Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 2:52 pm
Page 5 of 30
Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 3:53 pm
I forwarded that to my son, the budding ornithologist.
Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 4:58 pm
Not technically birdwatching, but I was so heartened to see a Trooper pulled to the shoulder and was walking to the onramp and slowing vehicles down so the Canadian Geese family could safely cross the road 
Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 5:42 pm
Many years ago, when I lived in the Northland (Northern Lower Michigan), I was driving somewhere near Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore when I stopped for a group of 3 turkey hens and all their little ones. One mother had crossed but the others, seeing me approach stopped. Unfortunately, this caused confusion with the little ones who stopped in the road and went back and forth, not sure where to go. I was fine with enjoying watching but I was hoping another car would not show up. After a minute or so of back and forth, the turkey that had crossed the road (I did not ask why), spun around and ran back to the other side. All the little ones followed.
If I had needed any convincing, this was proof that turkeys are smart. I had some students and parents who could not have figured that out.
Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 02, 2021 8:15 pm
Wild turkeys are smart.
Domestic turkeys on the other hand.....
Domestic turkeys on the other hand.....
Re: Birding
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 11:40 am
One of the most interesting documentaries I've seen in recent years is about a naturalist who raised a clutch of wild turkey eggs into full fledged turkeys. He had to teach them everything. But what he learned from them was amazing, too. If I can find a link, I will post it. Wild turkeys indeed are super smart, have figured out how to communicate specific threats to the rest of the group and just, in general, are super cool.Re: Birding
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 11:58 am
I used to belong to a farmer's market C.S.A. The farmer was from the Goshen area of Indiana. One time we were talking about his turkeys and how they were difficult to keep, because, as he put it, "Turkeys are stuuuupid!"
Re: Birding
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 12:21 pm
I saw that. PBS Nature I think.RVInit wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 11:40 am
Re: Birding
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 1:58 pm
Here it is!jmj wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 12:21 pmI saw that. PBS Nature I think.RVInit wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 11:40 am
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2101982/
Re: Birding
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 1:59 pm
RVInit wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 1:58 pmHere it is! There is a link to watch it on PBS online. Highly recommended.jmj wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 12:21 pmI saw that. PBS Nature I think.RVInit wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 11:40 am
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2101982/
Re: Birding
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 6:34 pm
Wild turkey populations get smarter as a whole because the less smart ones are removed from the gene pool by predation.
Farmed turkeys get fed and protected by humans. They are bred to have meat not brains.
Farmed turkeys get fed and protected by humans. They are bred to have meat not brains.
Re: Birding
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:17 pm
Re: Birding
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:47 pm
Re: Birding
Posted: Mon May 03, 2021 7:54 pm
Owls get run over ( or at least hit) by cars all the time. I used to find them often, especially Barred Owls. Owl wings are very soft, which is great for making no sound, but awful when they are on the ground and see a car coming 70 MPH at them and they try to take off and achieve some height before the car gets them. They often are hit while still pretty low to the ground. I always hated to drive down the main road to my house on a night after a nice rainstorm when I lived in Sorrento. Invariably I would pass a dead Barred Owl on the side of the road. After a nice summer rain the frogs are crossing the streets all night long and Barred Owls get a feast. And invariably one of them get hit by a car.
Re: Birding
Posted: Tue May 04, 2021 10:35 am
Wisconsin Public Service has a number of nests for peregrine falcons (my very favorite bird) at their power plants, all of which have live cameras in them. The Weston camera this morning is featuring eggs hatching!
Re: Birding
Posted: Fri May 07, 2021 4:31 am
Sometimes Twitter is great. This thread is a fun read if you love the idea of condors moving in with you. (And don't mind them trashing your deck.)
https:/ /twitter .com/SeanaLyn/status/1389745331085070343 (remove spaces)
https:/ /twitter .com/SeanaLyn/status/1389745331085070343 (remove spaces)
Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 16, 2021 6:19 pm
Sitting out on the back patio enjoying a fine cigar & a wee dram o' the Creature, I was pleased to see that, for the first time since last year's fires, the birds are back!
House finches, titmouses (titmice? titmeeces?) Bewicks wrens, chestnut backed chickadees, a couple gold crowned kinglets, and hummingbirds!
No goldfinches or sparrows yet, but this is great.
