Think this may have been a juvenile red shoulder, was smaller and fat-looking. Pulled over and took a pic but it's shitty. Didn't want to get out and spooky it further, it just flew across the road in front of another truck and me.
Saw my pileated just now. Been hearing their calls over the last several days but always been too far for me to tell where. Heard one a few minutes ago and could tell it was close, then could tell it came down on the ground. Didn't have my binocs but it was close enough to see, and easy to spot after I could hear it pecking a log on the ground. Watched it fly between a couple different trees and then back to another log, and heard another one calling in the distance deeper in the woods. I'll count that one, but I still want a better look with the binocs next time.
I have been battling an eastern king bird the past week or so. He keeps getting into the shop at night, and I have to let him to every day through the large barn door. He gets in through some gap somewhere and then can't get out. In the past hour he wasn't in there, I shut the large door, and then 15 minutes later he was in there. Opened the door back up and he just kept flying past it taunting me. The little asshole. No nest or anything, he just roosts in there at night I guess. Gonna end up with bird shit everywhere.
I found the Cooper’s nest on one of my walks yesterday. Nest is in a big ass oak tree about 2/3 they way up. I’ve seen larger eagle and osprey nests, when I was younger, but that was upper northern US and western US in pretty remote locations. Regardless this is not nearly as big but still an absolute unit for the area we are in. Two days ago one was in our yard when I got back from taking the dogs for their walk. Literally had my phone out and almost snapped the picture and it was gone, they’re so fast. Wish I had a better camera but good news is the oak won’t bloom until at least May. I should have a few chances to see them around the area. Edit: been looking for them for months now and the nest is literally like 100 yards from my house. It just happened to be at the least opportune angle for me to have seen them.
They are cool birds. Also massive assholes when you have them in hand. Worked as a bander for a summer / fall and always dreaded seeing on of those dick heads in the nets. Fuckers would easily draw blood.
Eh no not really. Blue Jays were just incredibly loud, and not built the same way. The Cardinals beaks are made for really tough seeds and just seem to be aggressive in the hand. Grosbeaks have similar beaks but don't bite you when you hold em.
I just meant more the temperament of being asshole birds. Interesting note about the beak though, didn't know that.
Oh - not not particularly. Cardinals are in a category of their own. A lot of birds we got on SC during the summer / fall would cooperate fairly well once you had them in hand. Cardinals were really the only ones that drew blood.
Jays will pull baby bunnies out of their nest and pierce them through their skull while they die screaming. I've witnessed this myself with Scrub Jays. Time to re-evaluate what makes an asshole, Nebraska.
I've watched mockingbirds be total dicks to cats and dogs. Used to have a cat that would just lay in the yard and let them swoop down an attack her. Then eventually she would decide she's let them have their fun and now they deserve to die. I respected the hell out of her for it.
Saw this guy on the course yesterday AM flying over. Was hoping he’d come down by the pond next to the 18th green, but he kept going. Spoiler
Saw a bald eagle while I was on the golf course yesterday, such a majestic creature...wish I had snapped a pic.
Just had two male rose-breasted grosbeaks in the yard. Of course I was on a conference call and couldn’t get the binoculars out or observe them closely. Still really exciting.
Got the Oriole feeder out last week. Filled with some grape jam and an orange cut in half. Still no sightings, but it looks like the house finches have been sampling the jelly. Also, got a very feisty squirrel claiming to be the King for the Day at the feeders.
I think I saw a yellow breasted chat earlier? Hard to say. Yellow chest, obviously. Head was more black than brown with the white stripe by the eyes. It was so small though. I mean tiny. Smaller than sparrows around it on the ground. Pretty narrow little bird. Maybe just young? Idk.
That's what it seemed like when I checked them out. But I got squat from the Cornell website that matched my bird.
I did check out some warblers that could be close, but it was much more narrow than rounded. Very odd. I'll keep looking though, didn't look at kinglets.
Definitely not a Goldfinch. Only the chest area was yellow. I'm not sure, I guess I'd need to see it again. :( Saw a great egret yesterday.
Nah I don't think so. The darker color was on top of the head, not the face. Maybe a small female or newly hatched. I mean it was so small, it shocked me. Luckily had the binoculars and when I looked is when I saw the yellow chest.
This pic of the chat is the closest but again the size doesn't match unless it's newly hatched. I'm not sure a young one would have the full coloration though. Appreciate the help fellas, hopefully I'll get another look and solve this mystery.
Yeah quite small, and no shortage of bluebirds around. It was on the ground poking around. There was a bunch of termites hatching in an old rotted stump, but only one bird went up there to eat. The bird in question and several sparrows stayed on the ground rooting around.
Crazy amount of color on the deck today. Anna's Hummingbirds, male Hooded Oriole, Black-Headed Grosbeaks, Spotted Towhees, and Scrub Jay's all hanging out at the same time. Had 3 Bullock's Orioles on the hummingbird feeder yesterday, thought the damn thing was gonna crash to the ground. I need to put those jelly cups in that feeder. Bullock's Oriole Anna's Hummingbird
I saw my guy earlier this week! He was eating at the back of my property, then bouncing around nearby. Got a pic but it’s not good.
Closest I’ve got yet. I was probably 20 yards away. iPhone camera is dung. I have a few old androids that had significantly better cameras I think I’ll break that out. Spoiler: Hawk