Birding

[northland10]

The House Wrens around here sound like a video game on speed.

It's like this one.

[northland10]

And this morning, as I was unloading my stuff at the church, I heard the distinctive song of a house wren. I have not heard one around here for a while.

I also heard the chimney swifts which was expected because they nest in the Masonic Temple Chimney. Some years back I saw a hawk hanging out at the top of the chimney. The swifts that were out were none too happy.

For home and started unloading to a goldfinch singing away. We have three that have been around my place more often than prior years, though I have taken down my feeder for a bit (just in case).

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Fashion models of the avian world

Striking plumage, dramatic tail feathers, long down-curved bills, that indefinable certain something… You can see why bee-eaters are considered among the most beautiful of birds—and highly prized by photographers. There are about 25 species of bee-eaters that live throughout tropical and subtropical parts of Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia. They're medium-sized and both males and females sport similar jewel-toned plumage. This group perching in Mkomazi National Park in Tanzania is mostly made up of the northern carmine variety—with blue-green heads and mostly red bodies—plus a few European bee-eaters seemingly for accent color.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=bee-eater ... %3D&shtc=0

th (18).jpeg (17.59 KiB) Viewed 1905 times

[AndyinPA]

Gorgeous!

[Estiveo]

[keith]

Birds in Backyards:

When we moved into our house 35 years ago it was a 'European Semi-formal Garden' hellhole. There was ONE bird species, the Common Mynah, or what we call in Australia the 'Indian Mynah'. It is one of the 4 or 5 'foreign' birds some European decided was missing from God's plan in Australia and are now causing havoc wherever they go, and they go everywhere. They are noisy, argumentative, and terrorize everything else. There are a few native birds that will stand up to them, but natives, in general won't go anywhere near a 'European' garden (obviously some do, Magpies, Galahs).

The first thing SWMBO did was pull out the roses and the hydrangias then she went about systematically killing the lawn. Then the lemon tree died of its own free will. Later the espaliered apple tree was sacrificed to the renovation hammer.

So a Melaleuca tree (probably quinquenervia, but I'm not certain) - these are good in Ozzie land but are an invasive pest in the USA. Next came a Gum Tree (Eucalypt) (leucoxylon subspecies megalocarpa I think) and a few shrub like grevillias and Bottle Brushes. The front yard got a couple of Wattle Trees that eventually got too big and kept threatening the power lines so they had to go. The lawn, front and back, is now wood chip, which the (introduced) little Black Birds love to dig around in rooting for bugs and worms.

Anyway, the flowers on the bottle brushes soon started interesting the Wattle Birds and the gum tree turned into an 'all you can eat' banquet hall for Rainbow Lorikeets. I think the only thing noisier than a couple of Common Mynahs screaming at each other is a troop of Rainbow Lorikeets hoeing into a gumtree flower banquet - but those Wattles and Lorikeets just wouldn't tolerate the Mynahs anywhere near! They have literally disappeared from the neighborhood. My next door neighbor actually thanked me because he doesn't have to clean out the nests from his gutter every 6 months or so.

As the trees got bigger, they afforded a nice home for possums (the Brushtails like the backyard trees while the Ringtails like the power lines in the street out front), and magpies started visiting occasionally and demanding a bit of a snack. Magpies are probably the most common bird in suburbia, but they just haven't been in my area much - I think they don't like the company of Mynahs, but can't be bothered to chase them away. Now the mynahs are gone, we are getting other visitors like the occasional troop of Galahs or Cockies.

Then a couple of years ago we started noticing a funny 'motor' noise in the early evening (If you are familiar with Phillip Glass "Einstein On The Beach" - the 'motor' noise is exactly the opening bars EDIT - not the opening bars, which is a drone - I'll have to go listen to the 6 hours or whatever it is to find the passage I am thinking of). We eventually realized it was a bird, but it took a couple of months to see it: it was a Tawney Frogmouth and he hung around for a couple of months, went away for a year and then came back for another couple of weeks. We haven't seen him(her?) for a couple of years now, but a young one showed up one after noon and stood undisguised on a branch for a few hours, then two nights ago one showed up watching for dinner near the fruit peel bowl we hang in a tree for the possums. I wish they would be more consistent in hanging around.

