Birds in the yard

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There have been a huge number of birds in the wildly overgrown parts of my yard lately. Luckily, some of those areas are very near the house and I have a lot of windows through which to see them. I am pretty sure that Greg is "in" the birds, so I welcome them even more than I might for just being cool birds. Greg's favorites were the squawky ones, the crows and the blue jays. 
The yard is full of Steller's jays, finches including American Goldfinch, black-capped chickadees, hummingbirds, robins, pine siskins, Northern Flicker, crows and many others. There are so many wings fluttering, birds flitting, songs and arguments, it's really fun. I have a feeder that gets a lot of visits.

My favorite to see is the (red-shafted) Northern Flicker, a woodpecker-type. It usually comes around in January, but has been here already in December.

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I also like the Steller's Jay's crests.

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I really like birds. (Google image photos)

What birds are in your yard?

Lots of snow here so many birds take off to the south for the winter. We do have some beautiful Cardinal pairs that visit our feeders, the males look especially nice as their full red body is very highlighted against the snow. Mostly at the feeders are various finches and chickadees who live in the woods behind the house with the rare Bue Jay there to make noise like Greg liked.

Oh yeah - on Friday night I watched a huge flyover of Crows. Had to be a few hundred going home for the night just at sunset flying over the parking lot where I park. All squawking and cawing.

We have most of those, but also have (not every day): Bald Eagle, Red Tail Hawk, Pileated Woodpecker, and Raven, and Vultures in the summer.

hooded mergansers and mallards

Blue Jays, Cardinals, Robins, Orioles & Sparrows.  Less Robins this year and more big healthy Blue Jays then ever.

Plus Red Tail Hawks & Brown Ospreys.

Judit - I'm north of you about 65 miles- - seen the stellar jays back in October- too cold for them now- hadn't seen a blue jay since I left Calif back in the 80's.

The crows are always around , in abundance.

flickers are super cool

mockingbirds

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yellow-rumped warblers

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cedar waxwings

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Lots of small birds wrens and such, but there are a couple big beautiful ring neck doves that hang around my front yard.

Are flocking outside

I have much better yard bird watching at the claims...  all's we got at home is crows bombadiering walnuts everywhere, but that season has ended...

 

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Though nothing like catching an eagle with a snake in it's talons on the Oregon Coast! 

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The usuals? I get the red bellied woodpecker, hairy wp, downy, pileated wp, nuthatches, flickers (yellow shafted, nice red J), tufted titmouse (please dont ban mesmiley), bluebirds, goldfinch, house finch, red tails and many more visitors. Spend an hour on the deck and I see all of these most times.

I just had a nice trip to the gulf and caught brown/white pelicans, reddish egret, snowy egrets, little blue heron, great blue heron, bunch of tagged snowy plovers, ruddy turnstones, sanderlings, palm warbler, butter butts (please dont ban mecheeky), skimmers, all kinds of gulls and terns.  I photograph wildlife as a hobby and have some good shots. Maybe I'll get my act together and post some.

I like

BIRDS.

Glad others do too! nice shots yall

Thanks for sharing

Birds rock

Ive always been a big larry bird fan....

Charlie "Bird" Parker 

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Chris "birdman" andersen

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Don "big bird" saleski

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Mark "the bird" fidrych

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Donald Byrd

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This group visits often

 

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This morning's visitors

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beautiful birds, Judit!

 

the eagle shot with the snake is a nice capture.

Goose Gossage

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Had one get in the house today (Nuthatch ??) but no photos.  I opened several windows and chased it around until it escaped.

As its 12 degrees here,  the darn thing made me let out all the Heat.

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Speaking of yard birds, here is a giant one we found outside a flea market in Centralia Washington aptly called "Yardbirds":

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Cool thread judit - my dad Loved Birds ! and there are Some Really Cool ones around Tucson arizona and surrounding areas.

Saw a cormorant swimming out back today.

 

Recently learned that a flock of turkey is hanging out in the park up the street.

Right near my house at the Dog Park on the lake, there are hundreds of these big guys. But their necks are all black. Lots of ducks and geese also.

