Birding

[MN-Skeptic]

Not exactly Birding, but I’ll post this here anyway.

Michigan animal shelter inundated with parakeets in breeding plan gone wrong

An animal shelter in Michigan has been inundated with hundreds of parakeets.

The Detroit Animal Welfare Group in Romeo said in a Facebook post that the small, colorful birds were dropped off on Thursday night, the Detroit News reported.

“We were in shock also but could not turn them away as they were all crammed in seven cages and smothering each other and needed immediate help,” the shelter said in the post.

The group’s director, Kelley LeBonty, told the Detroit Free Press the son of an animal hoarder called to say he was coming to surrender 60 to 80 parakeets from his father’s house. But he showed up on Thursday with about 497 parakeets in his truck.

“His son said that he just wanted to breed a few of them and it got out of control,” LeBonty said. “The problem is birds breed easily. And then you just have more babies and more babies and more babies if you don’t control the situation.”

[Chilidog]

WE GOT A SNOWY!!!

Waukegan Harbor.

[Chilidog]

We also got a Horned Grebe.

[Azastan]

We've had several reports of Snowy Owls here, but we almost always have them in the winter. Yours is either a female or a first year bird, by the way. The adult males are usually almost pure white, females have more black-tipped feathers so that they will blend into the background when sitting on a nest.

I've only ever seen Horned Grebes once, so I am jealous!

[Chilidog]

My son was so p.o.ed. The Grebe was a couple feet away from him swimming past and he didn't get a picture.

There was a long pier into the harbor out to the harbor light. The owl was on the marina docks which were locked off.

There were at least two "murder" scenes on the pier. Blood stains and unidenigiable body parts at one, the other, the only thing identifiable was a merganser head....

It might not have been the owl either. This is a major raptor flyway.

[Azastan]

My son was so p.o.ed. The Grebe was a couple feet away from him swimming past any he didnt get a picture.

There was a long pier into the harbor out to the harbor light. The owl was on the marina docks which were locked off.

There were at least two "murder" scenes on the pier. Blood stains and unidenigiable body parts at one, the other, the only thing identifiable was a merganser head....

It might not have been the owl either. This is a major raptor flyway.

Snowies usually eat rodents (lemmings, voles, mice, rats) but they will definitely eat ducks if they are able to catch them. A merganser would be well within the hunting capabilities of a Snowy Owl.

[northland10]

WE GOT A SNOWY!!!

Waukegan Harbor.

I'm assuming that was taken before Saturday afternoon when we had snowy snow to join the snowy.

[Chilidog]

WE GOT A SNOWY!!!

Waukegan Harbor.

I'm assuming that was taken before Saturday afternoon when we had snowy snow to join the snowy.

Sunday afternoon. They didn't get that much snow up there.

[RVInit]

[northland10]

WE GOT A SNOWY!!!

Waukegan Harbor.

I'm assuming that was taken before Saturday afternoon when we had snowy snow to join the snowy.

Sunday afternoon. They didn't get that much snow up there.

Really? I am only about 8 miles away or so and we got around 4ish. NOAA is saying Waukegan got 5.5 but I don't know where they were measuring from. Most of the areas on the lake look to have gotten more, though snowfall can be funny on who gets hit and who does not (even wilder when it is lake effect).

[Chilidog]

The wind off the lake was brutal. The owl was hunkered down, back to the wind. The pier was scoured.

There wasn't much accumulation there

[northland10]

Must have all ended up in my driveway.

[Shizzle Popped]

It appears that we have a nesting pair of red tailed hawks that have moved into the neighborhood. It started with one hawk last Thursday and yesterday a second hawk appeared, which I've seen carrying twigs into a pine tree just south of our property. I suspect they've been attracted by critters visiting our bird feeders. Normally, I would be thrilled to see birds around the yard but we have a 7 pound toy Yorkie and a 17 pound miniature Schnauzer. Both are larger than normal prey for a red tail but it's still a concern that they might get attacked. I'm contemplating pulling the feeders so the hawks will be forced to go elsewhere to hunt.

[pipistrelle]

It appears that we have a nesting pair of red tailed hawks that have moved into the neighborhood. It started with one hawk last Thursday and yesterday a second hawk appeared, which I've seen carrying twigs into a pine tree just south of our property. I suspect they've been attracted by critters visiting our bird feeders. Normally, I would be thrilled to see birds around the yard but we have a 7 pound toy Yorkie and a 17 pound miniature Schnauzer. Both are larger than normal prey for a red tail but it's still a concern that they might get attacked. I'm contemplating pulling the feeders so the hawks will be forced to go elsewhere to hunt.

I would pull the feeders anyway as you’d be making the birds sitting ducks so to speak. Although I don’t think RTHs are nearly the threat Cooper’s would be.

[Shizzle Popped]

I would pull the feeders anyway as you’d be making the birds sitting ducks so to speak. Although I don’t think RTHs are nearly the threat Cooper’s would be.

Yeah, I think I've decided to pull them. I'll miss the constant activity but I think it's the best thing to do. Besides the birds we get a number of squirrels, chipmunks and the occasional rabbit.

We actually had a Cooper's once early this fall. We were chatting with a friend around the fire pit on the patio one afternoon when the feeders were extremely busy (70-100 birds at the feeders and in nearby trees). Suddenly, something spooked the birds and every single one of them flew off in what was an obvious panic. Seconds later a hawk landed in one of the trees along the fence line. I'd never seen this particular bird and had to look it up.

We also get a Peregrine Falcon from time to time and very rarely will catch an Eagle or two over the neighborhood, though they don't normally stray this far from the river.

[RTH10260]

It appears that we have a nesting pair of red tailed hawks that have moved into the neighborhood. It started with one hawk last Thursday and yesterday a second hawk appeared, which I've seen carrying twigs into a pine tree just south of our property. I suspect they've been attracted by critters visiting our bird feeders. Normally, I would be thrilled to see birds around the yard but we have a 7 pound toy Yorkie and a 17 pound miniature Schnauzer. Both are larger than normal prey for a red tail but it's still a concern that they might get attacked. I'm contemplating pulling the feeders so the hawks will be forced to go elsewhere to hunt.

I would pull the feeders anyway as you’d be making the birds sitting ducks so to speak. Although I don’t think RTHs are nearly the threat Cooper’s would be.

Did somebody call

[Kriselda Gray]

At what size do dogs stop being potential prey for the kinds of hawks and such that might appear in midwestern suburbs? I know we have owls around here because I hear those, but I don't know what else we might have. I suspect mine should be big enough to be safe (one's around 50 lbs and the other closer to 80 or so) but I'm damn near paranoid when it comes to the safety of my furbabies (much to my husband's annoyance...)

[pipistrelle]

At what size do dogs stop being potential prey for the kinds of hawks and such that might appear in midwestern suburbs? I know we have owls around here because I hear those, but I don't know what else we might have. I suspect mine should be big enough to be safe (one's around 50 lbs and the other closer to 80 or so) but I'm damn near paranoid when it comes to the safety of my furbabies (much to my husband's annoyance...)

They may get dive bombed if they go near a nest but they’re not going to be din dins.

[Kriselda Gray]

They may get dive bombed if they go near a nest but they’re not going to be din dins.

Thanks much!

[Whatever4]

Birders are going nuts up here. There might be a range war between them and the lobstermen in one town as birders flock to see the Steller's Sea-Eagle and block access to the wharves.

944513FF-F263-4086-B4A0-D2CBA18F6AD1.jpeg (27.32 KiB) Viewed 792 times

Rare bird native to Russia spotted along Midcoast Maine

GEORGETOWN (WGME)-- It has traveled thousands of miles from home but the journey isn't over yet. An extremely rare bird from eastern Russia has been sighted along the Midcoast.

Georgetown is home to about 1,000 people, but on Friday its population boomed. Hundreds of people flocked to town all for one bird.

“I’ve seen over 600 birds before just not this one,” said birder Jeffrey Roth.

Ipswich Massachusetts resident Jeffrey Roth drove up with his dad just to look for the Steller's Sea-Eagle.

“I mean, when we first pulled up I saw an eagle perched and I got really excited and that was a bald eagle. Then I found the one I was looking for, the Steller’s, and got to see it in flight. I think it’s the largest bird I’ve ever seen in flight,” Roth said.

It has a wingspan up to eight feet and is the world's heaviest known eagle. With an orange beak and white shoulders, it’s a sight to be seen.

But even the most avid birders can't make the journey to its natural habitat. Sara Busch is from the Philadelphia area and left at three a.m. to be there.

“It was pretty exciting. He was everything I was hoping he would be,” said Busch.

This bird was first spotted in Alaska in August 2020. Since then, it's popped up in Quebec, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, even Texas, before appearing in Massachusetts a couple weeks ago.

https://wgme.com/news/local/extremely-r ... georgetown

[pipistrelle]

It’s part of Putin’s advance team.

[Azastan]

Birders are going nuts up here. There might be a range war between them and the lobstermen in one town as birders flock to see the Steller's Sea-Eagle and block access to the wharves.

I'd love to see it, but I'm not going to get on an airplane for it.

[AndyinPA]

We have one at the National Aviary here. It got loose a couple of months ago and spent about a week free.

[Foggy]

That's a mean ass lookin' birdie.

[northland10]

The two hawks around here have been busy making appearances this week. I have been watching them fly right past my window multiple times a day. I get the impression they don't much care for squirrels since the population is quite heavy as are squirrels. Even when the chipmunks are out (they are in hibernation now) their population is strong and probably could use a few more hawks (according to my neighbor's yard).