Birders

[progmatist]

Where are you in the southwest? I was out there last July and came home with 85 life birds. It was awesome. I'll be in Scottdale at the end of June this year for a conference.

Scottsdale, like Mesa is a suburb of Phoenix. We do have unique birds in the Sonoran Desert found in few other places, like cactus wren and roadrunners. The birds in more temperate climates migrate past Arizona into Mexico.

You might actually get luck this year. In El Nino years, like this year, the temperature spike above 110 will typically be delayed into July. Normally, it happens in late June, immediately following the summer solstice.

[markwoll]

Finally got to see a Goldfinch yesterday.
There are usually more around by now.
The LBJ's have moved through in their small flocks.
Lots of nests and the peeping of baby birds.
Very much like spring.

[ForeverAutumn]

Golden-winged?! Wow! Nice bird!

BTW, they aren't clumsy. They think it's a pass-through since they can't see the glass. Since you get frequent bird strikes, you should probably put some sort of decal on your windows.

Try these: https://www.windowalert.com

I have those on our front window and we hardly get any bird strikes anymore. Before I put them up, we got at least one or two strikes a week - it broke my heart. They work great. You have to change them a couple of times a year though. Apparently, they lose their effectiveness over time. I replace ours every spring and that seems to do the trick.

If you don't want shapes on your windows, there is also this product. I haven't used it yet, but we're considering it for the three large picture windows in our sunroom. This product is endorsed by FLAP. https://www.conveniencegroup.com/fea...ather-friendly

[ForeverAutumn]

A bucket list sighting just now as a Scarlet Tanager settled in one of our trees and sat there for about five minutes!!!

Long enough for us to scramble to find the binoculars, but not long enough to get a picture.

That's okay, it would have been a shitty phone picture anyhow.

[Nearfest2]

A bucket list sighting just now as a Scarlet Tanager settled in one of our trees and sat there for about five minutes!!!

That's awesome!

I just got back from four days in northwestern Ohio at the Biggest Week in Birding. Magee Marsh was insane. We saw about 150 species of birds and 24 species of warbler, including a nearly endangered Kirtland's Warbler. Amazing trip.

I'll post some pics when I get some time.

[ForeverAutumn]

Cool! I didn't realize that you were so hard-core. I'd love to do trip like that.

For now, spring migration at our home feeder is providing some great first sightings and a beautiful repeat visitor. In addition to the Scarlet Tanager on Tuesday, this morning I had a first-time sighting of a While-crowned Sparrow. Two of them were pecking the ground under our lilac tree on their migration north. At the same time a Rose-breasted Grosbeak was pecking at the feeder. We spot the Rose-breasted at our feeder every couple of years, always during spring migration.

[Nearfest2]

Yeah, big time. Birding essentially filled the gap left by NEARfest. I've been an avid birder since 2014.

I would highly recommend going to Magee Marsh for the Biggest Week. The number of birds is insane and having warblers at eye-level is just nuts.

Since I've been back, I've had several good birds in our yard: Cape May Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler, Northern Parula, and Great-crested Flycatcher.

BTW, where in Ontario are you?

[Nearfest2]

Here are a few photos from Magee Marsh...

Black-throated Blue Warbler
Black-throated Blue Warber.jpg

Blue-winged Warbler
Blue-winged Warbler.jpg

Norther Parula
Northern Parula.jpg

Kirtland's Warbler
Kirtlands Warbler 2.jpg

Eastern Screech-owl
Eastern Screech-owl.jpg

[proggy_jazzer]

^^^
Awesome photos! You've inspired me, and I just went online and bought a set of add-on lenses for my iPhone camera.

[Jerjo]

Stunning photos. We don't have warblers around here and our songbirds are kinda mundane. But we've got plenty of waterfowl and birds of prey.

[Nearfest2]

North Dakota is a tough place for warblers. You get a few migrants going through, but your only summer residents are Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler, and Ovenbird.

[ronmac]

Great shots! Such patience you have with that camera.

[ForeverAutumn]

BTW, where in Ontario are you?

I'm just north of Toronto, in Markham. And I do mean just north - about a mile. My neighbourhood has a lot of protected, naturalized, land so we get a lot more birds and wildlife than most urban neighbourhoods around here.

Those are great photos!

[ForeverAutumn]

^^^
Awesome photos! You've inspired me, and I just went online and bought a set of add-on lenses for my iPhone camera.

Let me know how those work out. I keep telling myself that I need a real camera. But if I can get away with an add-on for my iPhone, that would be easier to carry around!

