Wild Side Ornithology Club

[Pogo]

I've got this rare bird in my necka the wood...

Red cockaded woodpecker​

Also the more common Downys, Hairys and lots of Pileateds.


Say -- what happened to the original thread title?

 

[koshergrl]

Here's the flicker...we love these guys too:

ODF Oregon Wildlife Species - Kingfishers and Woodpeckers

 

[flacaltenn]

Indigo Bunting:

Again, thanks USGS Patuxent Bird ID Center and Jim Stasz: Indigo Bunting

Yep, He's a kumbaya from time to time:

I'm kinda wondering if some of the "bluebirds" we think we see in Tenn.. Might not be some of these.. I don't think you could tell when they're in flight. Or even if you got a glimpse.. I should look up the vocalizations and try to remember the diff..

 

[Pogo]

Indigo Bunting:

Again, thanks USGS Patuxent Bird ID Center and Jim Stasz: Indigo Bunting

Yep, He's a kumbaya from time to time:

I'm kinda wondering if some of the "bluebirds" we think we see in Tenn.. Might not be some of these.. I don't think you could tell when they're in flight. Or even if you got a glimpse.. I should look up the vocalizations and try to remember the diff..

If you're anywhere near my necka the woods (I'm not far from TN) likely so, 'cause I see 'em here in WNC.

Indigo Bunting Sounds
vs
Eastern Bluebird

 

[freedombecki]

Today's Bing! pictures a curious bird checking out a spotted woodpecker. I realized I hadn't noticed that bird before, and when I followed the Bing! link, it's true, I've always gone to American bird threads to view American birds. The bird pictured is the
Great Spotted Woodpecker, and the one pictured on the tree trunk at this morning's Bing! is from the UK.

I found this image, too:

The Great Spotted Woodpecker credits: Great spotted woodpecker - Paulmitch's Gallery - Gallery - Lumix G Experience

I love woodpeckers!

I also love kingfishers, and I see them occasionally here:

Wow, he's a dandy one. I have heard other birders elsewhere literally gush over kingfishers, and I can't put my finger on anytime I ever saw one, although others see them.

I'll have to pay more attention and walk more outside by our little lake. Unfortunately, I let cover grow up all around the lake so birds can hide, and they do so very successfully! Of course our surprise visit one summer of a flock of black guillemots who decided to stick around is something I'll never forget. They were totally entertaining, and were movers and shakers. While I was worried snakes were swimming underwater and scaring the turtles and fish, all along, it was the black guillemots. One day I just watched the water roil where I though snakes were, and a minute later, up pops a Black guillemot. And another. And another, and another!!! Little twits had me really nervous for a couple of weeks! They were just feasting on the lovely aquatic life, that's all.

 

[Ernie S.]

I just went out on the deck and one of these flew out of a tree near the chicken coop.

 

[freedombecki]

I just went out on the deck and one of these flew out of a tree near the chicken coop.

He's beautiful, but I hope the coop has a hawk-proof chickenwire topper. My goodness, the barring is pretty. I saw a hawk that color a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't in identify mode then. Now, I wish I had been. Is it an owl? His feet look like some pictures of owls I've seen in books ...

 

[Ernie S.]

I just went out on the deck and one of these flew out of a tree near the chicken coop.

He's beautiful, but I hope the coop has a hawk-proof chickenwire topper. My goodness, the barring is pretty. I saw a hawk that color a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't in identify mode then. Now, I wish I had been. Is it an owl? His feet look like some pictures of owls I've seen in books ...

That's a Great Horned Owl, Becki. He's HUGE wing span average of 49"
I would say the one I saw wasn't quite full grown. Best guess would be 3 1/2 foot span. He did have this same adult plumage. I believe I have seen his mom and dad a few times. They grab squirrels and rabbits at dusk and probably mice and possums and the occasional cat. From what I read, they don't normally go after chickens, but will if hungry.
If this guy is young as I suspect, he's probably not a great hunter yet.

 

[Luddly Neddite]

I just went out on the deck and one of these flew out of a tree near the chicken coop.

He's beautiful, but I hope the coop has a hawk-proof chickenwire topper. My goodness, the barring is pretty. I saw a hawk that color a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't in identify mode then. Now, I wish I had been. Is it an owl? His feet look like some pictures of owls I've seen in books ...

