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BIRDS (and how to look at them)


Lily Valley

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45 minutes ago, Lany Freelove Cassandra said:

one I'm not positive of, but I think might be a Hoary Redpoll?

That's a Chipping Sparrow. :) One of my faves! Field marks to look for: smaller size, rufous crown, only one facial marking (black eye-stripe) and unmarked relatively uniformly grey breast and belly. This distinguishes it from the Swamp Sparrow, which also has a rufous crown, but unlike the Chipping, the  Swamp has buffy-yellow lores, a brown cheek patch, a black mustache, off-white malars, and the base of its bill is yellow-orange. Also, Swamps are a bit streaky on the flanks.

When trying to differentiate between a finch and a sparrow, I am generally making the call as to whether the bird is (relatively) long/thin or round. Sparrows tend to be roundish, while finches have a sleeker profile. 

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40 minutes ago, Xray the Enforcer said:

That's a Chipping Sparrow. :) One of my faves! Field marks to look for: smaller size, rufous crown, only one facial marking (black eye-stripe) and unmarked relatively uniformly grey breast and belly. This distinguishes it from the Swamp Sparrow, which also has a rufous crown, but unlike the Chipping, the  Swamp has buffy-yellow lores, a brown cheek patch, a black mustache, off-white malars, and the base of its bill is yellow-orange. Also, Swamps are a bit streaky on the flanks.

When trying to differentiate between a finch and a sparrow, I am generally making the call as to whether the bird is (relatively) long/thin or round. Sparrows tend to be roundish, while finches have a sleeker profile. 

Thanks! I look up the descriptions, and sometimes it is hard to tell the difference, and sometimes the only option suggested something comes close, but is not quite it.

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Some observations:  The call of the White-winged dove, changes radically during the mating season.  During the day, they are absolutely raucous, and can even be heard at 3AM.  Also, Gila woodpeckers think they can find food in stucco walls.  Around here, when it is too damn hot to go out and watch, I can sit in a/c comfort and listen.

 

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Since the weather has been so awesome, I'm sleeping with my windows open. I love waking to birdsong. I like to try and count how many I can hear. Honestly can only identify 1 right now (the mourning dove)

The other morning I heard the weirdest bird call, and I have been listening for it every morning, but it hasn't repeated. (I'm trying to think if it was Sunday, so it may have been after sunrise, and I'm listening too early now)

It was 5 noises that repeated for over 10 minutes. Sorry I can't describe better than what I have below, but prior to getting out of bed, my mind is still a bit befuddled.

it started with the first half of a "wolf whistle", then it sounded very much like "stranger" (which is why I focused in on this song of the dozens I can hear)  and then 3 identical short chirp noises.

so weird.

I'm listening to birdsongs on u-tube to try and find it.  the first one I heard of a tufted titmouse sounded close on the "stranger" part, but the second video, not as much (plus there was the rest of the song).

 

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On 5/10/2018 at 12:52 PM, Lany Freelove Cassandra said:

Since the weather has been so awesome, I'm sleeping with my windows open. I love waking to birdsong. I like to try and count how many I can hear. Honestly can only identify 1 right now (the mourning dove)

The other morning I heard the weirdest bird call, and I have been listening for it every morning, but it hasn't repeated. (I'm trying to think if it was Sunday, so it may have been after sunrise, and I'm listening too early now)

It was 5 noises that repeated for over 10 minutes. Sorry I can't describe better than what I have below, but prior to getting out of bed, my mind is still a bit befuddled.

it started with the first half of a "wolf whistle", then it sounded very much like "stranger" (which is why I focused in on this song of the dozens I can hear)  and then 3 identical short chirp noises.

so weird.

I'm listening to birdsongs on u-tube to try and find it.  the first one I heard of a tufted titmouse sounded close on the "stranger" part, but the second video, not as much (plus there was the rest of the song).

 

Northern mockingbird?  They repeat and then change tunes.  It's fun to count the number of songs they know.  Our starlings here have repetitive songs as well without the same frantic rhythm as the mockingbirds and they're fond of whistle.  The flock here copies the brakes of the big diesel school busses.  It's so strange.

