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Thread: Birders

  1. #926
    NEARfest Officer Emeritus Nearfest2's Avatar
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    Likely mixed flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds, Common Grackles, Brown-headed Cowbirds and European Starlings, or come combination thereof.
    Last edited by Nearfest2; 03-05-2020 at 04:19 PM.

  2. #927
    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    I saw my first red-winged blackbird in quite some time yesterday. I am unaware of their migratory practices. I guess they don't stick around in western PA.
    I usually see them in the grassy wooded wet sections around the on and off ramps of the beltway here.
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  3. #928
    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ronmac View Post
    I saw my first red-winged blackbird in quite some time yesterday. I am unaware of their migratory practices. I guess they don't stick around in western PA.
    Now that you mention it, I haven't seen one in months.

    We have a hawk hanging around our house. I've seen it sitting on the fence watching our feeder a few times (feeder is in the front yard), and my husband has seen it hanging out in the back yard. We're still undecided if it's a Sharp-shinned or a Cooper's. I think a Cooper's, hubby thinks Sharp-shinned. We need to get another good look at it.

  4. #929
    NEARfest Officer Emeritus Nearfest2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn View Post
    Now that you mention it, I haven't seen one in months.
    RWBL will be back in Canada soon. Spring is coming!

    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn View Post
    We have a hawk hanging around our house. I've seen it sitting on the fence watching our feeder a few times (feeder is in the front yard), and my husband has seen it hanging out in the back yard. We're still undecided if it's a Sharp-shinned or a Cooper's. I think a Cooper's, hubby thinks Sharp-shinned. We need to get another good look at it.
    Cooper's Hawk - Dark cap, flat head, rounded tail when perched, tail also has a white terminal band, head protrudes out from the shoulders in flight
    Sharp-shinned Hawk - Dark cap and nape, rounded head, squared-off tail when perched, head does not protrude much from the shoulders in flight

    Cooper's Hawks are larger, but you can't go by size along unless you have something else nearby to compare it to.

    Get a pic!
    Chad

  5. #930
    Insect Overlord Progatron's Avatar
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    It won't be long before I'm already sick of the red-winged blackbirds, especially during mating season when they are dive-bombing and pecking at my head!
    Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.

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  6. #931
    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nearfest2 View Post
    Spring is coming!
    The last couple of years our house has been a stop-over for Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks during spring migration. We had about eight of them, both sexes, for about two weeks last year. I've bought a better camera since last spring so I'm hoping to get some good pictures this year.


    Quote Originally Posted by Nearfest2 View Post

    Get a pic!
    I've tried. He doesn't want to still long enough for that to happen! Birds are very annoying that way.

  7. #932
    Member proggy_jazzer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nearfest2 View Post
    Cooper's Hawk - Dark cap, flat head, rounded tail when perched, tail also has a white terminal band, head protrudes out from the shoulders in flight
    Sharp-shinned Hawk - Dark cap and nape, rounded head, squared-off tail when perched, head does not protrude much from the shoulders in flight

    Cooper's Hawks are larger, but you can't go by size along unless you have something else nearby to compare it to.
    Thanks for the great info - we have seen both here I believe, but have never been certain which was which. This will help a lot (and I'll try to get a pic as well).
    David
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  8. #933
    Moderator Duncan Glenday's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nearfest2 View Post
    RWBL will be back in Canada soon. Spring is coming!
    Cooper's Hawk - Dark cap, flat head, rounded tail when perched, tail also has a white terminal band, head protrudes out from the shoulders in flight
    Sharp-shinned Hawk - Dark cap and nape, rounded head, squared-off tail when perched, head does not protrude much from the shoulders in flight

    Cooper's Hawks are larger, but you can't go by size along unless you have something else nearby to compare it to.

    Get a pic!
    I had a Coopers Hawk in the tree right outside my home office window on Thursday - first time I've ever seen a raptor in my yard.

