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Author Topic: Bird Feeders and Backyard Critters  (Read 146535 times)

Online Something Fishy

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #320 on: May 18, 2020, 06:59:19 PM »
The grackles have completely dominated the suet feeder (other than a brief appearance by the red-bellied woodpecker). A pair of chickadees and the cardinal lovebirds alternate at the feeder I hung in my tree away from the station. This is fun.

My grackles tend to come in flocks, but leave fairly quickly. They dominate the place for a few minutes but some birds are starting to stand up for themselves so that's fun to watch.

Side note, it's pretty cool how the same birds return year after year - we have a grackle that we recognize by now.
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Offline lfas25

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #321 on: May 18, 2020, 07:00:51 PM »


we have a grackle that we recognize by now.

You have too much free time
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Online Something Fishy

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #322 on: May 18, 2020, 07:02:07 PM »

You have too much free time

ALOL - there's one guy with a partially leucistic wing, he's recognizable a mile away.
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Offline tageed-lee

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #323 on: May 18, 2020, 08:06:17 PM »
Here are the species we have actually been able to identify in our backyard this year. (37 to date)

1.   American Crow
2.   American Goldfinch
3.   American Robin
4.   American Tree Sparrow
5.   Baltimore Oriole
6.   Blue Grosbeak
7.   Blue Jay
8.   Brown Headed Cowbird
9.   Carolina Chickadee or Black Capped. Honestly, i cant tell them apart.
10.   Carolina Wren
11.   Chipping Sparrow
12.   Common Grackle
13.   Dark Eyed Junco
14.   Downy Woodpecker
15.   Eastern Bluebird
16.   Eastern Towhee
17.   European Starling
18.   Gray Catbird
19.   House Finch
20.   House Sparrow
21.   Mallard Pair
22.   Mourning Dove
23.   Northern Cardinal
24.   Northern Flicker
25.   Pine Warbler
26.   Red Bellied Woodpecker
27.   Red Tailed Hawk
28.   Red Winged Blackbird
29.   Rose Breasted Grosbeak
30.   Ruby Throated Hummingbird
31.   Song Sparrow
32.   Tufted Titmouse
33.   Turkey Vulture
34.   White Breasted Nuthatch
35.   White Crowned Sparrow
36.   White Throated Sparrow
37.   Yellow Rumped Warbler

I love the excitement when we spot a new species. Some of which I have never seen in my entire life. Its a lot of fun!

We have been bird feeding / watching for some time, but during this quarantine you can definitely say we've become addicted.

Right now we have 2 suet hangers, 2 hoppers, a self built table feeder, and 3 hummingbird feeders (LPT: They sell them at Dollar Tree and they are actually pretty good). Finch socks are in the mail.

Ill try to post some bird pics when i can...

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« Last Edit: May 18, 2020, 08:17:46 PM by tageed-lee »

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #324 on: May 18, 2020, 08:43:06 PM »
Here are the species we have actually been able to identify in our backyard this year. (37 to date)

Wow, that's an awesome list. Sounds like the Lakewood area? That would also mean that your northern flicker would be yellow-shafted, not red (always found it strange that those are one species even though they look quite different).

And pretty cool that you got mallards, they don;t usually come to backyards. Have a lake or something nearby?
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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #325 on: May 18, 2020, 08:50:48 PM »
We have been bird feeding / watching for some time, but during this quarantine you can definitely say we've become addicted.

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Offline tageed-lee

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #326 on: May 18, 2020, 08:54:37 PM »
Wow, that's an awesome list. Sounds like the Lakewood area? That would also mean that your northern flicker would be yellow-shafted, not red (always found it strange that those are one species even though they look quite different).

And pretty cool that you got mallards, they don;t usually come to backyards. Have a lake or something nearby?

TR good guess! Pool cover with water on top attracts them and possibly some of the others. (The Mallards come back every day its like their own personal spa.. and recently the male has been coming close and pecking around underneath the feeders)

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #327 on: May 18, 2020, 08:55:27 PM »

Offline tageed-lee

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #328 on: May 18, 2020, 08:58:58 PM »
That would also mean that your northern flicker would be yellow-shafted, not red (always found it strange that those are one species even though they look quite different).

