some greenish head/neck on larger ones with longer tails, leading me to Red-windged blackbirds and Common grackles, though they were rather quiet for 3-400 birds.

Barred owl on Ponce Place

Saw a Barred owl this AM around 6:30 AM on Ponce Place by the Baptist Church playground, sitting on the telephone wire. I stood and watched about a minute, then walked directly underneath him and onwards - he was nonplussed. Like my last sighting of a barred, it was low, perched on a manmade item, and had rained heavily within recent hours. hmmmmm

Shepherd Nature Preserve

Sunday AM the water was frozen about 40' from shore, but the 7 mallards took no notice. Lots of racy Cedar waxwings in the treetops along with American robins. This place is about 5 minutes driving from downtown Decatur - directions at the website.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedar_waxwing

Redwing blackbirds

Big flock at DHS Community Garden this morning, making quite a din.

Cedar Key, Fla

I was in Cedar Key, Florida last week, west of Gainesville about 45 minutes on the Gulf coast and had a fine time viewing birds there. Firsts were a pair of roseate spoonbills, a Black-bellied plover, Common ground  and Eurasian collared doves. The ubiquitous Ospreys were active and eating their still-flapping catch on dock frames on the bay side. Along the Gulf mudflats the biggest players were black skimmers by the hundreds which put on a great show at sunup in large flocks. My favorites are the American oystercatcher, White ibis, and the diminutive Least tern, and I could swear I heard a Common loon calling.

Red-tailed hawk lunch

Very gratifying to see a pair of Red-tailed hawks fly screeching over my backyard, the first trailing a fluffy squirrel tail from its talons, the second making the racket. They flew across the street into an oak grove, the squirrel-holder in a wide tree-crotch and the other about 30' away, watching for an opportunity. After a few initial bites, the lucky one flew a few hundred feet to a more remote perch, followed by the other about 2 minutes later.

Flock of crows

A flock of crows mobbed a hawk at daybreak in the cemetery today. They were very loud, but settled down in about 5 minutes.

Carolina wrens on the front porch

Just trolling for spiders

open thread

Mourning dove

One of these took over the small birdfeeder this morning.

Sandhill cranes

These guys were migrating - Nov 13 - see entry there. We used to see these overwintering in Gainesville Fla, about 380 miles South of here, on the borders of the prairie there. Hundreds of them standing around in a farmer's front yard. They are much taller when "craning" their necks for a better view (sorry about that).

Red-wing blackbirds

Saw a small flock of Red-winged blackbirds down in Peavine Creek this afternoon - beautiful clear day, 75°F. Also a Ruby-crowned kinglet.

Ruby-crowned kinglet

091114 Morning

Very active backyard today, 9-10AM. Pileated woodpecker, red-headed woodpecker, yellow-rumped warbler, song sparrow, flock of American robins, cedar waxwing, ruby-crowned kinglet, cardinals, bluejays, a pair of Eastern towhees, Eastern bluebirds checking out the birdhouse again, Brown thrasher, Carolina chickadees, Titmice, the nuthatches, Carolina wren... Only the robins were bathing. Also some unidetifieds, once junco-like but without the pink beak, grayish here, and goldfinch-like but missing the strong wingbars

Bluebirds at the feeder

Eating hulled sunflower seed, a pair at 8:20 AM - this is a first here! Now the white-breasted nuthatch is chasing off the brown-headed one, and the chickadees and titmice.

open thread

What have you seen?

Barred Owl at Peavine Creek

This morning at daybreak was blustery, about 60°F with hurricane remnant drizzle, and on mailbox #317 near Peavine Creek there sat a Strix varia just staring at me as I walked past. I stopped once I realized it was a big bird, not a tree branch on the mailbox, and stared back. Motionless for about a minute, it released its grip on the door clasp and flew off over the house and into its backyard. We often hear these in the summer nights hooting "who cooks for you, who cooks for you - all".

Redtails over DHS

Three red-tailed hawks were spiraling over Decatur High School's Community Garden Saturday about 11AM. There was a bit of screaming, and one dove, chased by another. A few minutes later they were all three high above us again, watching for something to eat.

Redtails in the cemetery, 9AM

A pair of red-tailed hawks were out this morning.

Red-tailed hawk

Also dozens of robins were very active, along with bluebirds. Good to see the thrushes out together.

