Daily Bird Pictures volume 458

Please post your daily pics and responses here!

We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1360221/

European Kingfisher

Resin

Big Thanks for the new thread, Resin! Glad you stay on top of stuff like that. Your Kingfisher shot is fantastic...just gorgeous!

A beautiful Kingfisher, Resin.

How many of you have an Oriole peeking in your kitchen window? I was so surprised about this. She didn't seem to be going after her reflection, unlike that crazy Mrs. Cardinal we have.

My husband had his car out Saturday and she was right at it again. :P I think I posted pictures of the female Cardinal in the previous thread. If we ever do have birds nesting in the garage and want to keep the cars out, we'd have to find a way to cover those mirrors.

I've had Orioles climb the window screen and peek into the kitchen, but only the females. One year I had a female that climbed it every day. I never did figure out what she wanted since they had plenty of grape jelly.

nutsaboutnature,

That was a fun experience. I am completely guessing, but could they be looking for bugs? We have spiders all around there, based on the webs we see. Also, just the other day a stink bug laid eggs on one of our window screens. That was odd, but I'll watch what happens.

Here is one of the Western Meadowlarks, fresh from the nest, after the parent fed it. I learned one male can have three females, so we hope more young will be coming to the yard soon.

The 17-year cicadas have been a real treat for the birds. Even the Bluebirds dine on those, but they cannot eat the whole thing and leave parts around. We found some in the vacated bluebird box today.

eeeek cuteness alert on that baby meadowlark.

A few years back, the 17 year cicadas were in Chicagoland. My sister's house had them. LOUD and STINKY. But otherwise a pretty interesting thing. You could drive along and hear them in one suburb and not in the next.

No 17-yr cicadas around here, but I have noticed that I have a lot of lightning bugs drifting around at sundown.

Hack

In my searchings, I found this. It tells when and where the Periodical Cicadas emerge.
http://www.cicadamania.com/where.html

If I am to believe this, we may get another full-blown 17-year emergence next year of a different brood. Doesn't bother me much as we do not have a lot of trees (Why we have Meadowlarks. :) ) to have the abundance of some people. I can tell they are already beginning to wind down. Our first was 6 June.

This is silly. I had edited photos for a blog entry, but decided it was too silly. I just cannot let the effort go to waste, so you all get to suffer. HA.

Maybe some of you know what Warbler neck is, if not, Google it. We had gone out for ice cream and the youngest child got a cone with little eyes on it. He exclaims, "It looks like a birder with warbler neck!" LOL

Warbler neck. that's cute.

Here are some pictures, the first four of which I took last week while at the North American Bluebird Society's annual conference in Boise, Idaho. The first is a Western Tanager, the second, a female Lewis's woodpecker, the third, a Western Bluebird, the fourth a Mountain Bluebird and lastly, a Northern Cardinal feeding its fledgling in my back yard today.

Hey Chilly, thanks for that cicada link. Looks like we may get some noise in Ga in 2017.

Lots of great shots 2dCousinDave. I especially likes daddy feeding his youngun'.

Hack

That's cute, Chilly. Sweet picture of the Meadowlarks, too.

Great pics, Dave, and quite the assortment! I like them all, but the dad and baby Cardinal pic is precious!

I am glad someone's Cardinals are having success. The female is still beating herself up on any reflection she finds.

Thank you for the kind words. :)

Talking about cute... Fresh from the nest Tree Swallows. I think they are cuter than last year's bunch. We never saw them sitting so close together like this. We had five come out of the box yesterday. Poor things had to get their first baths within hours of leaving the box with the heavy rains . They were here this morning, but another shower pushed them away. I hope they are doing well, where ever they are.

Chilly, these baby Tree Swallows are just the prettiest little things.

Hack

great photos everyone. the cicadas have not been here for awhile.

I was trying to find out what caused the male cardinal I photographed to have no feathers on its black head - I read that it was a mite problem and that the feathers would grow back.

But, during my research I came across a fascinating YouTube video show - it showed a cardinal, just like mine, feeding goldfish in a little backyard pond. It was so cool. Have any of you ever saw something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtWcb7TwClo

The picture I posted is one of my black-headed cardinal.

Ha, had an exciting afternoon of bird watching at the house.