That's a Great Horned Owl, Becki. He's HUGE wing span average of 49"
I would say the one I saw wasn't quite full grown. Best guess would be 3 1/2 foot span. He did have this same adult plumage. I believe I have seen his mom and dad a few times. They grab squirrels and rabbits at dusk and probably mice and possums and the occasional cat. From what I read, they don't normally go after chickens, but will if hungry.
If this guy is young as I suspect, he's probably not a great hunter yet.

GHOs are called the tigers of the sky because they will take on anything and win. Except for vultures, birds have no sense of smell (yes, you can return babies to their, or others' nests - the parents will just go back to stuffing food in that gaping mouth). The GHO will even go after small skunks. I rehabbed one that was soaked in skunk spray. He didn't care but I sure did.

As large as they are, they don't really take cats. Birds bones are hollow. That helps them get and stay airborne but it also makes them very lightweight. While they may take a small kitten, they won't try to take an animal they can't take off with and a cat is way too heavy.

If the bird you saw looked like this but seemed smaller, it could have been any of several other owl species. If you have the opportunity to see two raptors together, the female is much larger, heavier and way more aggressive than the male. Other than size differential, there is not usually sexual dimorphism in birds of prey. One exception to that is the American kestrel, our smallest falcon.

A difference between small and large raptors that always fascinated me is that the big birds, like your GHO, will not usually bite. Instead, they attack with their talons. The little guys, like screech owls and kestrals can put you on the floor in agony with their bite. The same is true of all raptors' talons. I always wore gloves but still have scars up both arms and one long scar across my cheek from a Harris' hawk who didn't want to do what I wanted him to do.

Working with wild animals taught me some things, among which is that just when you think you know about a species, they will do just the opposite. I was holding a large female red tail hawk, looked down and stupidly said, 'you're not gonna bite me, are you', whereupon she reach up and took a perfect V out of my lower lip.

For those who might be interested in working with wildlife (or if you find a hurt/sick animal), look for a wildlife rehabilitater in your area and go volunteer.

FIND A REHABILITATOR

Finding a Rehabilitator | National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA)

 

[Pogo]

I've got Great Horned and Barred Owls here in abundance every night and the occasional Screech outside by bedroom window in the early morning hours. It can be hard to tell how far away they are because we're in such a valley that sounds have a long long reverberation. But one night I was up way too late watching YouTube, a group of British kids doing their version of a comedy routine and falling out in laughter... then suddenly right outside the window (it was summer) there was a Barred Owl perched and calling in. Apparently the sound of the children giggling attracted it.

 

[koshergrl]

Kingfishers are funny little birds Becki; I've never seen them around lakes, only around running water though that doesn't mean they don't live around lakes. They tend to move up and down the stream...they perch along the banks, not too high up usually. They fly fast, the more common ones are quite small and often kind of ratty looking, lol. But they are very fun to watch.

Luddly's dead on about the raptors not being big on biting...I've rescused a few. One was a long eared owl that had been hit along the road near my house. They literally throw themselves back and hold their feet up..and if they get ahold of you you probably won't get them off without killing them.

So I threw a coat over him, he grabbed the coat, and I bundled him up and threw him in my trunk and took him to the bird rehabilitator lady. He had a bad break, but she was very happy because it was a brand new break, and it healed well enough for him to be re-released, which she said really wasn't that common, so it was a good rescue for her.

Here's a wiki photo of a long-eared..this guy is kind of squinting. Aside from the feet the things I remember most about my owl were his huge lamp eyes and hissing!

 

[freedombecki]

He's beautiful, but I hope the coop has a hawk-proof chickenwire topper. My goodness, the barring is pretty. I saw a hawk that color a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't in identify mode then. Now, I wish I had been. Is it an owl? His feet look like some pictures of owls I've seen in books ...

That's a Great Horned Owl, Becki. He's HUGE wing span average of 49"
I would say the one I saw wasn't quite full grown. Best guess would be 3 1/2 foot span. He did have this same adult plumage. I believe I have seen his mom and dad a few times. They grab squirrels and rabbits at dusk and probably mice and possums and the occasional cat. From what I read, they don't normally go after chickens, but will if hungry.
If this guy is young as I suspect, he's probably not a great hunter yet.

