I’m a noob too but just wife wanted one a while back so I did something similar and just researched items that came up in my price range until I got a fit. I’d use “DSLR” and “lens” maybe as two separate watch lists
I shot this in my backyard with a refurbished Cannon that I got for like $300. For perspective that's behind a window and about 40 feet away.
Got stopped on my way home from work yesterday by 8 turkey. They were rooting around under the leaves and crossing the road. Didn’t mind watching them for a few min
Rare kingfisher photographed for the first time https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-read...urce=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Been finding owl pelts for the last week or so on property. Finally heard the owl and it’s sound like the culprit is a Great Horned Owl. Gonna try and spot him if I can find my binos... Spoiler
What are the top birds on everyone's list this year? Three-toed and black-backed woodpeckers and mourning warbler (this fucker alludes me) are my top 3.
Moving to GA Wednesday, so honestly I'll be happy as hell to put up a bird feeder again and get things like Tufted Titmouse, Carolina chickadees, carolina wrens, various woodpeckers and Cardinals. If I can't go into work I'll be hiking around near the Chattooga looking for trout and warblers. Maybe hit up some longleaf pine savanna for red-cockaded woodpeckers. We get a really really interesting mix of birds here in ND but it's just for like a week during the migration push. Last year I had 15 different species stop in my yard for a few days. Mostly just fucking house sparrows otherwise. I'll miss the waterfowl and shorebirds.
More pics please guys. I never heard of half of those and based on location I might never even look them up.
I'd like to see a pileated woodpecker. My dad saw one while we were in the truck together a month or so ago, but I was driving and missed it. I see signs all the time. I'm not sure what else I'd like to see. Hoping to go at least camping soon, will have to see what's active in the areas.
Kept seeing, I think, the same redheaded around a couple weeks ago. Saw a yellow bellied once and haven't seen it since.
Yellow-bellied sapsuckers are one of our most migratory woodpeckers, and typically only hang around in the winter. So that’s probably why you haven’t seen it since.
Neat. It was crazy I probably wouldn't have seen it or at least IDed it, but it swooped down in front of me and then flew througg a carport, and when it did turned it flashed it's yellow belly right at me. Was cool.
So I saw a bird on a telephone/power line. Small, black with a white stripe across the throat. Looked like it had a tuft/crown as well. I was wearing shades and driving so I only saw black and white but there may have been other colors.
My Dad snagged a picture of a Vermillion Flycatcher that he saw the other day. Pretty rare sighting in L.A.
Yeah, I've seen a couple of Hooded Orioles so far. Had a breeding pair that stuck around the neighborhood last spring, don't know if they are the same ones.
Just saw an absolutely gorgeous great blue Heron on the side or the road. Textbook head plumage. Heading to go camp, hope I see some good stuff. Any ideas on what might be around southwestish Arkansas this time of year?
Migratory songbirds, particularly warblers. It’s probably still a bit too early for rose-breasted and blue grosbeaks, painted and indigo buntings, summer tanagers, and scissor-tailed flycatchers, but global warming has made migrations much more unpredictable, so you never know. You should hear a ton of singing at the very least.
What are some of your favorite junk birds (see them every day, large numbers, etc.) that you guys have around where you live? Here are my favorites. California Thrasher - I swear I never see these things in a tree, always on the ground. They are very skittish. California Scrub Jay - Not my pic, but these little bastards love peanuts. I've gotten one to take a peanut from my hand once. They are a Corvid, so they're pretty crafty. Spotted Towhee - Usually see them kicking up piles of leaves looking for insects. Yellow-Rumped Warbler - Probably the least junk bird on this list, but they hang out around my house seemingly year round. A lot of them are about to head north to breed, had two that stuck around last year. It's weird, them and a few Dark Eyed Juncos decided not to migrate last year. Bushtit- Amazing name. They are super drab, small, quiet, and they forage in groups of up to 20 or 30.
My everyday clan, although I miss them, I relinquished my office and have been relegated to the basement for work. My favorites. Eastern Bluebird One male here has really pronounced coloring, I don't think there's any pussy left for the others. Red-bellied, they really enjoy the latest suet, tons of them at the moment. House Finch Downy European Starling In groups they are a gigantic bag of dickheads. When alone they seen nice and love their coloring.
So based on Merlin and what I can hear outside this has confirmed my guess that they are Cooper’s. Saw one buzz by and went to look and he was long gone.
MF’n turkey on my property tearing up sod I laid last week. Couldn’t tell if it was male or female. Spotted it just after first light. Decent sized bird, too
Saw a flock of turkeys a few miles from our place down by the river on Saturday. First wild turkey sighting for me. Wish I had stopped, but I caught them last second as I was passing. They were between the road and a bar pit pond, and I noticed because one had its feathers spread out staring down another. Was neat.
I also think I may have seen a pileated the other day. Flew from a pine along the driveway towards some woods. I'm not sure what else it would have been at the size/coloration. BUT I'm not going to count it since I didn't get the best look at it.
Pretty certain that the Hooded Oriole pair that's hanging around the house is the same one from last year; they love the bird fountain. Saw my first Black-Headed Grosbeak of the year today as well. It's just a really cool time of year. The birds from down south are just arriving, the ones who wintered here are still lingering. When I saw the Hooded Orioles, there were White Crowned sparrows and Dark Eyed Juncos chilling nearby. Hooded Oriole Black-Headed Grosbeak
Our Mallards are back, as of yesterday. They used to nest in the front of our house but that stopped a few years ago when I almost literally mowed them over. Felt bad but I didn’t see them at all in a bush. I didn’t go within 10 feet of that the rest of the year until I knew they were gone. No idea where they stay now but they always start the year at our house for a few days to a week until they settle in.
So here's a question: I think I was seeing a few white throated sparrows this morning. When I got the binocs out, I could see the yellow around the eyes/beak area. But what made them striking to me in the first place was that their chest looked blueish. Weird? I'm thinking it must have just been gray and the light or something made it seem more blueish. But could it have been something else? In Central Ark.
Guessing I just saw a Scissor Tail Flycatcher. It was flying overhead so I couldn't see any coloration, but not sure what else would have the long tail like that around here.
Saw a male horned grebe in full breeding plumage yesterday. Also saw and heard a bunch of loons, arguably the greatest sound in nature.
I haven’t thought about this for like ten years now but I can do a loon call with my hands. Just did it again, still works, dogs just went wild while wife was on a conference phone.