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saw a couple of these down by the Willamette river last week

 

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they are HUGE

Klondie, where on the river?

Salem -  Minto Brown Park

I'll look around down here. They are so powerful, majestic, beautiful.

sure wish I had my binoculars with me - they were in the car

Keep an eye out.

 

 

Living in a preserved Wetland habitat,  there are many feathered friends around.  My favorites are the various Hawk and Owl varieties.

The Superb Owls I hear,  more than see.  They are a bit nocturnal.  A neighbor swears he saw a 'Great-Horned Owl' kicking in the door of his Chicken coop one night,  and the thing was Enormous.  Now,  that guy doesn't drink,  and I sold him Locust posts for the 'Fortress Chicken Coop' which he personally selected,  and I cut to his specs.  So his tale rings of Truth.

I told the guy,  "It's not easy to preserve Chickens around here.  Foxes,  Raccoons,  Coyotes will get them..."

He said "No way;  I'm building the Chicken Fortress with these posts.  No predators will kill them."

Couple years later,  those Hens are all gone.  Too bad,  as I would have liked to sell the fellow more Locust posts.  He wanted 12 - footers of 4" - 6" diameter for his project.  I sold him a bunch of those at a reasonable price,  and hoped that he would prevail with his Chicken enterprise.

The few Amateur / Hobbyist Poultry farmers I know have all lost their Birds to the Chompy local predators.  Everyone has High Hopes and invests in poultry-habitat materials,  but basically you need a Concrete and Cinder-Block Poultry prison, with guard-dogs.

Hundreds of White North American pelicans in the area waterways.

 

Waiting on the Purple Martins to show up in the back yard apartment complex.

Across the road from me...

 

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Backyard...

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Backyard...

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Oooh!  i love birds.  

The birds I've seen (heard) on and from my yard include: bald eagle, osprey, kestrel, cooper's hawk, peregrine falcon, turkey vulture, American bittern, great blue heron, Canada goose, mallard, wood duck, black duck, saw-whet owl, barred owl, great-horned owl, ruffed grouse, wild turkey, ring-billed gull, mourning dove, whip-poor-will, nighhawk, tree swallow, ruby-throated hummingbird, belted kingfisher, northern flicker, pileated woodpecker, downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, Ivory billed woodpecker (just kidding, I wonder if anyone read this far),  blue jay, eastern wood peewee, least flycatcher, eastern kingbird, eastern phoebe, red-eyed vireo, blue-headed  vireo, American crow, raven, winter wren, golden crowned kinglet, ruby-crowned kinglet, wood thrush, hermit thrush, veery, American robin, gray catbird, cedar waxwing, northern parula, magnolia warbler, pine warbler, nashville warbler, American redstart, yellow-rumped warbler, yellow warbler, chestnut sided warbler, black throated green warbler, ovenbird, black and white warbler, common yellowthroat, chipping sparrow, white-throated sparrow, song sparrow, dark eyed junco, northern cardinal, rose-breasted grosbeak, evening grosbeak, red-winged blackbird, common grackle, purple finch, house finch, American goldfinch, black-capped chickadee, red breasted nuthatch, white breasted nuthatch.  

I think that's it.

Nice thread.

 

US blues???

 

 

This time of year it's an occasional owl.

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Here is one of the birds in our yard hanging out with a friend.

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This is the parking lot at my work a couple of years ago. We just had the what I assume is the male gang fight last week competing over the nesting spot they all covet on top of the shed. We set up a web-cam once the nesting starts. 

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Osprey having a meal

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Songbirds have just returned. A sure sign of spring when dawn comes and the birds wake up and rejoice. Mostly robins, nuthatch and finch. 

Here's a wee finch. 

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We used to get Rose and gold Finch, but none since Sandy.

The Flicker that started this thread (the one?) is spending more time than ever before in the yard. I've discovered a pole about a half-block away that 2 of them peck at. They're so big compared to the rest of the birds that hang out here... the Jays are pretty big and the crows are huge, but the crows don't eat around the feeder.