GHOs are called the tigers of the sky because they will take on anything and win. Except for vultures, birds have no sense of smell (yes, you can return babies to their, or others' nests - the parents will just go back to stuffing food in that gaping mouth). The GHO will even go after small skunks. I rehabbed one that was soaked in skunk spray. He didn't care but I sure did.

As large as they are, they don't really take cats. Birds bones are hollow. That helps them get and stay airborne but it also makes them very lightweight. While they may take a small kitten, they won't try to take an animal they can't take off with and a cat is way too heavy.

If the bird you saw looked like this but seemed smaller, it could have been any of several other owl species. If you have the opportunity to see two raptors together, the female is much larger, heavier and way more aggressive than the male. Other than size differential, there is not usually sexual dimorphism in birds of prey. One exception to that is the American kestrel, our smallest falcon.

A difference between small and large raptors that always fascinated me is that the big birds, like your GHO, will not usually bite. Instead, they attack with their talons. The little guys, like screech owls and kestrals can put you on the floor in agony with their bite. The same is true of all raptors' talons. I always wore gloves but still have scars up both arms and one long scar across my cheek from a Harris' hawk who didn't want to do what I wanted him to do.

Working with wild animals taught me some things, among which is that just when you think you know about a species, they will do just the opposite. I was holding a large female red tail hawk, looked down and stupidly said, 'you're not gonna bite me, are you', whereupon she reach up and took a perfect V out of my lower lip.

For those who might be interested in working with wildlife (or if you find a hurt/sick animal), look for a wildlife rehabilitater in your area and go volunteer.

FIND A REHABILITATOR

Finding a Rehabilitator | National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association (NWRA)

The only time I remember owls hooting around here is early in the morning as the sun is thinking about coming up. There is a wild dog/coyote group that roams the fields at night, and that may be why the birds aren't too noisy at night for fear of being a midnight snack if they make sounds, plus they can always fly away to someplace that's quieter. Last week they spent 3 nights in the area, and sometimes we don't hear the rendezvous-style howling for weeks on end.

Thanks for the discussion on the lightweightness of birds. I'd really not thought much about it, but I bet [MENTION=16165]alan1[/MENTION] would know, because he is interested in native animal skulls and their identification. OTOH, there are over a thousand different species of birds, and learning to identify each by its skeletal remains would be quite a feat by any skeletal ornithology enthusiast.

 

[freedombecki]

Kingfishers are funny little birds Becki; I've never seen them around lakes, only around running water though that doesn't mean they don't live around lakes. They tend to move up and down the stream...they perch along the banks, not too high up usually. They fly fast, the more common ones are quite small and often kind of ratty looking, lol. But they are very fun to watch.

Luddly's dead on about the raptors not being big on biting...I've rescused a few. One was a long eared owl that had been hit along the road near my house. They literally throw themselves back and hold their feet up..and if they get ahold of you you probably won't get them off without killing them.

So I threw a coat over him, he grabbed the coat, and I bundled him up and threw him in my trunk and took him to the bird rehabilitator lady. He had a bad break, but she was very happy because it was a brand new break, and it healed well enough for him to be re-released, which she said really wasn't that common, so it was a good rescue for her.

Here's a wiki photo of a long-eared..this guy is kind of squinting. Aside from the feet the things I remember most about my owl were his huge lamp eyes and hissing!

Whoa, koshergrl. You sound like the bird fan with a plan if one is injured, and I'm glad the bird you rescued got a new lease on life after healing! Kudos! Love the picture.

 

[freedombecki]

I just went out on the deck and one of these flew out of a tree near the chicken coop.

He's beautiful, but I hope the coop has a hawk-proof chickenwire topper. My goodness, the barring is pretty. I saw a hawk that color a couple of weeks ago, but wasn't in identify mode then. Now, I wish I had been. Is it an owl? His feet look like some pictures of owls I've seen in books ...

That's a Great Horned Owl, Becki. He's HUGE wing span average of 49"
I would say the one I saw wasn't quite full grown. Best guess would be 3 1/2 foot span. He did have this same adult plumage. I believe I have seen his mom and dad a few times. They grab squirrels and rabbits at dusk and probably mice and possums and the occasional cat. From what I read, they don't normally go after chickens, but will if hungry.
If this guy is young as I suspect, he's probably not a great hunter yet.