[Nearfest2]

I'm just north of Toronto, in Markham. And I do mean just north - about a mile. My neighbourhood has a lot of protected, naturalized, land so we get a lot more birds and wildlife than most urban neighbourhoods around here.

Looks like Reesor Park is a good spot. Milne Dam Conservation Park, Swan Lake, German Mills Park and Grand Cornell Park & Ponds seem like decent spots. The lakeshore seems to have your best hotspots though.

[ForeverAutumn]

Looks like Reesor Park is a good spot. Milne Dam Conservation Park, Swan Lake, German Mills Park and Grand Cornell Park & Ponds seem like decent spots. The lakeshore seems to have your best hotspots though.

German Mills Park is across the street from me. It's one of the protected areas that I was referring to. A developer wanted to build on it several years ago and the residents fought back and won. I don't spend nearly as much time there as I should. As well as a great place to spot Great Blue Herons, we've also seen deer and foxes in the park. As of this summer it's part of a new trail system, so traffic in the park is going to increase. Hopefully, it won't affect the wildlife living in the park.

Banner day at my feeder today. Add an Oriole to my bird tally. I put an orange out a couple of days ago and there's an oriole pecking at it as I post this.

So, all the birds I've seen in our yard today:
Rose-breasted Grosbeak (rare sighting) at last count there were four males and two females at the feeder at the same time.
Baltimore Oriole (Male and Female) (medium to rare sighting). There were three females at one time.
White-crowned sparrows (first sighting)
Song sparrow (by the dozen)
Chipping sparrow (medium to rare sighting)
Blue Jays
Cardinal (Male and Female)
Starlings
American Goldfinch (by the dozen)
House Finch
Chicadees
Red-wing Blackbirds

And, of course, yesterday's sighting of the year - the Scarlet Tanager!

And honourable mention to the rabbit, red squirrel, black squirrel, and rat.

Shitty phone photos of the four male and two female Grosbeaks. One photo with Oriole one without.

fullsizeoutput_179f.jpg

fullsizeoutput_179e.jpg

[ForeverAutumn]

Finally a somewhat decent photo. This fella let me get pretty close to him this morning.

Rose-breasted Grosbeak.jpg

[Nearfest2]

We got intimate with Rose-breasted Grosbeaks at Magee Marsh.
DSC_1654.jpg

Magee Marsh is only a 5-hour drive for you. Beats my 7 1/2!

[Jerjo]

We have to attend an open house for a high school graduation on Saturday. Yesterday my wife announced with great drama that "I have NOTHING to wear". Next to, "does this make me look fat", that is the last statement a husband wants to hear. So we took a 90 mile drive the nearest town that has a mall and big box retail stores to "shop".

Along the way I passed the wetlands that the cormorants hang nest at and sure enough, a few were back. I don't understand what the appeal is for them. There's no fish there. Maybe they just use if for a base and fly elsewhere to feed? Also saw on the way the usual mallards and coots, a red-tailed hawk diving and coming up with a mouse in a field, and a juvenile swan that I only got a quick look at. It was mostly grey and a big sonovabitch. Trumpeter perhaps?

[proggy_jazzer]

So, we got an add-on lens for the iPhone. It’s not great, but we took these of a newcomer to the feeder. Can anyone help with an ID?465F3218-2AB3-4748-B98B-BD8BD42E9EB8.jpg97FA041D-73FA-4F5A-AD62-C78404EFB03E.jpg

[tdotdo]

American Kestrel.jpgBlack-Necked Stilt.jpgWhite-faced Ibis.jpg

I was down in Chino, California last month visiting the air museums and saw some new birds there. (I guess I like things that fly!) I have seen kestrels but never got a chance for a picture.

[Nearfest2]

Along the way I passed the wetlands that the cormorants hang nest at and sure enough, a few were back. I don't understand what the appeal is for them. There's no fish there. Maybe they just use if for a base and fly elsewhere to feed?

May just be good roosting/breeding location. They may just fish somewhere else nearby.

a juvenile swan that I only got a quick look at. It was mostly grey and a big sonovabitch. Trumpeter perhaps?

More likely a Tundra Swan in ND during migration.

[Nearfest2]

So, we got an add-on lens for the iPhone. It’s not great, but we took these of a newcomer to the feeder. Can anyone help with an ID?

Female Indigo Bunting

[proggy_jazzer]

Female Indigo Bunting

Very cool - we'll have to be on the lookout for the male as well, then. Thanks!

[Nearfest2]

Very cool - we'll have to be on the lookout for the male as well, then. Thanks!

Yes! And they are stunning. Here's a photo I took in South Jersey a few years ago...

IndigoBunting.jpg