I correctly identified a juvenile starling who was all by his loneseome in my yard this morning.  Since I was able to examine him for some time, I felt a LOT less like an idiot for not recognizing them in their winter plumage!  The ones I raised never got their black / speckled feathers before they flew away.  They look so much different without all those glossy black feathers!

 

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I spent 15 hours on a roof deck observing another team trying to see or hear as many bird species as possible. Rules state that all team members must see or hear the bird and agree on an ID for it to count, which is tougher to achieve than you think. And yet, the team still logged 70 species. I have never in my life been happier to see a House Sparrow -- that one came near the end when the team was diligently grinding out the result. Got at least one lifer: Tennessee Warbler. 

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6 hours ago, Xray the Enforcer said:

I spent 15 hours on a roof deck observing another team trying to see or hear as many bird species as possible. Rules state that all team members must see or hear the bird and agree on an ID for it to count, which is tougher to achieve than you think. And yet, the team still logged 70 species. I have never in my life been happier to see a House Sparrow -- that one came near the end when the team was diligently grinding out the result. Got at least one lifer: Tennessee Warbler.  

Nice. There was a similar event on the Dutch Island of Texel that popped up on my twitter feed. People were mostly cycling around I think, but the island is home to lots of shore-birds and grassland birds in addition to the common civilization followers. Seems a very long day of nice and friendly competition.

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Nothing exciting or momentous spotted lately, but a very charming domestic scene involving Mallards.  A male and female mating pair waddled up to our bird feeder to snack on some dried corn that was part of the mix.  It was SOOOO cute to see the male let her eat first, all the while watching to ward off any other birds that came too close to her.  He'd accomplish this by making a thrusting movement of his bill in their general direction, which was quite effective in scattering the intruders.

It wasn't until she had eaten pretty much her fill that he grabbed a few nibbles for himself.  What a man!  :love: 

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Saw a yellow finch at the feeder, but a chipmunk chased it away before I could get a picture.

Later the house finches came back, and let me say the male was a total shit. He decided he only likes 1 kind of seed and stood there tossing a ton of seed to the ground looking for the magic marshmallows.

Also caught a squirrel at the feeder :( 

I was all excited that the birds had eaten over half of the seed I put in there, then I saw what was really happening.

I'm going to get a squirrel proof feeder and maybe I will see if finches like a particular type of seed.  maybe

 

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1 hour ago, Lany Freelove Cassandra said:

Saw a yellow finch at the feeder, but a chipmunk chased it away before I could get a picture.

Later the house finches came back, and let me say the male was a total shit. He decided he only likes 1 kind of seed and stood there tossing a ton of seed to the ground looking for the magic marshmallows.

Also caught a squirrel at the feeder :( 

I was all excited that the birds had eaten over half of the seed I put in there, then I saw what was really happening.

I'm going to get a squirrel proof feeder and maybe I will see if finches like a particular type of seed.  maybe

 

Lany, finches love thistle seed.  They'll scarf that up all day long.  Problem is, erm, anything they happen to miss and falls to the ground turns into . . . thistle plants.  You win some, you lose some, I guess.  I remember a neighbor of ours, neighbor 1,  got into a screaming match with another neighbor, neighbor 2, over the fact that neighbor 2 was "throwing thistle seed over the fence" into her yard, making neighbor 1's yard a mess of thistles.  Of course she wasn't, but there was no convincing her.  She was a bit cuckoo anyway.  HAR!

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On 5/3/2018 at 10:37 AM, Hereward said:

I believe the British designation is Shitehawk. 

I like that too!

Lany - have you seen this from twitter?

(P.S. This isn't actually recommended - read the comments on why this isn't a good idea)

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Nerds!  I'm in Palestine Texas and I've seen so many BURDS and BUNNIES!   Barn Swallows swarming the footlights of the hotel have been zooming past my head in the morning.  AMAZING.  I've also been watching the Texas Bird of Paradise (Scissor tail Flycatcher) squabbling in the morning.  Saw an Eastern Phoebe, some other swallow (chimney swift?  Dunno?  Lacked the forked tail and didn't sound like a Purple Martin).  Red Shouldered hawks.  Many Many Turkey Vultures.  Some kind of chickadee, red-headed wood-peckers, loads of cardinals and Northern Mockingbirds.  Ducks doing duck stuff.  This trip was amazing.  

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