Oh, those majestic wings! The one that came to our back fence, which is about 20 feet from the edge of our lake, he looked as if he were interested in something between the fencepost and the edge of the lake, which is concealed by a small ridge 3 or 4 feet this side of the water's shoreline. We have about 400 turtles of all sizes sunning themselves at intervals on any given day, but if you come as close as the back fence, you can hear them go "plop!" "plop!" "plop! plop!" "plop!" "plopplopplop!" I guess the large raptors and owls have an element of surprise if it's turtle soup they're after. I have found empty turtle shells as large as 9" by 7" by 8" tall, dark dull green on the outside and greyish white on the inside laying around, but not all that often, so I know something gets them, although birds are most abundant in and around the lake, I'm sure our country area has other predators, but they're a little wiley and I seldom see anything except an occasional moccasin slithering through the grass lately. It's a happy thing to see them on top of my Kubota, but not too happy walking around in my loafers doing pickup chores in the fields and spotting a family of copperheads headed for the creek on the other side of the south fence.

 

[asaratis]

This amazing site trains two cameras on one eagle's nest in north Georgia, USA. One camera is five or so feet above the nest, pointed directly at it and can be seen in the view of the second camera, called the Approach Cam.

This system is usually working 24/7 and has night lighting to make it possible to discern what's happening there no matter the time of day.

I've seen the eagles adding sticks to the nest, seemingly bickering about exactly where a particular stick should be (the larger [female] wins each time). I've seen them eating squirrels and fish. What I'm waiting for is eggs, the hatching, the daily feeding and growth of eaglets.

Enjoy!


Berry College - Experience it Firsthand

 

[Spoonman]

I have a bunch of doves here this year. quite a few in fact.

 

[Ernie S.]

Today, I walked up to the back of my property early this afternoon and heard what I thought at first, was the screech of an eagle. I look up and there are a pair of red tail hawks circling maybe 50 feet above me. I watched then on their hut for maybe 10 minutes. They expanded their radius, but each circuit, they flew right over my head.

They eventually wandered off and I returned to the house. Our Wednesday poker game was at 4 this afternoon. It's usually at 6, but today being a holiday...

I hopped in the pick-up about 3:15 and started down the road and caught a movement to my left. I looked up, and there he was! A mature bald eagle! He got within 100 feet of me. I feel kind of special that he shared a moment from his day with me!


Our Wednesday poker game

 

[freedombecki]

I have a bunch of doves here this year. quite a few in fact.

Wow, just wow, Spoonman! Wow!

I really am enchanted by picture #4 showing a snow bird on the metal fitting with two doves on it. Everything else is lovely, too, but that one is amazing.

 

[freedombecki]

Today, I walked up to the back of my property early this afternoon and heard what I thought at first, was the screech of an eagle. I look up and there are a pair of red tail hawks circling maybe 50 feet above me. I watched then on their hut for maybe 10 minutes. They expanded their radius, but each circuit, they flew right over my head.

They eventually wandered off and I returned to the house. Our Wednesday poker game was at 4 this afternoon. It's usually at 6, but today being a holiday...

I hopped in the pick-up about 3:15 and started down the road and caught a movement to my left. I looked up, and there he was! A mature bald eagle! He got within 100 feet of me. I feel kind of special that he shared a moment from his day with me!

Our Wednesday poker game

Hopefully, sighting America's Bald Eagle national bird on New Year's Day is a good omen for 2014.

Thanks for sharing that, Ernie!

 

[koshergrl]

Today, I walked up to the back of my property early this afternoon and heard what I thought at first, was the screech of an eagle. I look up and there are a pair of red tail hawks circling maybe 50 feet above me. I watched then on their hut for maybe 10 minutes. They expanded their radius, but each circuit, they flew right over my head.

They eventually wandered off and I returned to the house. Our Wednesday poker game was at 4 this afternoon. It's usually at 6, but today being a holiday...

I hopped in the pick-up about 3:15 and started down the road and caught a movement to my left. I looked up, and there he was! A mature bald eagle! He got within 100 feet of me. I feel kind of special that he shared a moment from his day with me!


Our Wednesday poker game

Eagles are super opportunistic hunters. I spent a day by a lake a couple of years back, and watched osprey hunting...and watched the eagles watch those osprey hunt (fish) and as soon as they caught something, chase them down and steal their catch.