So now we have Magpies coming up and knocking on the front door asking for a handout, and if one of them misses out he'll go to the back yard and let us know about it. The occasional Butcher Bird (I love their songs - they have a great repertoire) drops in to use the bird bath. Once in a while a family of Currawongs (here's one -not ours- asking for a handout) will arrive in the front yard and start playing tug-of-war with a stick like a bunch of puppies.

Today was the pièce de résistance! A Kookaburra showed up in the back yard! I don't really expect to see Kookas in the inner suburbs, there is just too much distracting noise for them, I suspect. There should be plenty of prey like mice and rats and such, but I think its just too much of a hassle for most of them. Anyway it took 35 years for one to invite himself over to ask for a hand out. Well not exactly 'ask for' in the way the Magpies do, but he just perched there and stared at us and thanked us for the piece of chicken we gave him.

[AndyinPA]

Wow, how wonderful!

[Maybenaut]

Wow, how wonderful!

I hadn’t heard of many of those birds. So I looked them all up. What a treat to have them in your yard!

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

What a wonderful bird tour!!!!!

[keith]

Wow, how wonderful!

I hadn’t heard of many of those birds. So I looked them all up. What a treat to have them in your yard!

I didn't think of that when I was writing it. I've gone back and inserted some links.

[AndyinPA]

Wow, how wonderful!

I hadn’t heard of many of those birds. So I looked them all up. What a treat to have them in your yard!

I didn't think of that when I was writing it. I've gone back and inserted some links.

Thank you!

[Phoenix520]

I’d love to live where galahs and lorikeets play. I remember sometimes rajah would call in to Reality Check Radio and you would hear parrots and whatnot screeching in the background.

Keith, your possums are adorable compared to our zombie-looking possums.

[Maybenaut]

I’d love to live where galahs and lorikeets play. I remember sometimes rajah would call in to Reality Check Radio and you would hear parrots and whatnot screeching in the background.

Keith, your possums are adorable compared to our zombie-looking possums.

The Virginia Opossum is the only marsupial in North America. They used to creep me out until I discovered they eat ticks. Now I love them.

[keith]

I’d love to live where galahs and lorikeets play. I remember sometimes rajah would call in to Reality Check Radio and you would hear parrots and whatnot screeching in the background.

Keith, your possums are adorable compared to our zombie-looking possums.

Things I forgot in my novella:

1) Possums: when we first moved in there was a Lemon tree, an Apple tree, and an Apricot tree. I forgot about the Apricot tree. The first year there was a great crop of Apricots. SWMBO and I started going out every afternoon and checking for ripeness.

"Not today, maybe tomorrow... Not today, maybe tomorrow... Not today, maybe tomorrow... Not today, maybe tomorrow...Where the effing heck are the apricots?" The possums cleaned them out in one night. And paid for it with their life cause the next day there was one of them spread out all over the back yard. The apricots fermented in their stomach, they got uncontrollably drunk, and caught by some neighborhood cat or fox or something.

Yes, we have foxes, another introduced animal causing nothing but trouble all over mainland Australia. There are far more foxes per square mile in the city than in the country, and there used to be a bitch that had set up home under the next door neighbor's house. The local council has given up any pretense of trying to control them. I remember a couple of years ago I was on the phone in the middle of negotiating a installation date for solar panels when I looked out the upstairs window and saw one in the middle of the day in the middle of the neighbors yard.

2) The stupidest bird possible: the Magpie Lark.

Wikipedia: They are also known to attack mirrors, windows and other reflective surfaces in which they mistake their reflection for an intruder into their territory.

ALL FUCKING DAY LONG. North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence - North fence - Bird Bath - SMASH - East Fence...

