I love me a Northern Parula....
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Got me a two lifers this weekend: Brown-headed Nuthatch and American White Pelican
Chad
I've seen smaller birds go after hawks in my days of working on the family farm. Amazing how they get away with it. I only saw a hawk manage to retaliate once, by going away and then returning from above with a spectacular dive. That bird could carry a grudge.
Grackles are a big nuisance out here: loud and territorial, chasing out songbirds and shitting on every available vehicle outside. I've seen cats that have grown wise to the dive-bomb technique and it ain't pretty.
Last week I saw a pair of golden eagles doing slow circles on the steppes above the Missouri River. The sun was setting and the big birds were breath-taking.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Grackles are assholes. They've nested in our yard in recent years. Once the babies are born, the adults clean out the nests of droppings by eating them and then regurgitating them elsewhere. They cough up little white gelatinous blobs of bird shit... and they're everywhere. One year, they kept leaving them on our driveway. Another year, and this was worse, they left them all over our deck. Nasty.
That's awesome.
Chad
In my previous life as a mailman before I retired, nearly every day one Spring I had a crow that would attack me. He (or she) would wait until I was not facing them before starting the attack. I would have to walk down the street backwards to keep from getting dive-bombed.
Broad-billed Hummingbird (1024x768).jpgYellow-eyed Junco (1024x768).jpg
In Tucson in September. Got the first one at the Tucson Botanical Gardens and the other up at Mt. Lemmon where the temperature was 57, a little less than the 90s down in the city.
tdotdo that is too funny. I can just hear people on that street saying here comes that crazy mailman again. WTF why is he walking backwards again!
Last edited by HONDO; 11-29-2017 at 11:19 AM.
This actually made the local newspaper -- Long Island birders are all excited over the sighting of a rare CORNCRAKE!
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Beautiful feathers!
You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...
I love the cute little COOTS that overwinter in Long Island lakes...
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You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...
I have friends that made the trip to see the Corncrake. Unfortunately, the next morning it was found dead. It was being seen near a busy road and apparently was hit by a car after dark or prior to sunrise.
Last edited by Nearfest2; 12-12-2017 at 09:21 AM.
Ever see the giant feet on an American Coot?
You say Mega Ultra Deluxe Special Limited Edition Extended Autographed 5-LP, 3-CD, 4-DVD, 2-BlueRay, 4-Cassette, five 8-Track, MP4 Download plus Demos, Outtakes, Booklet, T-Shirt and Guitar Pick Gold-Leafed Box Set Version like it's a bad thing...
Saw our first pileated woodpecker ever (6 years) in the back yard this afternoon; very cool bird, and much bigger than I had realized. Hopefully he joins our regulars, the red-bellied and downy as a frequent visitor!
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
Nice! I've only ever had two pileated sightings. The first was about 25 years ago. I had a great view, for about five minutes. Unfortunately, it was before the days of cell phone cameras and I didn't have a camera in my car. The second sighting was last summer about 100 kilometres north of where I live. It was just a glimpse as it flew by. But still very exciting!
This was for about 5-10 minutes, as he went from tree to tree 15-20 yards away from our back deck. Had the binoculars out immediately and got a good look, but I know from experience that my phone camera doesn't pick up much from that distance through windows. One thing this thread has made me think about is purchasing a real camera!
David
Happy with what I have to be happy with.
I've heard some interesting calls in our neighborhood lately. But, it's too fucking cold to go looking.
"The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"
Record them then upload the audio clips here. I'd love to help you figure out what they are.
I love Pileateds. We see and hear them relatively frequently.
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Chad
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