House finches, titmouses (titmice? titmeeces?) Bewicks wrens, chestnut backed chickadees, a couple gold crowned kinglets, and hummingbirds!
No goldfinches or sparrows yet, but this is great.
Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 16, 2021 6:25 pm
We now have a resident catbird in the back yard and at least 2 mated pairs of cardinals.
Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 16, 2021 6:29 pm
Sounds like a great way to spend an evening.Estiveo wrote: ↑Sun May 16, 2021 6:19 pm Sitting out on the back patio enjoying a fine cigar & a wee dram o' the Creature, I was pleased to see that, for the first time since last year's fires, the birds are back!
House finches, titmouses (titmice? titmeeces?) Bewicks wrens, chestnut backed chickadees, a couple gold crowned kinglets, and hummingbirds!
No goldfinches or sparrows yet, but this is great.
Titmice have been a favorite of mine ever since I read an article last year about how they have regional accents.
Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 16, 2021 6:50 pm
This morning, we did our outdoor in-person worship/eucharist at a local forest preserve (for Chilidog's sake, it was Old School Preserve). I will admit that at times I was distracted by listening to all of the different bird calls, and the occasional dive-bombing by some cowbirds. One of the unexpected birds was the ones called 737s and 777s. Seems the O'Hare departure route was over the forest preserve this morning (Most often, ORD approaches from the east and departs from to the west so planes overhead had departed and circled around to head toward Michigan, Canada, and the Northest).
At home, we have some tension at the feeder. There is a house nearby it that has gone unused for some time but a sparrow couple has decided to nest there and now considers the feeder their territory. The male will sit on a nearby tree branch (this is the second floor) and chirp angrily when some other birds use the feeder. They generally ignore the sparrow. The cardinals are larger, the finches do what they want, and the red-bellied woodpecker briefly looked back as to say, "whatcha gonna do tiny."
While we have had goldfinches in the area I would rarely see them. In the last few weeks, there have been 3 that have been quite active around my place. On Friday, one was poking at the corner of the window sill, not the window but the sill. I think there was an egg sack from some spider or something and the finch either was after the larva/eggs or he thought it was a fruit.
Edited to add a blurry picture of one of the goldfinches (this is what happens when you try to zoom with a phone camera).
At home, we have some tension at the feeder. There is a house nearby it that has gone unused for some time but a sparrow couple has decided to nest there and now considers the feeder their territory. The male will sit on a nearby tree branch (this is the second floor) and chirp angrily when some other birds use the feeder. They generally ignore the sparrow. The cardinals are larger, the finches do what they want, and the red-bellied woodpecker briefly looked back as to say, "whatcha gonna do tiny."
While we have had goldfinches in the area I would rarely see them. In the last few weeks, there have been 3 that have been quite active around my place. On Friday, one was poking at the corner of the window sill, not the window but the sill. I think there was an egg sack from some spider or something and the finch either was after the larva/eggs or he thought it was a fruit.
Edited to add a blurry picture of one of the goldfinches (this is what happens when you try to zoom with a phone camera).
- goldfinch.jpg (131.99 KiB) Viewed 7013 times
Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 16, 2021 6:59 pm
Old school preserve is great.
Is the fitness course still there? It's getting a bit old and mangey.
I'm always amused by the fact that when it was originally built, it was dedicated in a ceremony that featured a fellow by the name of Bruce Jenner.
Is the fitness course still there? It's getting a bit old and mangey.
I'm always amused by the fact that when it was originally built, it was dedicated in a ceremony that featured a fellow by the name of Bruce Jenner.
Re: Birding
Posted: Sun May 16, 2021 7:12 pm
I saw something with a cargo net so that must have been it. The website says they still have a fitness trail but I don't know the condition. Because I don't get out well, it has been a while since I have been there (though I really, really, need to get there more often either by car or bike).
Edit: Some years ago when riding my bike through there on the Des Plaines River trail, I saw a scarlet tanager. Pretty bird
Re: Birding
Posted: Tue May 18, 2021 9:23 am
Yesterday evening, while I was driving home from a friend's house, a wild turkey flew across the road in front of me. Though in theory I knew they could fly short distances, I had never before seen one do so.
Re: Birding
Posted: Tue May 18, 2021 9:44 am
Wild turkeys roost high in up trees at night. You should see them fly up! Graceful they aren't, but they get the job done.