    I grabbed my phone, but couldn't get a decent pic because the blinds were in the way - and by the time I lifted them, it had flown away.
    Regards,

    Duncan

  9. #934
    Quote Originally Posted by Duncan Glenday View Post
    I had a Coopers Hawk in the tree right outside my home office window on Thursday - first time I've ever seen a raptor in my yard.

    I grabbed my phone, but couldn't get a decent pic because the blinds were in the way - and by the time I lifted them, it had flown away.
    I have either red tail or red shoulder hawks in the trees or flying overhead all the time. It must be mating season because they are screeching while flying around. If you want to find a hawk just look for a tree full of crows.
    NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!

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  11. #936
    Moderator Duncan Glenday's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn View Post
    Regards,

    Duncan

  12. #937
    NEARfest Officer Emeritus Nearfest2's Avatar
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    That would be me!

    The migrants are on the move! I had a Palm Warbler this weekend! Keep your eyes peeled.
    Chad

  13. #938
    NEARfest Officer Emeritus Nearfest2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shadow View Post
    I have either red tail or red shoulder hawks in the trees or flying overhead all the time. It must be mating season because they are screeching while flying around. If you want to find a hawk just look for a tree full of crows.
    Is it the screech that you hear in commercials wrongly attributed to Bald Eagles or is it a repeated "keeya keeya"? First one would be Red-tailed, second would be Red-shouldered. We had two RSHA in our neighborhood yesterday making a racket.
    Chad

  14. #939
    Member ForeverAutumn's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nearfest2 View Post
    Is it the screech that you hear in commercials wrongly attributed to Bald Eagles or is it a repeated "keeya keeya"? First one would be Red-tailed, second would be Red-shouldered. We had two RSHA in our neighborhood yesterday making a racket.
    For reference, if you ever watched The Colbert Report, the Eagle screech at the start of his show was actually a red-tailed hawk.

  15. #940
    Moderator Duncan Glenday's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nearfest2 View Post
    Is it the screech that you hear in commercials wrongly attributed to Bald Eagles or is it a repeated "keeya keeya"? First one would be Red-tailed, second would be Red-shouldered. We had two RSHA in our neighborhood yesterday making a racket.
    One of the most haunting sounds you'll ever hear:

    The African Fish Eagle. It's like a first cousin to the American Bald Eagle - the main differences:
    - Bald eagle is about 3 inches taller
    - Fish eagle's white extends part way down its chest and back.

    Their habits and behaviors are almost identical.

    But for those who've spent time in Africa, the Fish Eagle's cry in THE sound of Africa, and once heard, rarely forgotten.

    Regards,

    Duncan

  16. #941
    NEARfest Officer Emeritus Nearfest2's Avatar
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    That African Fish Eagle call is cool - not too dissimilar to our Bald Eagle - but it's nothing compared to a Barn Owl from a haunting/terrifying standpoint!

    Chad

  17. #942
    Man of repute progmatist's Avatar
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    Mama duck and ducklings in one of the many canals snaking through the Phoenix area. This canal path happens to be the shortest route to the nearest grocery store by bike.



    Pardon my foul language.
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  18. #943
    My neighbor's son's wife has been posting pictures and video of this robin going nuts at her house. The bird pecks at the windows. She has been blocking the windows with with cloths and colored papers but just going to another window. Now the bird is knocking on the front door. I know we raised a female cardinal years ago and it would come back to the house at night and I would let it in until we decided it was better off just staying out.
    NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF STUPID PEOPLE IN LARGE GROUPS!

  19. #944
    Caught this pileated woodpecker pecking away this evening.

