Birders

[progmatist]

^^ And why did it cross the road?

[ronmac]

^^ And why did it cross the road?

Because it was stapled to the chicken.

[Nearfest2]

I saw what I believe was a killdeer walking across the street this afternoon.

Indeed. Ever see their "broken wing" routine?

[Duncan Glenday]

Indeed. Ever see their "broken wing" routine?

The broken wing routine is common among plovers. (I believe the kildeer is a plover? Looks almost identical to the African "three banded plover".)

We often had pied or blacksmith plovers nesting in a lot across the road, and you could tell when they had chicks by their behavior. Their nests were barely a scratch in the ground, and hard to find.

So we'd sometimes walk across the road and start looking for the nest (carefully) - and the birds dive bombed us! Scary as heck - screeching, claws out, it looked like they were ready to scratch our eyes out and we had to duck at the last minute. Also - they were more likely to dive bomb kids than adults. They seemed to have a bit more respect for bigger humans.

Then, when we were getting close to the nest, they'd start the broken wing routine. But they're pretty dumb. They'd drag a wing on the ground and hop in a certain direction - obviously trying to draw us away from the nest - so I would simply step in the opposite direction.

The chicks were incredibly cute, and could run around when just a few days old. They looked like dusky cotton-wool balls on legs that were so long and thin and moved so fast that it looked like they were dust-bunnies hovering above the ground.

We never stayed there for more than a minute or so, as we didn't want to stress the birds any more.

[Duncan Glenday]

Killdeer (left) - Three banded plover (right)

...



Blacksmith plover (bigger than kildeer or 3-banded plover) - the kind that nested across the road from my house.



Pied plover (bigger than kildeer or 3-banded plover) - also nested across the road from my house.

[proggy_jazzer]

Identified by sound and binoculars in our backyard this morning: an Eastern Wood-Pewee. A first for us!

[progmatist]

^^ Right now is probably a great time for birding. Wildlife in general has been flourishing with the Covid lockdowns.

[Nearfest2]

^^ Right now is probably a great time for birding. Wildlife in general has been flourishing with the Covid lockdowns.

Not really. It's just that more people are outside noticing its splendor!

The best time for birding here (SE PA) was May 1 to May 20. The weather was very conducive for migration and we saw a lot of warblers and other migratory birds. We are now entering the summer lull.

My crown jewel was this Mourning Warbler (life bird #531).
MOWA72.jpg

[ronmac]

^^ Beautiful shot!

[Firth]

Ok birders, what is this bird I photographed in Piney Orchard Preserve near Odenton MD:

[Mister Triscuits]

^ Yellow-crowned night heron.

[Dave (in MA)]

Similar markings as a yellow-crowned night heron, though the neck seems more slender.

[Nearfest2]

It's Yellow-crowned Night Heron. Note the light yellow cap and tendrils and the facial markings. Black-crowned Night Herons are bulkier, have blue-black cap and thicker bill.

Great bird, BTW.

[Firth]

Thanks folks

[Dave (in MA)]

Great bird, BTW.

I thought only the Great Blue Herons were great. These are Pretty Good Yellow-Crowned Night Herons.

[Dave (in MA)]

I thought only the Great Blue Herons were great. These are Pretty Good Yellow-Crowned Night Herons.

*thwack*

[JKL2000]

I think I just heard a Golden Eagle in a tree in our yard. I heard a bird that sounded like a whining dog. I googled that and it seemed to be a Golden Eagle. That’s just how it’s described, and I listened to samples that were similar. I saw the bird but it was up high so I only got a glimpse and it was smaller than I’d expect and whitish (that might have just been the underside. Could this have been a young Golden Eagle? We’re about 25 minutes north of NYC on the Hudson.

[Nearfest2]

Not possible. They don’t migrate through the East for a few more moths. Probably a Bald Eagle.

[Progbear]

Never saw a killdeer do the “broken wing” routine but my dad (R.I.P.) did. He worked in a railroad yard, and the mottled gravel they use is perfect for killdeer(s?) to build their nests in to camouflage their eggs. He’d frequently tread close to their nests without knowing.

I have, nonetheless, seen them quite often, as they are extremely noisy and conspicuous birds (see also: crows, scrub jays, red-winged blackbirds, etc.).

[ForeverAutumn]

I think I just heard a Golden Eagle in a tree in our yard. I heard a bird that sounded like a whining dog. I googled that and it seemed to be a Golden Eagle. That’s just how it’s described, and I listened to samples that were similar. I saw the bird but it was up high so I only got a glimpse and it was smaller than I’d expect and whitish (that might have just been the underside. Could this have been a young Golden Eagle? We’re about 25 minutes north of NYC on the Hudson.

This isn't a comment on what you saw...we went to a bird show a few years ago and they had a Golden Eagle there. That bird was HUGE! Like, crazy HUGE. It was beautiful. A very impressive bird.

[Dave (in MA)]

[markwoll]

Awesome bird!

[ronmac]

Awesome bird!

Yeah, that, too.

[Fracktured]

Had two birds in my back woods that I thought were rattle snakes until I got close enough to see they were birds


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[Fracktured]

Awesome bird!

I didn’t notice the bird


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