Was my first time seeing one in the yard. In other news, I still haven't found a Canyon Wren, even though I know where they're at. Elusive fuckers. I see them pop up on eBird all the time at this spot where I go hiking every week.
i had to google "bird with red on the back of it's head" and my state to find out what it was. I didn't know and usually just see robins and jays.
found in the woods on the ground. Lots of tall trees it could have fallen out of, mostly pine and oak. Any clue what might have been using it? Seems a tad big for hummingbird but idk
no way to get a good picture but seen 2-3 red tails the past week or so, must be a nest near by. They were flying way up high with some buzzards one day when it was warm, but seen one flying around lower some. Here's a couple shitty phone pics of a woodpecker or two that have been frequenting a maple tree.
Yellow-bellied are the only ones we get in the east. All the cool birds are west of the Mississippi (at least this was always my thought growing up.)
Have seen a few sparingly this year so makes sense. In Arkansas so west of the Mississippi but I had previously identified one as a yellow-bellied.
They’re horrible little shits, but I can still appreciate their beauty. It’s unfortunate they’re such a problematic species here yet declining across much of their native range.
Best I managed in the <1 minute they were in the yard. I'm gonna be gunning for a proper photo of this unique bird. Spoiler
I'm gonna be now that we have record lows in store. We'll be under 30 and might even hit 0 degrees by Monday. Need to fill everything up with that mind and possibly get some more food while we are out tonight.
It was windy, and I got a late start, so there wasn't too much activity. Male Anna's Spoiler European Starling Acorn Woodpecker
Haven’t posted here in a while, but I’ve been really lucky the last few weeks to see a Male Kingfisher, a Great Blue Herron, and just recently a bunch of Hooded Mergansers on the river walk by my apartment. I’ll bring my camera out this evening when, but saying that, I’ve jinxed myself and all I’ll see are the geese.
Had a good morning. One of a shit ton of Red-crowned Parrots Cinnamon Teal Black Phoebe Female Red-winged Blackbird, gathering a ton of nesting material.
Saw a gorgeous red shoulder hawk driving earlier. Was perched righ along the road. Tried to get out and snap a pic but he darted further back into woods. Great bright reddish brown color
That parrot I saw was actually a Lilac-crowned Parrot, not a Red-crowned. Also, lol at this fucking picture of a Great Blue Heron I took.
siap Just a reminder -great opportunity to engage in one of the largest and oldest citizen science bird count studies this weekend: https://www.birdcount.org/ Super easy. My kids and I took 15min during lunch to watch the feeders and make a log of what we saw. Subzero temps in MN right now, so the feeders were busy - 6 species & 68 individuals in that brief 15 min stretch.
Watching 4 or 5 bluebirds trying to get in a bird box as the wintery mix really starts to come down. Guess there's no vacancy :( hope the find a good place to shelter
My list for the weekend. Never left my neighborhood. Purple finch House finch American goldfinch Pine siskin White-throated sparrow Song sparrow Eastern towhee Dark-eyed junco Carolina wren Carolina chickadee Tufted titmouse White-breasted nuthatch Brown-headed nuthatch Downy woodpecker Red-bellied woodpecker Red-headed woodpecker Yellow-bellied sapsucker American crow Blue jay American robin Eastern bluebird Northern mockingbird Brown thrasher Yellow-rumpled warbler Pine warbler Orange-crowned warbler Ruby-crowned kinglet Mourning dove Northern cardinal Red-winged blackbird Brown-headed cowbird Common grackle Cedar waxwing Barred owl Red-tailed hawk
Looks like a Cooper's hawk to me. Relatively common in Upper Midwest....not sure if they are in your area. Spoiler
Looks like a juvenile Cooper's to me, but I'm not 100% sure. My list for the weekend, I went hiking at a few different spots. 41 species. California Scrub-Jay Anna's Hummingbird Allen's Hummingbird Mourning Dove Red-tailed Hawk Red-crowned Parrot Lilac-crowned Parrot Acorn Woodpecker Nuttal's Woodpecker Bushtit Wrentit European Starling Northern Mockingbird Lesser Goldfinch California Towhee Spotted Towhee Yellow-rumped Warbler Ruby-crowned Kinglet Lark Sparrow Song Sparrow House Finch Dark-eyed Junco Cedar Waxwing Black-crowned Night Heron Great Blue Heron Black Phoebe Common Yellowthroat Red-winged Blackbird Osprey Wilson's Snipe American Coot Black-necked Stilt American Widgeon Cinnamon Teal Mallard Great Egret Brewer's Blackbird Canadian Goose Double-crested Cormorant Greater or Lesser Yellow-legs California Thrasher
The winter conditions have brought some havoc to Texans, but one of the bright spots has been birding. Although I did my count before the storm arrived - I have seen 3 new species and continue to photograph/spot. House related issues are keeping me from reviewing my photos but here is one that shows the activity from my yard.
We got waxwings landing in our tree for the first time this winter. We're in downtown Houston so we don't get anything exotic but I think they're one of the cooler looking birds.
Yeah, they look awesome. Got some really good photos when they invaded the other day. Owsley or cutig , what stage of life is this Black-crowned Night Heron at?
Looks immature to me. A true juvenile would have lots of spots and streaks, almost identical to an American Bittern.
any hints? roughly robin sized, pretty much the only color I saw is black. I live in DFW, so Merlin recommended list includes brown headed cowbird and red winged blackbird. They flew off before doing anything of note, or even before I could focus through branches. Spoiler
Male Red-wings are unmistakable. Jet black with "bars" on their wings that are red/darkish orange over yellow. The females are a boring brown. I've often heard that when you see a red wing black bird for the first time in the new year it meant that spring was coming.
Fully handheld, even more impressive. Popovio In reading further about my own camera - either my body may have issues with AF or more likely the Canon lenses are so old/incompatible that most AF abilities are not transmitted/available to my Sony. Considering renting a Sony lens to see if it resolves the issues.
Put out some birdseed in the driving snow yesterday and a flock of red wings sat on it all day through 15 inches. So lol.
Couple of lifers for me today. Marsh Wren (not a great photo, but I'm surprised I was able to even get a photo at all). Red-lored Amazon, one of the less common wild parrots in LA
Blown away. Saw an immature bald eagle today on my walk. Was on the fence between a Golden Eagle and an Immature Bald, but was certain it was an eagle. It’s body was way too big to be an osprey. Looked just like this: