Birdsters! 'Februrary FIRSTS' Pls. Post Here!

Downy...

Have we had any new "February Firsts" since the Audobon 'Backyard Bird Count' started?

I am waiting with my camera for that first visit from a Red Headed Woodpecker...otherwise it's been the same friendly hungry customers at our feeders...At least we will put up our first Blue Bird nest boxes this weekend... t.

Iris, here's a link where you can see the Sunbirds (my favorite little garden buddies :-). http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/464395/ Here's a link with a pic of the Yellow vented Bulbul http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/466041/ Here's one with a Palm Dove and a White Wagtail http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/463667/ And if you scroll up to an earlier post of mine you can see a Great Tit. :-)

-Julie

I remember my excitement over the sunbird! He has such a great attitude! Wish we had them here-I would make them very comfy!! I'm in love.

Isn't that a great photo, boojum? I just made it my wallpaper but, bow its blurry. Why did it do dat? Dang!

Here is picture of a Common Golden Eye. I was driving next to Fox River today and my wife noticed these ducks diving and then popping back up. Went home got the camera and tooks shots. First time I have ever seen this type of duck. Must have been about ten or so in the river feeding. Hey Iris I think I just have bad timing on the Flicker. We have also seen some red fox in are neibors yard. Julie looks like you have some beautiful birds in your area. That Sunbird is very cool.. George

C. Golden Eye is quite the elegant duck floating along...nice pic. So far lately (this week) we have a horned lark first--wish one would visit our neighborhood--the great tit and the unnamed little bird on the wall (or does it have a name now?) and the jittery flicker for Feb. Firsts...did I miss any from the last week?

I am dying to get one but have had NO LUCK even tramping around in the snow and mud! I'll keep at it, and you too...maybe this weekend I'll get lucky!... t.

No first as far as birds go this month, except that this morning was a first for the enormous number and variety of birds in the garden. We thought we heard a bird hit one of our windows and I went out to investigate. No sign of a bird recovering from a window encounter, but the garden was teeming with birds. I went in and got my binoculars and in just half-an-hour standing more or less in one spot, I saw 17 different birds and added another 6 later in the morning. Here is a list of 23 birds that visited us this morning:
Yellow-tailed Black Cockatoo
Crimson Rosella
*Spotted Turtle-dove
Rose Robin
Superb Fairy-wren
Brown Thornbill
White-browed Scrub-wren
Grey Fantail
Golden Whistler
Grey Shrike-thrush
*Blackbird
White-throated Tree-creeper
Eastern Spinebill
Crescent Honeyeater
New Holland Honeyeater
White-eared Honeyeater
Brown-headed Honeyeater
Red Wattle-bird
Little Wattle-bird
Australian Magpie
Australian Raven
*House Sparrow
*Indian Mynah
I have marked with an * four introduced birds, the rest are all native to this area.
Here is a picture of the Brown-headed Honeyeater:

Oh my gosh! That does it. Gotta get to Australia someday. Talk about lifelist!!! Any more photos, kennedyh??

Holy moly! that's quite a Backyard Bird Count! Your yard must be full of wonderful berries and other avian goodies now! It is summer, right? :-)

I will post ours later today...of course it is like a muddy cold swamp out there today and not a berry in sight, but maybe my 'gourmet suet' will lure them!

Have a good week end. t.

kennedyh, had to see the superb fairy wren so I found this website:
http://photos.rnr.id.au/birds_fairy-wren.html

Lots of the ones you named are there!

here's another website for australian birds:
www.birdphotos.com.au

I'm in heaven!

Kennedy, WOW! Now THAT'S a lotta birds visiting! Lucky you :-)

Boojum, thank you. They are definitely very cute. When I get the camera fixed, I'll get a video clip of one .... always singing away...and put it on my garden site so you can see one in action :-).

John, if you mean my pic, then I resized it to just 600pixels high....not large enough for wallpaper. And thank you :-). If you mean someone else's pic, then ignore what I just said LOL

-Julie

Yep, I meant your sunbird. I really like that pic a lot. Would you email me a copy? Where is your garden site?

John

Gosh Ken, what happened a migration party in your yard? I'm jealous again!!
When I get a flock that size its all sparrows, cowbirds and redwing blackbirds. I think thats why I get the hawks too - fast food service!!
Great photos everybody, I love Chikadees and Titmice, but haven't seen one since we moved this side of the 'pond'. As for the sunbirds- that colouration must be spectacular in the flesh, are they common in Israel?
Carol

I'd love to see that sunbird moving! How is your camera? I remember the day that you were upset about it. I could definitely relate-would be hard to be cameraless these days.

I'd be very happy to email you a copy John, but it won't be any larger than the one you see here I'm afraid. I tried it out as my own wallpaper though and it turned out fairly good (DG saves the photos at a lower quality than what they receive them). Check your email :-) And thank you again for such a nice compliment :-)

-Julie

Thanks for asking Boojum. The camera sits on the bookshelf awaiting transport to the shop by DH. I did warn him though that I would take charge of our car for the day if he doesn't get it to the shop as promised. We'll see how the next few days go.... I just acquired a frog today and was so frustrated that I couldn't get a pic of him to share! Grrrrrr

-Julie

Carol, wanna trade some chikadees for some red-winged blacbirds?