    A bit blurry. Hand-held with a zoom lens.

    pileated-woodpecker.jpg
    "The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"

  20. #945
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    We have a red headed woodpecker that has chosen our metal chimney cap for his noise maker. Hey Baby! Hey Baby!
    It makes a strange noise in the living room.
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
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  21. #946
    NEARfest Officer Emeritus Nearfest2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by markwoll View Post
    We have a red headed woodpecker that has chosen our metal chimney cap for his noise maker. Hey Baby! Hey Baby!
    It makes a strange noise in the living room.
    Mark, odds are you have a Red-bellied Woodpecker not a Red-headed. RBWO are much more common than RHWO.

    Red-bellied Woodpeckers have a red cap that extends down the back of the head. They have bellies with a red-orange wash, but that is usually up against a tree or whatever they are perched on, so it's hard to see. They have black backs with thin white horizontal streaks. They are very common in neighborhoods and wooded areas.

    Red-headed Woodpeckers have a completely red head all the way to the shoulders. They have all-white bellies and black backs with large white wing patches. They like wet areas with sparse dead trees.

    Take look here:
    http://lafayettepark.org/border-battles/
    Chad

  22. #947
    Outraged bystander markwoll's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nearfest2 View Post
    Mark, odds are you have a Red-bellied Woodpecker not a Red-headed. RBWO are much more common than RHWO.

    Red-bellied Woodpeckers have a red cap that extends down the back of the head. They have bellies with a red-orange wash, but that is usually up against a tree or whatever they are perched on, so it's hard to see. They have black backs with thin white horizontal streaks. They are very common in neighborhoods and wooded areas.

    Red-headed Woodpeckers have a completely red head all the way to the shoulders. They have all-white bellies and black backs with large white wing patches. They like wet areas with sparse dead trees.

    Take look here:
    http://lafayettepark.org/border-battles/
    Yep, you are correct. Darn my lack of auto-avian-ident correct.
    "It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."
    -- Aristotle
    Nostalgia, you know, ain't what it used to be. Furthermore, they tells me, it never was.
    “A Man Who Does Not Read Has No Appreciable Advantage Over the Man Who Cannot Read” - Mark Twain

  23. #948
    Member proggy_jazzer's Avatar
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    We love the fact that our back yard is attractive to woodpeckers of many types; we see downies (almost daily), red-bellied (frequent), red-headed on two occasions, and one pileated. Being in a subdivision carved out of a nursery's acreage in the 60s/70s helps, as there are tons of old-growth trees.

    This week we're especially enjoying the goldfinches' return to their glorious color.
    David
    Happy with what I have to be happy with.

  24. #949
    Quote Originally Posted by Nearfest2 View Post
    Mark, odds are you have a Red-bellied Woodpecker not a Red-headed. RBWO are much more common than RHWO.

    Red-bellied Woodpeckers have a red cap that extends down the back of the head. They have bellies with a red-orange wash, but that is usually up against a tree or whatever they are perched on, so it's hard to see. They have black backs with thin white horizontal streaks. They are very common in neighborhoods and wooded areas.

    Red-headed Woodpeckers have a completely red head all the way to the shoulders. They have all-white bellies and black backs with large white wing patches. They like wet areas with sparse dead trees.

    Take look here:
    http://lafayettepark.org/border-battles/
    The Red-Bellied is what I see all the time. The blush color on the belly is pretty subtle, though, and can be missed.

    RBWPs are also a lot larger.
    "The White Zone is for loading and unloading only. If you got to load or unload go to the White Zone!"

  25. #950
    NEARfest Officer Emeritus Nearfest2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by proggy_jazzer View Post
    We love the fact that our back yard is attractive to woodpeckers of many types; we see downies (almost daily), red-bellied (frequent), red-headed on two occasions, and one pileated. Being in a subdivision carved out of a nursery's acreage in the 60s/70s helps, as there are tons of old-growth trees.

    This week we're especially enjoying the goldfinches' return to their glorious color.
    You likely get Hairy Woodpeckers and Northern Flickers as well. HAWO are similar to Downies but larger with longer bills and no black spots on the white outer tail features (or retrocies).
    Chad

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