I usually get a lot of different birds around here in the summertime. Just so happened, this morning I was looking outside instead of being outside gardening, and noticed all of the birds.
I'll start with the orioles, they have their own bowl of sugar water so they don't bother the hummers.
And the hummers
Great pics better!!! Love that Oriole!
Pelletory,
I'm still trying to post the rest. For some reason my wireless is acting like it dial-up.
I'll try again...Here's a tanager
He's so beautiful!!!
Okay, I might get these all in here by midnight...seems my computer has a limit of one pic an hour. Got another shot of the tanager while waiting for the last pic to post.
Beautiful birds and excellent photos Better. I've never seen an oriole or a tanager. Both are exceptionally pretty.
Janet
The red-breasted grosbeak..or is that red-headed gosbeak ?
Thanks Janet & Pell, I'm still trying to get the rest in here. It seems to be going a lot faster now.
Two black-headed grosbeaks. I can't recall if this is the male or female..but the other one has no strips on it's head. I haven't seen it yet, but it should be around somewhere.
One of my favorites, the yellow headed blackbirds with their friends, the red-winged (or tri-colored)
A picture of the orioles and tanager together ( I never would have thought I'd get one like that).
Thats a very nice one. Thanks so much for taking the time (sorry it was so long for you) to post these. Cute little area you have there!
Last one..I won't bore you with the normal sparrows, doves, and grackles. I took the ones above from my kitchen window and then had to go outside to get this one..the baby owls. They are really getting big !
I wondered how the babies were doing! Aren't they cute? I love your watering can fountain and your birds seem to really appreciate all their goodies.
Very sweet! They really are growing fast.
Betterbloom: Great series of birds I never get to see. Thanks!
Deb(inSC)
Wonderful photos of a terrific variety!!! Those baby owls are so darn cute!
Thanks for the great photos! Those baby owls look like they are starting to loose their fluff and grow feathers. Starting to get that "owly" look to their faces. They must be pre-teens.
Yep, they will be flying the coop here soon. I'll try to get more pics of them tomorrow and post them with the other owl pictures.
Thanks everyone !
Hi,
Betterbloom the one that you thought was a red headed grosbeak is a purple finch. BTW really nice pictures.
Mliga, how do you tell a purple finch from the many differently colored house finches?
I think its a male House Finch.
Yep, House Finch. Note the narrow white wingbars (purplish on Purple Finch), stout bill with a curved upper mandible (slightly less stout, and conical, on Purp), and the flanks being white with brown streaks (dull uniform brownish-red on Purp).
Resin
Betterbloom... Tell me about that water can fountain... is it an actual fountain? I don't see a tub for recirculating the water and I'm curious how you make it work. I'd like to set something similar up in my yard.
Thanks.
j
I've posted it somewhere way back when...Let me see if I can find it. It's just a submergable pump that draws the water from the pond to the watering can. Well, actually not a pond, a wadding pool. I took mine out because I was having electical problems with it blowing the breaker...turns out it was the cord.
J: Could'nt find it so I took another pic. The pump sits in the water and draws water thru the box. It then go out thru the hose. I have a whole in the back of the water can that the hose hooks up to. The water in the can pours back into the pool or pond. Did you get that ? If not Iet me know and I'll try to explain it better. You can get the pump at most hardware stores and usuallly run about $45.
betterbloom, nice photos. I particularly like the Bullock's Oriole and the Western Tanager neither of which reside in my region. And, the photos of your Owlets are fantastic.
Thanks for sharing .....
Oops forgot the pic of the pump, silly me !
Thanks, linthicum
Wow, nice selection BB! I see the owlets are practicing their intimidating stares :)
Yep, especially when I talk to them.
Okay, so what I have is a house finch..?
Yes, that's a House finch... they're very similar to Purple finches and I think pelletory and Resin are right. That's a great shot of the Tanager and the Oriole too, wow! I've never seen those Grosbeaks before.
Last year was the first for me, this year I seem to have plenty. The orioles too, are moving in, getting more and more everyday. This is the time of year when I start going thru a 5 lb bag of sugar a week. By next month it will be 10lbs a week. Between the birds and the cats..I just about go broke !
Our hummers are really aggressive, so we don't get too many. I have feeders front and back, and a special one for the orioles, but we seem to have just a few resident hummers - plus young - and the occasional travelers. A couple of times a year I will see four or five on the feeder together.
My brother is like you, BB - he lives near Yosemite and can't keep his feeders full during the spring and summer.
I really enjoy your pictures.
kaperc: Thanks for enjoying my pictures. I've heard that the more feeders (or food) there is, the more they fight. If you only have a few hummers maybe you can try fewer feeders. I have two large feeders out there now and are filling them every other day. Plus the bowls for the orioles.
How odd. I only have one in front and one in back, plus the oriole feeder in back. I believe it is the Costa's hummer that is aggressive and lives here year round. I have a good hummer book, so I'll have to look it up there and check the web site.
Awesome pics! Thanks for sharing. I would like to know how you get more than one hummber at a feeder at a time!! Whenever a hummer is at one of my feeders, and another approaches, whoosh they get chased off by the current user!! They don't like to share in Phoenix I guess!!
And those tanagers and orioles, WOW!! I so wish I could enjoy those on a daily basis!! We have the red finches here, along with the gold finches, and lesser finches.
Me, too, Trillium. I've often thought "did they Photoshop all those other hummingbirds in" when I see pictures of several hummingbirds at one feeder at a time. I have dozens of hummingbirds in my YARD at a time, because I have several feeders, but have not seen more than one hummingbird on a feeder at a time.
Towards the end of summer, we usually have two or three evenings where we will see the hummers hold a pow-wow on the feeder. It's very odd compared to their usual behavior. We've had as many as seven at a time. They sit for a while, all the clicking and buzzing stops, they eat together, then it's over. Very weird.
Two nights ago I was able to capture this photo of three hummers on the feeder at the same time. It's not a good photo, but gives you the idea. I'd seen two a few times before, but never three.
Now tonight they were all just buzzing each other (and me!).
How fun to watch the hummers different behavior, in different parts of the country!
Yesterday I saw a different bird drop into my yard. I came back to the original post here and looked closely at the pics posted by betterbloom. And after what seemed like a long time of checking various sites, I think I saw an Evening Grosbeak. The gold (not yellow like the goldfinches) and black were such a contrast, and the size, was wonderful to see. By the time I grabbed my camera, of course it was gone. It came back a second time, a few minutes later, but I couldn't get a pic. Maybe third time's a charm!! Will keep looking, and if I get a pic, will post here for the professionals to verify!!
I am really enjoying this forum. Have a great day everyone!
Leona