John

Okay...after all of those fabulous birdie posts (IRIS -- those pictures are gorgeous!) I feel a bit silly, but I am very excited that my house finches finally seem to have found my birdbath :) They've likely been drinking from it all winter when I wasn't looking. But, today was the first day I have seen any bird drink from the birdbath out back! That's my February First :)

very interesting huga. I have never seen one of our finches use our birdbath, and I think I've seen only 2 or 3 other birds use it--and it's a heated one that I bought especially because all the 'how to' sites say the bird habitats require water! Oh well....

He wasn't really bathing or anything, just took a little drink :) I saw him do it, though!!!!!!! Funny, mine isn't even heated. Maybe the house finches like a nice COLD drink ;) I'll pay attention and see if he does it anymore. It was one of the males...I need to get a good pic of these guys for my journal. Thanks again for the hummer info, I made a TO DO note in my journal ;)

Shortly after I posted that, I went out with our camera. Guess what! I saw a Mourning Dove using the birdbath, too!!! He walked straight through it and took a little sip :) Hope I got a pic of it...

Salvia-Lover, Thankyou for posting those links to see the birds, I enjoyed them all and they are all beautifull! Really Loved the 'Sunbird' photo's, They kind of remind me of an oversized hummingbird! So neat! Wish we had some of those kind of birds here!
...Kruch72, I just know that one of these times the timing will be perfect and you'll have a great shot to share of a flicker, Loved the duck shot! It looks so different!
...Kennedyh, Wow!! What a collection of visitors you had!!! That must have been quite the sight to see all those different variaties! (sp) So many add so much more exitement to the birding world!!
...HugaHosta, Thankyou! ~Don't ever feel a little silly about what your posting, All bird info matters here and is of nice reading! I enjoy reading of everyones bird experiences be it some huge dramatic happening or a minute moment thing! LOL!
Also would lke to mention, Nice photo with the Doves, And I really like the form on that bird bath you have! Also wanted to ask, Is there any medium or tall tree's or shrubs anywhere close to your feeder and birdbath?

Iris, they aren't oversized at all, they are quite small like some of the larger hummers and they are also nector drinkers like hummers too :-) Adult Palistinian Sunbirds are only 7-8 grams. :-) They also build nests very similar to hummer nests :-) But they aren't related at all taxonomically! :-)

-Julie

Well, birdsters, this is how bad our February birding has been....

feeder vandalized by midnight squirrel marauders...

this is our only first for February so far!

that feeder was 'supposedly' squirrel proof! lol

Backyard Bird Count for yesterday was:

in one thirty minute period around noon--

northern cardinal (12)
mockingbird (2)
sparrows various (11)
wren Carolina (2)
robin (3)
house sparrow (5)
doves (6)
woodpecker downy (2)
woodpecker hairy (2)
woodpecker red bellied (2)
flickers (2)
starlings (several)
assorted finches (several)
purple finch (1)
chickadees
nuthatches
eastern towhee
junco
titmice


pileateds and hawk didn't show up yesterday. And nothing else new but it was nice busy day at the feeders...may have been because of all the seed on the ground and we put out five suet hangers (and the word went out among the cardinal clan and their cousins!)...

tabasco .. Are you sure, that perhaps the deer have been able to reach it ... or, perhaps even a bear very well could be the guilty party -?-

Seems a mite extreme, for even a couple of big burly squirrels .. to have wreaked that sort of damage ..

- Magpye

Grain fed dear or bear? Yummy.

LOL ... John!

- Magpye

Misspelled deer!!

LOL John, and you keep insisting you aren't a silly goose.....ya gotta cut out the silly gooe behavior if ya want us to stop calling you one! ;-)

-Julie

Goose? Goose? I ain't no stinking silly goose!

ROTFL! :-D

The squirrels get on top of it and jump until they shake the latch loose. A wiley bunch with very high IQ's for grey squirrels. Hungry ones, too....

Grain fed squirrels, yummy!

Well, IRIS, to answer your question.... I have planted several trees around that area. Just next to the feeder and out of the pic is a Serviceberry (only 1 year old) and next to that is a Newport Plum (also a young tree). There are also 2 other plum trees and a Sugar Maple planted in the backyard. I plan on adding some med-large arborvitae this spring. This is a BRAND new subdivision and there's no such thing as large trees around here these days. Some of the lots are about 8 years old, so there are a few trees that are atleast not teeny weeny. Mine are teeny weeny. I'll move the birdbaths and feeders to shadier spots in summer :) I thought the warmer, sunnier spots would be better for winter. There are literally NO squirrels around or other would-be attackers. How glad I will be when nature recovers from all the recent building and some of the wildlife returns. :)

Thanks for the encouragement :)
Hugs

Heard and saw a male red-winged blackbird on my way to work on Friday, February 11th.

Uh oh, one of the mourning doves came to the feeder w/o her partner all day. I've always seen them in pairs before. My first birdie widow? :(

I was mainly wondering about a 'Drop-Down menu' for hawks when I was looking at the photo. Service tree was a nice choice you picked ( Birds like this tree!) I would have been quite surprised if you would have said there were squirrels around, Thats one good thing about not having many / or small tree's ~"No tree's/ No Squirrels"~ I myself, Enjoy watching them, But, They can be quite destructive with the feeders! Hawks on the other hand can make easy pickings where birds don't have imediate cover.
In two or three years I'm sure your plums and
sugar maple will be nicely established and growing good and with the abbroviats your adding, You'll be on your way to attracting more birds and wildlife to your yard! :)