#1. Happened about 50 yds away from me - I didn't cause it. Had a "ring-side" seat and saw the whole thing happen. Thankfully, no one was hurt, but scared my birds off, though. A pickup had slowed to a stop to turn onto my street. I reckon the driver of the overturned car was daydreaming (or texting), looked up and got the shock of his life. He served this way and that to avoid rear-ending the pickup, and then his car SLOWLY rolled over and came to a stop as you see it. The pickup turned onto my street and drove on - I don't think he ever saw what was developing behind him - of course, it wasn't his fault, anyway.

These four picks were snapped just before the above event.

#2 - This crow was way up in a tree. I heard it and finally spotted the rascal - it must have been hot, breathing through its beak like that.

#3. It flew around for a while, beak still open.

#4. I have some pretty yellow gold finches hanging around.

#5. Saw this Titmouse visiting the feeder several times and after each visit, it would go back up to a limb to eat.

Hack

This message was edited Jul 2, 2014 12:54 AM

Certainly a distracted driver. glad no one was hurt.

Hack,
I had seen a picture from long ago of a male Cardinal feeding a fish like that. It seems it is the big yellow mouths that attract them. They've gone to other begging birds as well. They really are not smart birds, thus provide loads of entertainment for humans.

I had a rollover... no, no cell phone (I abhor those things), but it was fresh gravel and being fairly new to the country, I did not take it as slow as I should have. I still think how Someone's guiding hand protected us. I feel a little guilt as I could have killed my husband and all my children. Driving after that was too stressful, I'd have intestinal distress. Also I have wonky vision, only focusing out of one eye at a time, so I just gave up my license. I wonder how this messed up the state's system, no current license, no photo ID. Does this mean I do not exist?? ;)

Did you have to talk to the police, being a witness to all that?

I do not think I posted this here, but we found a use for Grackles. Whoa, they do not like squirrels. One came by last Wednesday and the Grackles really gave it a run for its money. But when it came again Thursday (the last time we saw it), not only the Grackles, but also the Barn and Tree Swallows got in the action. It was just hysterical. Now we know why they have those long tails. See it being used as a shield? LOL I think it was eating cicadas.

Chilly, you certainly exist and I'm so sorry to hear of your accident. You said you gave up your license, how do get around? When I had my bike accident, back in '03, even though I lost my leg, I have no fear / anxiety about driving a car or riding a motorcycle. After getting out of the hospital, the first time I passed the intersection,where the guy who ran the red light nailed me, while riding my new Harley, I had a strange feeling inside. But I drove on through, and though I still remember what happened there, I am fine going through that intersection - and I still ride a Harley (with a sidecar to hold it up when I stop) - to me being back on my bike was good therapy, kinda like getting back up on the horse that throws you.

As for someone guiding / protecting us, YOU ARE SO RIGHT! And instead of feeling anger that I lost my leg, I feel blessed that I am not paralyzed. Like you said about your rollover, my accident could have been a lot worse.

About the rollover by my house. One of the officers came over and spoke with me (I was in my wheelchair and didn't approach him). I told him what I saw, he thanked me. Took my name, phone # and address and that was it. Very pleasant fellow.

Take care
Hack

Thank you, Hack.

I am such a homebody and we live out in the boonies that I do not miss driving. If I need to go some place, my husband drives. He works from home much of the time, so if it cannot wait until Saturday, we go out in the evenings. Our children are homeschooled, so no school or activities like that.

We often are on the road where the accident happened. For about a year after, we drove through there at a crawl with me in near panic, but thankfully, we do not even really think about it any more.

It is good to see how you have handled losing your leg like that. I have never felt like a really strong person, so this really effected me since it was my fault.

Chilly, your fault or not, some things you just have to try your best to let go. I love being home, now that I'm retired - so I'm a bit of a homebody, too. I'm happy you're handling it. My brother and sister-in-law, and my wife's brother and his wife, homeschooled their kids. Nothing but the highest praise for that - and that's coming from a retired public school teacher.

Hack

I volunteer in a demo garden at a local park. While I was pulling weeds, these two young American Coots came strolling by. They are so comical, I had to laugh before I grabbed the camera.

I have never seen those out of the water.

I usually see them along the edge of the pond, either barely in or barely out. But I suppose teenagers had to see for themselves why they stay near the pond. They walked almost up to me before they turned away, which is worrisome since they are obviously flightless and fairly helpless and too trusting.

pollengarden, I don't believe I've seen young Am. coots. But I love to see them migrate to our area lake for the winter. I nick named them my "water chickens" for their comical web-feet. it's really is worrisome for young birds in general for they're so trusting. Love the pics.

