Had a neat bird watching day today, inspired by some of the beautiful photograpy I have seen here I had my heart set on a proper bird bath instead of a copper bowl on the ground. Got a sales flyer in the mail & luck would have it a store had one on sale! Here is a picture of the first visitor! Not a half hour after it was set up :) Here he is checking out the new addition.
not two minutes and he was in chin first :)
Don't know what he is, thought he would be easy to identify with the white wing bars and long legs. It was so funny to watch him because I parked my car real close to another water bowl that has been there for months but I had never parked there before. He hopped around so cute and nervous-like. I think it was because the car was there. I have steps at the side yard and parked there to unload the new bath. Here he is looking towards the car ... shouldn't have cropped out the car
The second new bird was an easy one even though I've never seen one before. I'm pretty confident he is a Pipilo chlorurus: Green-tailed Towhee. I saw at least four of them coming in & out of the Indian Hawthorn shrubs. What a face! I thought he slopped milk all over himself :)
First guy maybe a Catbird.
http://ww1.naturesound.com/webpages2/naturesound/birds/pages/catbird.html
and here's the two new-to-me birds together - with the offending car in the background
You may have led me down the right garden path I googled the catbird (for the second time in a couple of days) and it mentioned it is very similar to the Northern Mockingbird but the catbird does not have the white wingbars - there were definitely white wingbars
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Northern_Mockingbird_dtl.html
edited for spelling
lol, edited twice for spelling (the same word)
This message was edited Apr 25, 2006 11:55 PM
angele, Great photos! I believe your visitor is a Mockingbird ( They have been known to attack there reflection in car ( side) mirrors.
It must have been so exciting to see one use the birthbath right away!!
Thanks for posting these photos!
Iris, I had such a happy day - I keep a big bowl of water down near the road and ravens took it over from the small birds about a month ago. They've been washing their food in the water. Until today I only got pictures of them leaving but this morning one came while I was standing right there! It was just a great day! Here he is landing- I got 10 good pictures of him & one of his mate? that I didn't even know was around till they flew off together. A roadrunner came through too and all the usual visitors. :)))
Another great photo, I love it!! And so glad you had such a great day at it!!
Thanks, Iris, wanna see the roadrunner????
Your Quite
Welcome!
And yes, I'd like to see the RR
LOL, you wanna see him running or standing still, comb up or down, tail up or down, shade or sun??? ( I only took 226 pictures today!)
Here he is in the sun, I didn't realize they had so many colors
This was a nice one!!! I think rr's are so cool, Another bird we don't have in the Northern Corner :(
Your like me!! I take 'Tons' of pictures and then don't know which one is the best one to post later!! LOL!
Wanna come over & see? ROFL, good thing I took some time away to go shopping. I crop & resize after each picture taking binge.
I saw in your thread today that we 'share' quite a few birds, I'm going to have to look at my finches closer because some look like your purple finch and I didn't realize I might have those.
Do you like Iris', Is that why you chose your DG name?
I'd love to come over and see those different birds, Especially the RR!! And also feel the 'Nice Warm Temps' you must have there!! It's been a bit chilly down the Northern end!
You crop and resize every picture?? ~That must take a while!! It does on my computer anyway, I've got an old relic!!
The purple finch and the Red House Finch look a lot a like but the purple finch is a softer color then the house finch plus it lacks the heavely streaked flanks of the house finch.
Actually, My DG name was Irislynx, It got cut short somehow along the way so I just left it like that.
Iris, thanks for the info on the Finches. I may have both the house & purple. I just thought there was lots of variation to the coloring on the house finches. Can't wait to get my bird books I ordered last night.
Magpied, I'm off for my morning hike & will start another thread later today for a 'Crow or Raven thread'. :) I'm not sure if the bird that came yesterday is the same as the others. I'll explain more later.
Thank you both for looking at my pictures with me. :)
angele, thankyou for taking and sharing the bird photos And congratulations on the interest in your new birdbath. My daughter and I spent a week in Sante Fe NM several years ago. We went birdwatching one day with a guide and had a great time. Got to see several birds hadn't seen before.
