MidAtlantic bird watching for spring Pt2

Coming from here

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1302351/

Thanks Jen,
Saw Eastern Kingbirds at the marsh today.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/eastern_kingbird/id

Joyanna and I clicked on the new thread, and right away she said, "I know what that is, that's a GOLDFINT!"

well, close.

She wants to write a short message too: yyyy;'bB

We're on the back deck, using our "water warbler" to talk to the birds, especially the boy Cardinal, and having a relaxing brunch.

Red headed woodpecker at the feeder today. They have a nest at the hedgerow.

Heehee. Love goldfints!!

Again, heehee, JB. I was driving by myself. At least I got within 7 miles of the nest's location!! That narrows it down doesn't it?

goldfints... makes sense when ya think about it,( grin)

Jan, I'm thinking it was an osprey nest. There is a n osprey nest in both cell towers near me.

http://www.google.com/images?hl=en&gbv=2&gs_l=heirloom-hp.12...10886.68665.0.72998.58.38.0.20.4.2.1192.15313.3j5j3j8j10j5j3j1.38.0...0.0...1ac.1.12.heirloom-hp.lOU_kaqNF_k&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ei=icOFUZTmFuGdiAK8jYCADg&ved=0CC4QsAQ&q=osprey%20nesting%20in%20cell%20phone%20towers&tbm=isch

Methinks you are spot on, coleup

Goldfints??????????????

Cute!

Her diction is usually so precise, I get a kick out of it when Joyanna comes up with some cute variation like "Goldfint"... she knows "finch," because later today she was identifying house finches for one of our friends and explaining how they look like they have been dipped in cranberry juice. Our plump squirrels entertained everybody with their boldness... unless you're just a few feet away and moving toward them, they hardly bother to glance your way anymore.

I was thinking 'finch' sounds like the plural of the word 'fint' and thought maybe thats what Joyanna got it from. LOL

May I ask, who is Joyanna? She sounds adorable.

Sally, you're probably right!

JB, Joyanna is our Sunshine Girl. After years and years of jumping through various hoops trying to start our family, she practically fell out of the sky on top of us -- we brought her home from the hospital when she was 2 days old, and the joy and amazement have been nonstop! So many people at DG helped pray her into our arms that she's sort of everybody's girl, and you know she just soaks that up! I'm still debating whether to bring her along to this spring's swap (she's been to others), because it's a long ride, but we may just wait to see how the carpooling works out.

I haven't told Maggie that there will be another little girl at the swap in case Joyanna doesn't make it.

I'm bringing mine with me

Yay!!!

AHHHHHH so sweet. How old are these little ladies who go to the swap meet with you all?

I raised 2 boys and 2 girls. Two were mine, two others were step kids, but we all had such fun and I miss them now. At that time we were into horses, not plants. I only have one grandchild that comes to see me and he is almost 20..studying to be a dentist at Univ. or Miami. Thank God he did not want to be a lawyer. We have a long line of lawyers in the family and it is time the line stops. He is the only one left who can stop it. LOL My late husband was one of several criminal trial lawyers and my son is a federal criminal trial lawyer.......... not a good thing for families. My husband was shot at twice and many times I had to meet the kids at the school bus to be sure no one would grab them, or someone decided to take a shot at him. He was also a District Attorney and some of the scum he put in jail decided to get even when they got out. Thus, the shootings. Glad that part of my life is over. Sorry off topic.

My daughter is 6

This message was edited May 6, 2013 4:30 PM

here she is seeing if the rhodies smell pretty

My grandie, Maggie is 5. She lives around the corner from me and it is her turn to spend Friday night before the swap. So she will be my helper that day.

May I be all of their adopted Granny B?????I miss cute little girls. I do have a few youngsters in my SIL's family but they already have a grandma and I am very careful not to interfer with their times with her. We are usually together on holidays. I love teaching them how to annoy their mothers. LOL Gotta go.. Dancing with the Stars. JB

Of course you can Granny B!!! Miss Maggie already knows how to annoy her mother. Hehehe. She really is sweet, but talks CONSTANTLY. Her whole day is narrated or full of pretend play.
One day at preschool Maggie was a little later getting there and I guess things were pretty dull until the other kids saw her coming in and cried out Maggie's here!!! I guess that was the signal for the fun to begin.

