Read an article yesterday that hypothesis on why the songbirds are dying. Theory is the cicada develop some type of fungus from living underground and being dormant. Birds ingest and then die. Not yet proven and/or I haven’t read anything conclusive.
Interesting. From what I can remember, a lot of the deaths were in areas where brood X was present, right?
From what Ive seen, yeah there is definite overlap. We’re not in the heaviest of areas for that but if you drove with windows down you know when you’re in a pocket.
Finally went birding again today. Saw a billion hummingbirds, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Scaly-Breasted Munia, Red-whiskered Bulbul, Lesser Goldfinches, Bushtits, and a Phainopepla. Didn't see any migrants outside of the Phainopepla.
I saw our first (on-property) hummingbird yesterday. I was moving the sprinkler head and saw this tiny fluttering around about 75 feet away. Turns out it was checking out the Turks cap we recently planted. It flew off quickly, but I will be sure to keep an eye out so I can properly identify it.
Stuff from today. Got to bird in a crazy desert area. Cacti and Joshua Trees Red-Whiskered Bulbuls are starting to really establish themselves in the L.A area. Allen's Hummingbird Lesser Goldfinch getting down on a Sunflower
This is what an Acorn Woodpecker granary tree looks like. They prefer palm trees because the bark is easier to burrow into. They are a communal bird, so there are a fair number of these guys working on stashing as many acorns as they can into the trunk of the palm tree. I caught this Scaly-breasted Munia in bad light, but it kind of shows how it got its name. Another invasive species from Asia. I will never get a good shot of a Common Yellowthroat. They are shifty motherfuckers. A first for me, I saw a flock of Yellow-Chevroned Parakeets. Very hard to get a photo of.
I forgot to add my Phainopepla pic. The California Thrasher is my favorite bird, but the Phainopepla is a close second. It looks metal as fuck. Orange-crowned Warbler Female Allen's Hummingbird Bushtits are hard to get photos of.
DNR lifted song bird feeding restrictions in Indiana. Super happy to have feeders back out. I've missed these suckers.
Finally have some time off from work, will probably go out and do a hike before NFL games on Sun. Warblers are supposed to be really active in Southern California right now, so I hope to see some. There's a Lucy's Warbler and a Bobolink 10 min from my house right now.
Saw at least 2 juvenile and 2 mature bald eagles Monday out on lake Ouachita. Real hard to see because phone pics from a moving boat but zoom in and you can see the white/black/white.
Man I gotta get me a zoom lens. I think I saw the same species above me in our backyard the other day. 30 ft away, max cell phone zoom. Spoiler
pic dump from the last few days… need to rearrange my feeders, so I can get unobstructed shots Spoiler
Been turning on the Merlin sound function, when I walk my dogs.. picked up on several rare birds. I’m going to start walking with a camera
Saw a lot of good stuff today. Golden-crowned Sparrow, Blue-winged Teal, and that Long-billed Dowitcher. Too bad it was cloudy; always fucks with the photos. Spoiler Long-billed Dowitcher Immature Golden-crowned Sparrow Scaly-breasted Munia were everywhere today. John, Paul, George, and Ringo. From left to right, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, White-faced Ibis, and a Great Blue Heron. First time I've seen that. Female Anna's Hummingbird
It’s my dad’s B-Day today so I was over at his place dropping off some seed, suet, and a new finch feeder, and snuck up on a house finch that was oblivious to everything and had a swollen eye. Just finished taking down the feeders. Going to clean them this weekend then put them back out. My dad was on the phone with the DNR reporting it and they said we were good to keep them out and it’s personal preference. They said there are still sick birds out there, but don’t feel concerned with our sighting.
Why kind of bird is this? Should I be worried about my small dog that this thing is camped out at my house? Spoiler
Awesome. That’s what I thought after looking up “hawks of north Alabama” on google. I noticed the little guy yesterday when I got out of my car. It was right by the driveway which I thought was odd.
Well shit, walked downstairs this morning and found this. Don’t know if it’s the same bird as yesterday, or if this was already here and I just didn’t notice. I’m on the water, should I toss the carcass in the lake? What’s the best way to dispose of it so this thing doesn’t rot 5 feet from the house? Spoiler
Any windows near by? Looks like it could’ve been a strike victim. I wouldn’t throw it in the water as it’ll just float and decompose. You can call fish and game to remove it, or just take it to some nearby woods and leave it there.
No windows, and in a weird spot to have been a strike. In this picture the lake is behind me and the bird is behind the fire pit. Yesterday it was up above the concrete wall in a tree. Maybe it was flying in from the lake and hit on of the deck’s 2x10s? Spoiler
Could’ve been a first year bird that was just weak from migrating plus the pitfalls of nature. Raptor mortality in their first few years is staggering.
Had a pretty epic morning. Osprey caught a fish and started chowing down on it right in front of me. Saw Lawrence's Goldfinches, Black-throated Gray Warblers, Orange-crowned Warblers. I also saw immature Pin-tailed Wydahs embedded in a flock of Scaly-breasted Munia. Pin-tailed Wydahs practice brood parasitism, and Scaly-breasted Munia are their favorite targets. Looks like some of the Pin-tailed Wydah young were still rolling with the Munias that raised them.
Awesome day. Spoiler Red-tailed Hawk Black-throated Gray Warbler Acorn Woodpecker Bushtit Lawrence's Goldfinch
Heard that there are around 50 Lewis Woodpeckers that have touched down near a small pond in the mountains about an hour from me. Highly tempted to drive over there.
I saw a Magnolia Warbler at my regular spot yesterday, what the fuck. Shouldn't they be 1500 miles from here? Another lifer. Spoiler
Saw some stuff yesterday. Fox Sparrows, Townsend's Warblers, Yellow-chevroned Parakeets, and what I am pretty sure is a yellow shafted Northern Flicker (which would be unusual for Southern California). Red-shouldered Hawk Common Yellowthroat (female) Male Nuttal's Woodpecker eating some kind of fruit. Is this a yellow shafted Northern Flicker?
These are Carolina wrens, and this is how they sleep. They’re cavity nesters by nature but a good covered porch does just as well in its absence. They’ll probably continue to roost here if they’re undisturbed.