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Thanks for the links, keith! I wants me a ring tail possum, a couple of galahs and a cockie. When may I expect delivery?

Please note I unchecked the already checked box for a free magpie lark.

[Phoenix520]

3DB553A3-5D15-4100-BE63-D80F4BD7DD47.jpeg (98.32 KiB) Viewed 1467 times

I went to the bank Friday.
Sometimes I don’t mind a line at the ATM.
The birds are 28. She’s had them for 27.5 of those years.
(I don’t know how to make it upright)

[Tiredretiredlawyer]

Cool!!!!

[Estiveo]

I went to the bank Friday.
Sometimes I don’t mind a line at the ATM.
The birds are 28. She’s had them for 27.5 of those years.
(I don’t know how to make it upright) (I do)

Estiveoshot_20210815_081503.jpg

[Phoenix520]

I tried rotating it before adding but it still came out sideways. How did you fix?

[Estiveo]

Screenshot; edit/rotate within screenshot app before saving; save; vi-ola.

Sometimes the photo editor on your phone thinks it knows better than you no matter what you tell it to do. Free screenshot apps tend to be affably dumb, and pleasantly literal.

[Chilidog]

The pup and I went out birding today. We went down to the Bill Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Lincoln Park along Chicago's lakefront.

We got off to a slow start out the door so we did g get there till mid day so I didn't have hopes up to see much, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Chicadees
Ruby throated hummingbirds
Goldfinches
A Northern Flicker
An Indigo Bunting
And a Kestrel.


We also spotted this guy.


Shhh don't wake him.

[northland10]

I was on the Tri-state and I-80, and I-94 in Indiana. Saw some birds bit most were attached to hands. On I-80 a fully laden swallow walking on the ground would have been faster than me.

Hopefully will see something tomorrow as I am now in the Northland of lower Michigan. Because I yav to actually watch the road on the drive up, only noticed various turkey vultures, I think.

[northland10]

The pup and I went out birding today. We went down to the Bill Jarvis Migratory Bird Sanctuary in Lincoln Park along Chicago's lakefront.

We got off to a slow start out the door so we did g get there till mid day so I didn't have hopes up to see much, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Chicadees
Ruby throated hummingbirds
Goldfinches
A Northern Flicker
An Indigo Bunting
And a Kestrel.

Very cool. Up here on the pinkie finger in Michigan, so far, I have mainly seen grey catbirds, goldfinches (lots of them), and some crows. I have heard chickadees as well.

One thing I have heard and seen in abundance here but not at home is red-eyed vireos.

Merlin said it heard a Northern Harrier but I doubt it was correct.

[MsDaisy]

Two young ospreys were removed from their nest and euthanized so workers could replace a light in a Southern Maryland park
Wildlife supporters raise concerns; one man said he’s ‘outraged’ over the situation

Two juvenile ospreys were taken from their nest on a light pole at a park in Calvert County, Md., and euthanized, causing a stir among local wildlife enthusiasts and birders.

County officials said they followed all protocols and federal laws protecting birds in removing the young ospreys from the pole to replace a light fixture on it at Cove Point Park in Lusby, but that is little comfort to local wildlife rehabilitation experts and birders.

Supporters of the ospreys said officials should have consulted a wildlife sanctuary to take the birds or relocate them rather than kill them. Birders said the animals were about to fledge from their nest and appeared to be perfectly healthy, but a federal wildlife official said the ospreys weren’t close to fledging.

Ospreys, like bald eagles and falcons, were nearly wiped out because of pesticide use more than 40 years ago, but they have made a comeback — including in the D.C. region, experts said — as part of widespread conservation efforts. Federal wildlife officials said there are about 2,000 nesting pairs of ospreys in the Chesapeake Bay area. They often nest on top of lights or utility poles, experts said. At the Calvert park, they had made a nest in the pole that overlooked a ballfield.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va ... land-park/


That's pretty fucked up!

[AndyinPA]