Yup, it is for sure the yellow-shafted. I only ever managed to get iphone zoomed in pics. Like you said, and boy is it ever so true, the bigger the woodpecker the more skiddish they are!

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #329 on: May 18, 2020, 11:46:39 PM »
The other day i went outside to daven and on the roof of a neighbor's house with solar panels there was a mourning dove fighting off a crow with its wings.

מה יונה אינה ניצולת אלא בכנפיה
Feelings don't care about your facts

Offline tageed-lee

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #330 on: May 18, 2020, 11:57:35 PM »
Some pics... njoy! (If only i had a camera and lens upgrade)

American Robin - This guy visits the suet every day ever since he figured out how to hover like a hummingbird



Red Winged Blackbird (Male)



Red Winged Blackbird (Female)



White Breasted Nuthatch



Common Grackle





Gray Catbird



Tug of war! (Gray Catbird vs Downy Woodpecker (Female)



Downy Woodpecker (Male) - This shot reminds me of a teenager lol



Carolina or Black Capped Chickadee?



White Throated Sparrow - Love his eyelashes!



Yellow Rumped Warbler



Mallard (Male)



House Finch (Male)



Blue Jay (Duh!) - Rainy day vibes



Northern Cardinal (Male)



Carolina Wren



Baltimore Oriole (Male)



Rose Breasted Grosbeak (Male)



Blue Grosbeak (Male)



Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Female) - Chillin, Resting and Feeding!






« Last Edit: May 19, 2020, 12:19:13 AM by tageed-lee »

Offline tageed-lee

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #331 on: May 18, 2020, 11:59:09 PM »
Can anyone identify either bird?



This guy was mostly a dark grey with some darker black areas. (His head reminds me of a chicken lol)


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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #332 on: May 19, 2020, 12:05:19 AM »
Can anyone identify either bird?



Golden eagle!

Offline lfas25

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #333 on: May 19, 2020, 12:05:41 AM »


Can anyone identify either bird?

This guy was mostly a dark grey with some darker black areas. (His head reminds me of a chicken lol)



I believe this is an immature Common Grackle
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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #334 on: May 19, 2020, 12:07:27 AM »

I believe this is an immature Common Grackle
My guess as well
If you don't care why would you comment?
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Offline tageed-lee

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #335 on: May 19, 2020, 12:08:11 AM »
Ruby Throated Hummingbird (Male) (He is only in the frame for the first 10 seconds in the first clip)

Clamped my phone to the pole and waited patiently..  :)

You can hear his chirping in this video clip.



You can hear the humm of his wings in this video clip.



His wings are moving so fast they look slow!

I later added some wire for the Hummingbirds to land on while they drink. They now stay for much longer and we can actually get to see them before they zoom off!
« Last Edit: May 19, 2020, 12:24:35 AM by tageed-lee »

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #336 on: May 19, 2020, 12:08:22 AM »
Can anyone identify either bird?



This guy was mostly a dark grey with some darker black areas. (His head reminds me of a chicken lol)


דער אויבערשטער איז אן אדלער, דער אינטערשטער איז א קליינער פויגל

Bingo!!

Offline lfas25

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #337 on: May 19, 2020, 12:08:24 AM »


Some pics... njoy! (If only i had a camera and lens upgrade)



Baltimore Oriole (Female)






This is a male
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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #338 on: May 19, 2020, 12:12:40 AM »

This is a male

Thanks! Not sure why i thought it was a Female. There were other much brighter colored Orioles, I kind of just assumed this was a Female.

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Re: Bird Feeders and Backyard Birding
« Reply #339 on: May 19, 2020, 12:16:20 AM »
Thanks! Not sure why i thought it was a Female. There were other much brighter colored Orioles, I kind of just assumed this was a Female.
Download the Merlin app, it has tons of great info and you could upload your pics to help you identify what you got.
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