We have woody the woodpecker digging at our one tree out back. Bark flying everywhere. This bird is big. Can they kill a tree?
We have woody the woodpecker digging at our one tree out back. Bark flying everywhere. This bird is big. Can they kill a tree?
Pileated Woodpecker. They typically like dead trees and hack at them for grubs and such.
Chad
I think Chad is saying that your tree may already be dead!Originally Posted by Nearfest2
Regards,
Duncan
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I think Chad is saying that your tree may already be dead!
We had a large maple that my wife had a tree service remove a section of to allow for more sun hitting the yard and pool, and a couple of years later the tree leafed out in the spring and then all the leaves turned brown and shriveled up. The next year the tree never leafed out, and later on I saw a bunch of the little ("hairy?") woodpeckers working on it, even going way out to the ends of branches that were as thin as a pencil to peck away at them. Then we had it taken down so it wouldn't come down in a wind storm.
I hope this isn't a stupid question, but is there a specific time of the day that's the best time to bird watch? I asked this because there always seems to be a plethora of birds around my house in the morning and around dinner time very few.
It depends but yes morning is best. Between sunrise and about 10am. For hawks, wait until about 10am or so. They also like the early afternoon to ride thermals.
^^ But sunset is the best time to hear mockingbird song.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
Sometimes they keep going all night long.
When they're near a street light, or similar light source, they don't seem to know when it gets completely dark.
"Well my son, life is like a beanstalk, isn't it?"--Dalai Lama
At one stage we had a mocking bird that yelled all night long. It was in the woods and far from any light. I love going to sleep to bird calls, but this was way too loud and I had to close the windows and sometimes insert ear plugs!
Regards,
Duncan
I had a really weird experience yesterday. Our back door was open and I could hear a screeching sound like a bird in distress. I went into the yard and the sound seemed to be coming from a big maple tree right outside the door. I could see a few Blue Jays hopping around the branches. Suddenly the screeching stopped and about a dozen Jays just took off from the tree. I could see others still in the tree. A few seconds later the rest of the Jays flew off together. Perhaps heading to Point Pelee National Park where many migrating birds stop on their way south.
I've never seen so many Blue Jays all at once. I still don't know what the screeching was...whether it was a distress call or whether it was a herding call. I don't even know if it was a Blue Jay, although I strongly suspect that it was.
Last edited by ForeverAutumn; 09-27-2020 at 12:01 AM.
They have family units. It could have been a 'family meeting'. We get the same thing in our back yard. Raucous to say the least.
Lots of other birds seem to join in for the duration.
We also get a similar scene with Wrens. Six or seven all calling, with additional birds chiming in. And then it breaks up.
"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
Jays have been known to imitate hawk calls. A Steller’s jay tried that with me once, while I was enjoying my sandwich. Sorry, little fella, I’m a bigger predator and am not afraid of hawks (also: I know it’s you!).
Had the unenviable task of having to remove a dead sparrow carcass from the porch of one of the cabins of the park where I work after it suffered a fatal collision with it. Gotta watch where you fly, little fella.
Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...
Blue Jays will also mob certain birds of prey like owls and hawks. That's typically the issue when you see and hear a lot of jays at once like that.
It was only one bird making the call. Or at least it was one bird at a time. It was not a collection of calls.
I was looking out my home office window this morning and saw another couple of dozen Blue Jays flying off in the same direction (west). There's a protected meadow and river just west of me that's known as a good birding spot. I've been following the meadow's FB page and there are some great photos being posted of migrating birds. Maybe they're heading to the meadow.
In the early evening here, the crows flock from all around to an area near me. Way up calling to each other. A nightly ritual of sorts.
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I took this today. What kind of bird is it?
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This guy was on one of our feeders.
Northern Flicker
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker/id
Thanks, I've got a lot to learn
White-breasted Nuthatch. We get those on occasion. We get lots of Red-breasted nuthatches.
Fun fact: Nuthatches are the only bird that will hang on to a tree or feeder upside down like that.
Cool, thanks. I thought it was pretty cool that I got the picture with food in his beak.
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Wish I could have gotten this guy without the leaf in front of his head.
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