My backyard sported several white-throated sparrows, a towhee, brown thrasher, some jays and robins, redheaded and hairy-or-downy woodpeckers.

BLuebirds homeshopping

A pair of Eastern bluebirds were checking the birdhouse in my back yard this morning, after the house wrens left it this summer after two broods. The warm wet air ahead of today's cold front must have convinced them it was time to find a nest already.

Eastern_bluebird.jpg

Front brings bird boom

This is amusing. I've had a house finch who's dominated the birdfeeder outside my office window for the week, then comes today's peculiar weather front and the birds arrive, starving and fussing over who's going first. Carolina wren and chickadee, titmouse, downy woodpecker (a first at this feeder), brown thrasher (another first), white-breasted and brown-headed nuthatches... and the first kinglet I've seen in a while, in a nearby maple.

Downy_Woodpecker-Male.jpg#file

hawks bluebirds warblers finches

Busy morning - two red-tailed hawks and a Cooper's were about, as well as scads of bluebirds hovering around a hole in a snag. Couldn't see any bugs coming out, and none went in... squirrel-sized hole, it was. Mixed warbler flocks with worm-eatings for sure. Lots of purple finches grazing while bluebirds perched on the headstones.

house finches too

House finches at the feeder, along with carolina chickadees, carolina wren, white breasted nuthatch and brown headed nuthatch

Purple finch, Swainson's thrush

Yesterday had 3 Swainson's thrushes at the birdbath. Purple finches are cleaning out the feeder today.

Common nighthawk

Common nighthawks (Chordeiles minor) circling above the Decatur First United Methodist Church steeple - the lights attract the bugs that the birds eat - you can see their white wing markings as they feed. Their short beaks and wide mouths are surrounded by whiskers that help scoop in their prey. Saw 4 in all, about 9:30 PM Friday Sept 25th. No diving though - we used to watch them at our old condo on Briarcliff Road, a complex with many flat roofs where they may have nested, circling very high towards twilight, and dive at great speed with a distinctive buzzing sound like rubber bands in a wind tunnel coming from their primary feathers, as well as BEEEEZRH screech, which Sibley describes as the male courting display. 

Swainson's Thrush

catharus ustulatus in the backyard at noon today, looking for food in the bushes & on branches - David Sibley says the long-distance thrushes like Swainson's prefer woodland fruits (Spicebush, Sassafras, Black Tupelo, Flowering Dogwood) that are rich in lipids, which is the most efficient fuel for their long flights in late summer and early fall when these are most plentiful.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/35/Catharus_ustulatus_-North_Dakota-8a.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Catharus_ustulatus_-North_Dakota-8a.jpg&usg=__AceYfzuoV-F3e31d-owEQXMyJPk=&h=1944&w=2592&sz=2208&hl=en&start=15&sig2=7wFIw6Zzazq37pqv1yY5Mg&tbnid=apjlBRDhl5YJ6M:&tbnh=113&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcatharus%2Bustulatus%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DG&ei=CfK8Svm8CZWyNtyXyLcO

bubo virginianus map link

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=104609993383735643097.00047445cd15cf516c09e&ll=33.781517,-84.292375&spn=0.001663,0.001711&t=h&z=19

090922 6AM

Two great horned owls again hooting softly to each other in the same oak trees in Decatur's cemetery near the tennis courts. One takes the highest perch on a dead limb silhouetting itself against the low cloudcover reflecting streetlight glow, easily more than 24" tall. The dog and I walk the circular road and take a route leading directly beneath them; I figure they're watching us with each step. Glad we don't have the pomeranian with us - she'd be a fine meal. They show no disturbance, but stop calling. I'll get back during one of these days to seek pellets possibly 5" long. There are lots of squirrel and chipmunk, but don't know what they're finding at night - cats, rats, coyote???
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 License.

Chuck will's widow

I heard this one also in the early morning back in late spring at the Decatur Cemetery, along the steep embankment at the creek on the northeastern corner. I've also heard barred owls carrying on along the stream corridor over the years.

Great Horned owl pair

September 16 and 17 at about 6:30 AM, Decatur Cemetery, top of oaks near Glenwood tennis center - these two were hooting softly but overcame my ipod anyway, so stopped and listened, eventually seeing the profile against the early morning sky, and turned on Birdjam for a perfect sound match, even the half-tone lower response of the second one.