Papa Cardinal has taken over my worms-feeder to raise his family. My Bluebirds have left the garden and found somewhere else to nest this Spring.

sorry that they left

I am still around lurking! We are still getting new juvie orioles being brought to the feeder as of yesterday!! They need to be wrapping it up. It will be time for them to go very soon. They are usually all gone by mid-August. But they are running late this year it seems.

Carolina Wren shot taken on the 3rd and the Robin on the 4th.

Lots of really great pics since I last posted!

Hack, we usually see at least one Cardinal most years with the feathers missing on part of their head. Here's an interesting article from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology that I saved a while ago. It talks about that condition, as well as other unusual feather variations (like leucism) and deformities in birds. The feathers usually grow back eventually.

http://feederwatch.org/learn/unusual-birds/

Even though these guys are common, I never get tired of watching their acrobatics at the feeders.
1-3, Juvie male Downy Woodpecker.

No, I have never seen a 'papa smurf'

I have a few pics to share.

1- Today I spotted this male Downy Woodpecker at one of my suets.

2- Caught this Chipping Sparrow as it was flying away from a tube-type feeder.

3- Here's another of my many juvy Cardinals.

4- I have bunches of House Finches, here's a female up on a limb.

5- I was watching when this Song Sparrow took off from a feeder my daughter-in-law and her father made me.

Another set of five.

1- Female House Sparrow feeding on the ground

2- Song Sparrow feeding on the ground.

3- Song Sparrow atop Gazebo type feeder my daughter-in-law and her father made me.

4- I think this a male Towhee high up above me.

5- I think this a Turkey Vulture in my yard behind one of my feeders, no idea what it is doing there.

This message was edited Jul 12, 2014 12:48 PM

White breasted nuthatch (counted this winter) is flitting around the tulip poplar so they must have a nest here. Very glad about that. The tube feeder is down for the summer. With all our trees, we don't want to feed the squirrels now. They were on the feeder in april.

I finally found what, to me, is s very good ant barrier. I found it online. I have sense bought several more. Instead of being open (like a cup) this thing has it's water enclosed in a dome. The dome helps lessen water lose due to evaporation. On hot days I see the water condensing on the inside of the dome and flowing back into the "pond".

I use a 2 ft piece of plastic tubing to fill it. I insert one end up into the area under the dome, turn on the facet and drive water up into the thing. Works great for filing it.

I use in on my hummingbird feeders and on my handing suet feeders and on my hanging mealworm feeder. Since I started using them, I have had NO ants in any of my feeds.

1- a far away look at it.
2- a close-up view.

Hack

This message was edited Jul 13, 2014 8:32 PM

Here are a few pics I snapped.

1- I have more juvy Cardinals than you can shake a stick at. Here is one on a feeder.

2- Here is another sitting on the bird bath

3- Here is the same one as #2, taking a drink

4- Here is yet another one on the ground feeding. I took this shot through the glass of my side door.

I love cardinals. they are not calling now, but they will be.

An interesting ant moat, Hack. I spend so much on bird stuffs as it is that I may refrain from this. We've had a bit of rain recently that keeps the ant moats filled for me. :)

We were out of town this weekend and as become habit, I keep a trip list. This was one of the most pathetic counts in awhile. 27 species start to finish with most of them being in home territory. I moaned the fact that while in Omaha the only Western Meadowlarks to be seen were on their licence plates. And was saddened by the number of dead birds along the roads. Our cars are just too fast. :'(

It is always a joy to come back to hear and see our favourites. These Bobolinks are among them.

Here was a baby Robin we tended to briefly. The poor dear was on the ground, obviously too young to be out of the nest, so my husband put him up on a platform. I found some worms which he chopped and tried hand feeding the babe. No parent was around freaking out, so we kept a watch. Finally dad came and did a much better job of getting the food down the hatch.

That young did fine. Several days it was seen incessantly following and calling and driving the parents batty.

I saw a female Robin gathering nesting materials. Seems a little late.

AND our front door is usable again. The Barn Swallow babes have left. :( I had a struggle getting the screen door open... dried up poop. The pictures of the family are still on the camera, but will post some later.

Three Herons on one lake on the same day in PA.Saw three Blue Herons, a Green Heron and a Black-crowned Night Heron today on a lake in a wildlife management area.

Longlens - What is photo 4? Photo 3 with its neck stretched out? I don't recognize it.