Our climates are equally dry, however it is colder here. I have been a birdwatcher for many years, but now with the high gas prices I don't go driving out in the hills as ofter to bird watch, just have to stay home and garden and watch birds closer to home. My bluebird pair are building a nest somewhere but I haven't found which house they have decided to use. The tree swallows are investigating nest houses too. I do hope some stay, didn't have any swallows last year, don't know why.
DonnaS
Good morning Rutholive. Good to 'see' you again! I understand the staying home, Kent & I take off road jeep trips for our fun and the gas prices are making those few and far between. Last night he came outside & he 'caught' me laughing out loud- I was in the empty lot next door and a rabbit had just scampered by and the birds were flying all around - I was just so happy. I looked at him & told him "yes, I'm the crazy old bird lady" He smiled at me and I told him how happy I am and that we could be this happy no matter how poor we might get because really all it takes around here to attract the animals is a dish of water. I don't have to buy the birdseed & books and fancy birdbaths. Boy, I sure am enjoying life these days.
From the pictures I've seen of your beautiful gardens I'm hoping all my bird friends don't decide to leave me & go live with you!
Hi angele, your last post really warmed my heart; thank you.
I love your shot of the Raven.
Glad your bird bath is working already; so, you have Northern Mockingbirds too? I found out why they're so widespread - when they mimic other birds, the other birds think that that area is occupied by one of their own, so they move away and the Mockingbird carves out more territory. Nefarious, yet admirable.
Here's a Road Runner I saw in Texas last year. I never knew they had that colored patch behind the eye.
Me either! I have seen them so many times and never saw the colored patch till now or the greenish colored feathers (am I seeing things??). That mockingbird better not drive out the other birds before I get to see them or before my books get here or I'll be having roasted mockingbird for dinner!!! LOL, I'm still as happy as I was last night - I go back to work tomorrow. I don't wanna!!
PS: do you really think it might be a Raven? I know we have them around here so if it is a crow I may have a picture of another one that is a Raven. I tell them apart more by the noise they make. Caw is crow - croak is Raven. Yesterday's bird had his mouth full and didn't say anything... too polite I guess.
:)
lol. Of course mock had to be the first to see the birdbath. They are so sharp and inquisitive, looking at everything from every angle.
angele, Your Quite Welcome! I think your going to be 'busy' when you get that bird book in!
(..... Last night he came outside & he 'caught' me laughing out loud- I was in the empty lot next door and a rabbit had just scampered by and the birds were flying all around - I was just so happy. I looked at him & told him "yes, I'm the crazy old bird lady" He smiled at me and I told him how happy I am and that we could be this happy no matter how poor we might get because really all it takes around here to attract the animals is a dish of water ....)
Sibley Says you have Common Raven, Chihuahuan Raven, and American Crow there. I can't tell from that pic, but they're all the same genus - Corvus. Did you hear "croak" or "caw"?
Anyway, it's a beautiful bird. I enjoy identifying them, but I don't feel passionate about it. I don't feel elated and proud if I do or heartbroken if I don't. I really enjoyed this book: The Feather Quest : A North American Birder's Year http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0395927900/qid=1146151096/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-2873621-8719249?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
It's about seriously competitive birders.
And I'm happy not taking birding very seriously.
angele, I don't know what happened but I got cut short up above, I had written how I liked how you wrote the part above, It shows that your a person who is True To heart, Very nicley written!
thank you Iris! That was an extremely nice thing for you to write. This wildlife forum has been such a joy to participate in. I love going from thread to thread- joining in in all the conversations.
LOL again, Birdman... That is how I'll enter him in my journal (at least you didn't say his daddy was the milkman- momma might have been wearing some of that floozy eyeliner stuff!!) ROFL
ROFL&PIMP ((;;))
angele, Your Welcome! These forums 'are' a lot of fun, And interesting!!
