Daily Bird Pics (and Conversation) #453

Hope you folks don't mind me starting a new thread for the Daily Bird Pics. I'll start off with these two pictures of the Cardinal.

Praveen.

Excellent, thanks!

The previous volume is here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1318847/

Resin

Neat shots Praveen!!

N.A.N...neat idea to go back and look at the old threads. It seems so long ago now and so many people have come and gone over time. I remember how thrilled and excited I was when I first got into photographing and learning about these wonderful birds!

Thank you Praveen for the new thread. Aww, this female Wood Duck revisits the garden this morning. She stayed but for a few minutes to preen and then flew away.

Thanks for the great start, Praveen!

Resin, Thanks for adding the links! Much appreciated.

Nanny, It certainly does bring back memories. Of course, your memories go back so much further than mine. Still, I think even newcomers would enjoy a trip back now and then. It seems like ages ago, even though it's not, that we could only post one pic at a time and the posts with pics would go on and on. Many years ago I had a film SLR, but long lenses were too expensive, even then. When I first joined DG, I had a digital camera with a 3X zoom making bird shots nearly impossible. I loved everybody's pictures, but dreamed of having a longer zoom so I could contribute. Even from my very first shots, everyone was so supportive and said my pics were great (even though they weren't).

Very sweet, Kim! I think she likes you guys! Your lake looks heavenly.

Juvenile Skimmer, Black Breasted Plover, flock of least sandpipers (I think),Skimmer, and Royal Tern (I think)

pmutalik2000, what nice variety you've got! Love 'em all.

About time to hang the birdfeeder here again

Just a few from the last 2 weeks.

Last Baltimore Orioles were seen here on August 28....none since.
We had lots of Chipping Sparrows with juvies the last week of August. They seem to have all disappeared now.
Juvie male Ruby Throated Hummer
And the Goldfinch have been eating the Echinacea seeds!

Great shots, pmutalik2000!

Very cute pics, nanny!

Hey Nan, I think those chipping Sparrows are on the way South, here they will stay over the winter. I saw so few Goldfinches this year. I missed seeing them.

I've a few pics. of a King Fisher. Wished the quality is better than what these show!

Back yard was full of robins, including younger ones.

Nice Kingfishers, Lily! Supposedly we have them in Illinois, but I've never seen one.

Congrats on all your Robins, irisMA!

Lily...you take care of those Chipping Sparrows for us!

Love the kingfisher shots. I saw several this summer perched on wires and that just looked so weird!!

grackles around getting ready for the southern trip, I would guess.

Got a couple of pics while taking a boat ride on the river last weekend...

Nice inflight pics. of the Great Blue Heron and the Eagle Rose. That reminded me I had a couple of ... Osprey in flight I think.

No photos as I didn't take my camera. It is too new for me to use on moving objects. Description on 'bird count' thread.

A different Kingfisher - Eurasian Kingfisher

Resin

That's one handsome Kingfisher, Resin.

Geese migrating South?

Hi everyone. Nothing to post but enjoying everyone's shots. Yes, Kim, looks like an osprey. Resin, that's a great shot of a beautiful bird.

Thanks Margaret for the positive id.

Ugh...geese migrating south? Does that mean that the juncos will be showing up soon?

Resin,
Your Kingfisher is so colorful! We do have the Kingfisher in our area, along the Mississippi, but they're not as bright as yours!

Wow, I do love that picture. Thanks Resin.

Hmm, how odd. I posted last night and now it's not here. ???

irisMA, do any of your Grackles stay year 'round? Ours do (or at least some of them do).

Rose, wonderful pics of a couple of beautiful birds!!

Lily, nice catches on the Osprey and Geese!!

Resin, that's an extremely attractive Kingfisher and it appears he knows it!! That second pic is really interesting. Was he as close to the Mallard as it appears in the pic?

Agree with everyone on the kingfisher. Looks so shiny like a hummingbird.

The grackles are mainly migrants, seen in the spring & fall as a rule. We can keep some robins. Cardinals, goldfinches ,m tufted titmice, chickadees, sometimes Carolina wrens & white breasted nuthatches show up at our tube feeder. Not as many blue jays last year.

Good morning all, Nan, I'll do my best to host those Chipping sparrows when they get here. lol I begun to put out seeds on platform feeder hoping to attract the various sparrows when they arrive. Thus far they are not seen here yet.

My Cardinals are very successful this year with their reproduction. I'm seeing many male/female juvies at the feeder the last weeks. Like irisMA I have put the feeders back out for the season, but not many takers for the temp. is still very mild here. They're still out in the fields I think.

Here is an elusive Night heron I spotted earlier this morning.

Thats pretty neat, Resin! It really does look like your Kingfisher is just a few inches away from the Mallard.

irisMA, It's always interesting to find out where the birds are at different times of the year. We do have many that stay all year. We also have some that come and go all year.

Lily, congrats on all the juvie Cardinals!! Also thats a really cool shot of the Night Heron!!

I gather the Eurasian Kingfisher is tiny - a hunter of minnows, perhaps?

Here's some pics from a couple of days ago. Not fabulous, but still kind of fun.

1) Two Downy Woodpecker females

2) Our Mourning Dove Tree (it grows a lot of Mourning Doves)

3) "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's a...I don't have a clue?"

4) White-breasted Nuthatch male

5) Downy Woodpecker male, a couple of House Finch females and about 10 million Goldfinches.

Ooooo! Nice! I have not started feeding yet, still have to scrub my feeders. But I saw a downy, so I knew it's time. I usually start in early October to get the sparrow migrants.

Meanwhile, over at the stream…
Pine Warbler, Red-Eyed Vireo, Orange-crowned Warbler. I've had that vireo (likely the same) all summer.

Thanks, Mrs_Ed! Super pics! How lucky you are to have had the Vireo for a Summer Guest.

Wow, Thanks a lot, Resin! That's so cool.

Wonderful birds you have there, nuts. Likewise, Mrs Ed – and you Japanese maple's looking good. You straightened the lantern yet?

Here's something from Cornell which I think you'll find interesting.
http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/news/animals-news/bird-feathers-sing-vin/