holy smokes this is awesome. it is formulated for an app/phone layout, but it load right up on the computer.
Playing around with that cornel bird app had a moment cat bird was singing, hit the app and it stopped, flew down to a branch right above me and started chirping we did this off and on for about 20 mins till the wife came out and ruined the moment
I prefer 8x magnification at this point in time. At 10x there is too much instability in my arms and hands to get a good view of what I’m looking at. The larger the lens at the end, the more light gets let in for a better view through the binos. Find something in a comfortable price range and upgrade If you’re into it. My set is a Leopold Mesa 8x42 and it’s great for backyard stuff and when I go to the nature park with the dog. Edit: My set retails for under $200. Saw a set on eBay for $125
Nikon 7294 Monarch ATB 8x42 Binocular Those are a little over 200 but that's a pair I've used a good bit professionally. They hold up pretty well and are a great starter pair.
Little late, but did you just mix cayenne pepper into your seed? Is the trick still working? We have one that has now figured out if he hits our metal barrier enough from underneath, it falls and he uses it to jump the length of our Shepherd Hook that little smart bastard.
It worked, but I was using a lot of cayenne pepper so I switched to a birdseed that came infused with it in the bag. I’d say I have an 80-90% reduction in squirrels on the feeder with it compared to regular seed.
I saw 3 Phainopepla on the fountain today. I've been seeing the female for a few days, today there were 2 males. So trippy, I hope they're nesting nearby, have never seen any where I live before a few days ago. The males are undoubtedly the most heavy metal bird out there. (not my pic)
I've got a cardinal nest with a couple of eggs in an old dead hanging fern plant that I haven't cleaned out yet Have had cardinals around a lot over the years, but this will be the first time I've seen a nest up close Pics will be coming, kinda worried to get to close
You don't really have to worry too much. Don't make a habit of flushing them off the nest but you won't really make it abandon the nest unless you bug the hell out of it. Birds can handle a good bit of traffic around their nests
Had 5 juvenile mallards here this morning to eat off the ground. 4 males and one female. Also those fuckers are like dolphins, I’ve seen more female mallards get raped this year than I can count. That’s just what landed in my yard, can’t imagine how often they get fleshlighted.
Saw two Mockingbirds going absolutely apeshit on a big Red-Shouldered Hawk over the house yesterday. They were hounding it, and I saw the hawk drop a small object to the ground. I wonder if this is the same guy that did in that baby mockingbird I found on the ground a few weeks ago; it's in the same area. Also been seeing a White-Throated Swift everyday for a couple weeks. It'll be booking it like a jet fighter and then suddenly turn on an absolute dime. They are some of the craziest birds to watch. They even mate mid-flight, grabbing on to each other and plummeting hundreds of feet, pulling away just before they hit the ground. Ultimate flying machine.
Orioles have been all over my jelly feeder the last few days. Starting to act pretty confident around me and my dog as well. Will try and get some up close photos, not through a window now. Glad I kept the jelly out for the house finches. My dad and grandma told me they Orioles left the area after the fed on the jelly in the spring. Glad they were wrong. And as I’m posting this and red belly woodpecker flys right by me and lands on my suet cake, less than 20 feet away. Awesome morning so far.
Spoiler Shitty Sparrow messing with my Wren nest. Poor lighting. Switched where I was taking photos after this.
Thanks! It's so much easier with my dad's nice lenses that I would never buy or have access to. Don't know if you know photography (I'm a novice) but these are 800mm zooms (image cropped).
Orioles have got to be feeding their young this jelly. Been at the feeder all day long and have noticed them flying off with a beak full of it. Also appear to be flying into a neighbor’s maple tree, so I may have to do some exploring for a nest. They’ve almost gone through both those little containers today.
Had a good day with the camera. I saw something I have never seen before, a juvenile leucistic California Scrub-Jay. Also got good shots of a female Hooded Oriole and a Red-Shouldered Hawk. Scrub Jay Female Hooded Oriole Red-Shouldered Hawk (suspected baby killer)
The chest band seen here is a key identifier that this is a red-tailed hawk, not a red-shouldered. Really nice shot!
Kriders or something? No red on the tail is odd right? Those damn birds have so many different color morphs
The dark line of feathers just below that. It’s a prominent soaring identifier present in all but the darkest red tail subspecies. This is calurus (light morph) based on where Popovio lives. They keep wanting to split them further or say this isn’t a true subspecies, so things are constantly changing and I always have to reference guides for them.
Not sure why I didn't look more closely, but I thought for sure it was a Red-Shouldered due to the way it was calling. I thought Red-Tailed screech once for like 2 seconds, this guy was doing 3 rapid calls over and over.
Also got some good shots of the male Hooded Oriole. I haven't really fucked around with a camera before quarantine, but I'm starting to enjoy it. The shots I have of the male Hooded before this are just yellow/orange blobs, finally figured out how to focus this thing a couple weeks ago.
Been a little busy over the last week and haven't had time to go sit and bird properly. Thankfully this is pulling full time duty. https://video.nest.com/clip/582e651acda043aabfc403cca2fb90a7.mp4 Spoiler I have left the other feeder empty, to only attract suet friendly species
Had some really good birding over the 4th in a few state parks. Summer tanagers, white eyed vireos, northern parulas, and black throated green warblers in addition to the usual suspects. Saw several swallow tailed kites on my drive down to Jacksonville yesterday.