Can you all help me with a bird ID again?

I saw a bird in my backyard yesterday that was all one color, but that color was hard to describe. It was either dark gray, dark brown, or black, but I couldn't tell even as I was staring at it. There was a bit of light color (cream?) on the throat, but the rest of it was one color. I don't recall the beak having a special color. It was much smaller than the common black bird. It was about the same size as cardinals and blue jays.

Was is streaked or solid color? If it has streaks, female House Finch? Solid....Cat bird? Mockingbird? Did you see it fly away? Mockingbirds have white under the wings, noticeable only when they fly away


I use this site to identify birds, you plug in the characteristics and location and it will give you options of what it could be
http://identify.whatbird.com/mwg/_/0/attrs.aspx

Jen I tried that site first but couldn't find a match. It was all solid except for the throat. I'll try taking a pic if I see it again today.

Hard to describe color sounds like catbird... although they're a little smaller than a cardinal and nowhere near the size of a jay...

GrannyB, no little girl ever had too many grandmas! :-)

I'm stumped too. Cowbird?

Cowbird was my first thought, but didn't think they had white on them.

yeah, no, they do not have white..

I just looked closely at our catbird couple this afternoon... a bit more silver-grey in the throat/breast, but definitely not white.

SS, Maybe your shiny cowbird has returned with a lady friend! (The females do have some lighter underneathe ) Mine returned two years haven't seen this year...

http://ibc.lynxeds.com/photo/shiny-cowbird-molothrus-bonariensis/lateral-view-female-feeder?fb_xd_fragment#xd_sig=f3408467c4f71d&cb=f1cf365121bbdee&origin=http%3A%2F%2Fibc.lynxeds.com%2Ff2cc555f3eb8aac&domain=ibc.lynxeds.com&relation=parent&error=unknown_user&xd_rel=parent.parent&relation=parent.parent&xd_origin=http%3A%2F%2Fstatic.ak.facebook.com

Ah, that might be it, Coleup! I just looked up some pictures on line, and the female cowbird has a bit of cream colored throat. Too bad they're such thugs, though!

I am having a wonderful time with all the birds. The goldfinch are here, hopefully to stay. They seem to be loving and living in the dwarf lilac. They feed in the feeders and even in the feeders where there is no niger seed. There are several pair in fact it looks like a flock at feeding time.
There have been NO hummers. I have done everything I was told and still no hummers. I guess there is something here they just do not like.
Just wanted to check in and say Hi. Getting a bit lonely since everyone is so busy. Thank God for the birds. They do keep me company.

JB--the swap at Jan's had most of us hopping last week. Not me= other plans.
I've just been having a great tiem listening to bird songs, keeping an ear out for unusual ones , and knowing who's up there with familiar ones. I have such a hard time seeing them in the trees, and impossible now with leaves on.

Yes, The swap sure did keep me hopping. We had a Garden Club plant sale, too. We donated plants to that and helped with set up and the day of the sale. So we have had quite a busy time. Now all I have to do is get these lovely plants into the ground.
We have Hummers here, I haven't seen them much but there were two sightings.

Well, my shiny cowbird is back! Just saw the male this afternoon while unloading van from plant swap goodies. Course it would have to be banded to truly ID as same one.....

JB, Hope the hummers come soon. I think there is a web site that tells if any in your area. I've only seen two in 30 years here but I do not put out nectar for them. Glad you and Charle like misty rainy walks. He is so handsome I bet he even smells good wet!

Also found this in the veggie garden last week. It is 18 inches long!

I get the hummers when they are migrating back south, they love the hosta flowers and rose of sharon

cool feather. Has to have fallen from a hawk, osprey, or eagle, or turkey, i'd think.

Coleup, that is one big feather. I would put that in my hat. Seriously, I used to put all my feathers in one of my old gardening hat until one time my SIL said someone could mistake me for a turkey and shoot at me. I love that man, he has such dry humor. Me, a turkey. HA.
Hmmmmm I wonder????? I am really feeling weird today. Must ship plants that is probably why. Have a good day and NO, Charle smells when he is wet. He is really tired now, we just too our walk around the farm in the fog and drizzle and he is now resting. Later.