Icelandic birds 8/9/2010

These guys are like heavy, short gulls that nest on cliffs and fly large semicircles through the mist to their nest.

 

Arabia Mountain, Tuesday evening

Killdeer were flying around and settling on the bare rock at dusk

Chuck-will's-widows were calling to each other at the toe of the mountain in the trees at dusk

This morning

Eastern towhee singing at dawn on the powerline.

House wrens sitting on a second set of eggs in the backyard.

lately

Goldfinch joined the bluebirds at theDHS Community Garden last weekend.

This weekend on Rich Mountain three belted kingfishers sat on a powerline above the field next to the creek, and a young hawk sitting on the gravel road scrambled into the weeds to escape the dog, who only sniffed at it. Amazingly yellow under the wings and belly - didn't want to pester it overmuch so didn't examine it closely, but its beak looked plenty sharp. Half an hour later it was gone.... no idea how it came to be down.

Also had a spotted fawn run by, maybe 30 pounds on twiggy legs. The next morning it was bleating like a goat as its mom hurried it down the hillside, and sent it off in one direction and she in the other, avoiding.....?

A new month, a new location

I was up in the DC-Baltimore area last week and was frustrated by a feeder bird with a super-stout beak, finch-like; I went for a female indigo bunting, since its head was orangey, fading down its shoulders, but then the mate showed up with less color, mostly brown with a faint single wing bar (white) and a mildly dark eye strip with light eyebrow stripe. I ended up with a purple finch, but have never seen such a strong beak on the ones around here, nor the orange head.

Oh well!

At the upper end of the Skyline Drive in Virginia, a ruffed grouse with chick, who spread its tail to show the banding.

Indigo buntings were all along the grassed areas, singing from high branches, very blue indeed.

Goldfinches were all around.

Vireos sang endlessly, sounded like red-eyed ones "look-up over-here see-me..."

Also red-winged blackbirds and grackles at a lake, and lots of barn swallows everywhere.

Weekend in the Ga "mountains"

What a surprise - down in the creek valley red-eyed vireos sang all day long, invisibly, while a pair of black-throated green warblers browsed through the cypresses; belted kingfishers swept up and down the streambed, crows and pileated woodpeckers filled in the silence while chickadees, titmice and eastern phoebes worked lazily in the heat. Summer is rarely so busy here, near Rich Mountain Wilderness area.

Sat May 7

Backyard today heard a Pileated woodpecker, saw a Northern flicker, Hairy and a Red-headed woodpecker. DHS community garden sported two flycatchers (couldn't distinguish), bluebird, red-tailed Hawk, Barn swallows and Chimney swifts - seems like summer already

N Ga this weekend, 8:30 AM

This crazy warm cloudy weather didn't stop the birds near Rich Mountain. Hooded warbler and Eastern phoebe were nest-building, Red-eyed vireos were singing everywhere while out of sight, and Black-throated green warbler spoke up as well.

Hooded warbler

Red-eyed vireo

Black-throated green warbler

Palm warbler

In the backyard fenceline vines, with a very yellow rump, 9:30 AM

Thanks to Terry Sohl for use of his pic

Lately

Backyard bluebirds, towhees, phoebes, white-throated and song sparrows, both nuthatches, redheaded woodpeckers, RC kinglets, chickadees, cardinals, bluejays, mockers. House & Carolina wrens are nesting,

Greg's Cumberland Island trip

I just returned from a wonderful 4-night family camping trip to Cumberland Island, GA. As a very novice birder, this was a wonderful opportunity for me to add to my list. Below are some less ubiquitous birds that I saw for the first time.

Highlights -
Juvenile Bald Eagle (twice the size of the common osprey) and White Pelicans on the ferry ride to the island.
4 species of Terns while at the south-end jetty, including a flock of Black Skimmers, one of my new favorites.
Pair of Wood Storks flying over the dunes.
Turkey Vultures eating the after-birth of a new born horse at the Stafford Airfield. The horse was still wet and shaky.
My first two Warblers: Many Yellow-Throated Warblers in the live oaks above the camp site, and a few Northern Parulas (another new favorite) near the marsh by Stafford. A magnificent little bird.

Challenges -
Trying to distinguish between the species of plovers and sandpipers on the beach. The Ruddy Turnstone stood out to me though.
Trying to find the hundreds of birds singing and flying among the live oaks above me. This was maddening to my untrained eye that owns a bad pair of binoculars.

Yellow-rump warblers

In the backyard

Owls at dusk

Along Nelson Ferry barred owls and screech too, along about sundown last night, then another screech call 2:30PM today in the back yard.

sparrows

I'm not so hot at sparrows but there were a lot of em out at the cemetery this weekend, songs, chippings, maybe some fields too

Nice afternoon

Backyard sunshine brought out a Yellow-rumped warbler, a tail-bobbing Eastern phoebe, Towhee, Cardinals, Bluejays, Mockingbirds, Titmice, Carolina chickadees, Carolina wrens, American robins

Red-tailed hawk lunch

The pair was out again at the DHS garden yesterday, one having caught a rat with a lovely long tail which settled down to eat, and the other coming along to harass it - they both flew shortly after with nothing in their claws.

Cooper's Hawk

Saw one flying low at Nelson Ferry & Scott Blvd, then again on Woodlawn about a minute later, likely the same critter

Striped, rounded tail, flying low through the trees...

sparrows and C wrens...

some cardinals and mockers, robins & brown thrashers, crows & Red-tails

Are you seeing anything fun? Migration is well under way

Early spring activity

Seen much going on? I've seen several American Robin flocks enjoying holly berries.

Stan sez (Feb 21)

If you're out today or this week and it's clear or clouds are at a
higher level, watch for migrating sandhill cranes, turkey vultures,
and raptors (broadtail hawks, for example). I've seen all three headed
north today. These birds are typically way up or circling in thermals
for altitude. You may also see the cranes reassembling in a V-
formation, much like ducks or geese. And you might hear the cranes
before you see them as their calls really carry. Various raptors may
fly together. Of course, many smaller songbirds are passing through
our area now, too. 

birdhouse today

St Pete

Just returned from a St Pete visit - such a great place for birds. Saw many robins & rw blackbirds, in addition to
Blue-gray gnatcatcher

Wood stork

flamingo

roseate spoonbill

little tern

Royal tern

Laughing gull

Herring gull

Ringbilled gull

Ruddy turnstone

Willet

Sanderling

Osprey

This morning

More barred owl calls by the creek at Lamont

Goldfinch

American Goldfinch, male, at the feeder today, along with Ruby-crowned kinglet, Carolina wrens, titmice, Carolina chickadee and mocker.

from wikipedia

sparrows

White-throateds and Songs. Towhees too, around the house, and lots of other activity as well, mild weather after yesterday's rain.

closer to GH owl now

they went off again - now I'm going towards GH owl - very plain call, no personality in the voice like a barred.

Maybe horned owls

I've been hearing owls lately at dusk and reported them as barred; I'm rethinking they are Great Horned instead.

13th annual Great Backyard Bird Count

This is always fun

wrens & nuthatches here, you?

Pine warbler

At the feeder - yea!

Titmice, Carolina chickadees, both nuthatches, Carolina wrens, 3 house finches, 2 Northern cardinal males fighting in the wax myrtle, mockers here and there. Ruby-crowned kinglet has been on the suet block for several days now.

What's out there?

What have you been seeing?

The culprits

Location: Cemetery suet feeder

Barred owl going off

Sounds like it's near Coventry Road. Several repeats, 5:15 PM.

Pond opening is ever smaller

The mallards sleep in the water or on the ice; the muscovys prefer the grass where they can make a quick "getaway" of maybe 8'. Put out new suet block this AM - they're lasting about 2 days in this cold weather. Also saw sparrow flocks, what I took to be Songs and White-throateds.

In the backyard, several towhees came by for water at the little waterfall, along with American robins, Titmice and a Ruby-crowned kinglet.

You can see the kinglet's crown, slightly depressed

Here his wingbars are evident, and a bit of his split eye-ring

Bluebirds & Slate-colored Juncos

9AM cemetery walk - several Eastern Bluebirds and Slate-colored Juncoes were clustered on the suet feeder there - they don't seem to mind bacon grease at all. Makes me think of Cattle egrets at a Jamaican place we stayed at: meals were on a veranda and the egrets would perch on any vacant chairs. The instant you leaned back from the table they'd make a bee-line for leftover scrambled eggs. Another guest's comment "That's just wrong" gave me fits.

Mockers seemed stupified by the temperature in the teens as they perched in the sun, fully fluffed, and let you come much closer than normal, within a few steps.

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.