There's been an influx of quite territorial small and medium sized birds around the feeder and the afternoons are full of sound. Some of them are very conversational and it makes me laugh to be out there listening.

^^^ Also in Oregon?

Taken around the house last April.

Indigo Buntings 

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>>>Also in Oregon?<<<

Common' Judit, that's Bodega Bay.

That schoolhouse still stands to this day. It's somebody's house now. Living there would be kinda' creepy if you ask me.

Birds in general have always been kind of creepy to me.

Wallace and a few of the girls.

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>>>   >>>Also in Oregon?<<<

Common' Judit, that's Bodega Bay. <<<

 

I never saw the movie and couldn't remember if it was filmed there or in Oregon. We have small towns with that sort of building here, too. And lots of birds and screaming kids. Those birds are creepy to me, too, in context.

 

 

You never saw the movie?

Nope. I have seen very few scary movies. I wasn't allowed to when I was a kid and I haven't wanted to as an adult. I don't do suspense well.

filmed in Bodega Bay - as per Wiki

 

Bodega Bay has served as a location for several major films:[17][18][19]

The Birds (1963) Except for a short sequence at the beginning filmed in San Francisco, most of the film's exterior scenes were filmed around the two towns of Bodega (a small inland village) and Bodega Bay (a larger village on the bay). Special sites used for shooting included Potter School, the Bay, the two towns which were made to appear as one, and the home and barn across the bay from the town of Bodega Bay.

The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming (1966) Some scenes filmed in Bodega Bay.

The old school house is only 25 minutes or so. I usually take friends from out of town there for a photo op. I met Tippi once when she came to Bodega Bay to celebrate the anniversary of the film. Not sure what year anniversary but I don't look the same these days. She was very kind and accommodating. She had the grace of a woman from that era. Tippi signed my son's copy of The Birds, To Sean, with Fear.Tippi.jpg

Tippi is the founder of this preserve.

http://www.shambala.org/

Damn Peak, that's cool.

Judit, The Birds is a cool & well made Hitchcock movie worth watching, and as an adult it isn't very scary or suspenseful, it's actually kind of funny, but as a kid it freaked me out and I never quite looked at birds the same way afterward.

And I've always blamed the Lovebirds.

Peak, I think you look a lot like that picture, or at least you did the last time I saw you.

Lance, I'll remember you said that it isn't very scary or suspenseful if I ever think of watching it. I'm still kind of like a kid in that I'm not numbed by exposure. I also have a hard time suspending reality so I'm not into science fiction or fantasy stuff, either.

Boo!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry Judit, but now I know you're easily frightened.

(I hope I don't get an email for that)

Lance, you'll just have to take it, emotw.

I saw an otter swimming around yesterday morning. I know it's not a bird, but otter sightings are rare.

My favorite is the brown nuthatch.

We have a resident carolina wren which is similar to the nuthatch. Really nice song. dsc0062-1-2518.jpg

What a great thread topic that's now several months old! Thanks Judit. I imagine that Eugene is on the bird migration highway going up the valley for the summer.

Though my very personal "spirit animals" are owls and hummingbirds (because I've had interesting encounters with each while in the forest), we haven't yet heard our neighborhood owl this season. 

The hummers are back, though and this reminds me to clean out and refill the feeders... though right now they are enjoying feeding off of our pink currant flowers.  Later in the season, our honeysuckle vines and crocosmia flowers.  We are planting a new flower garden this year, too.

Finally, blue sky and sunshine this morn in Portland, and our high temp will be over 60, woot woot

LOL can anyone tell me how to delete these duplicates, please?

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Birds and the bees

I saw a huge owl flying down the street last night.

 

You can edit it out and delete and add a period and leave it blank. Not sure if you can delete the entire post.

We are thinking about beekeeping. Our new neighbor is trying, she said her queen died over the winter.

We just had to move the bird feeder due to the squirrels getting into it. So we bought a squirrel feeder that has a glass jar they clinb into this’ll feed. 

I think Judit worked some editing magic ... thanks Judit!

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A couple of ducks taking a morning nap in my neighbor's yard

Saw one of the swan dead in the road this morning. How does one hit a large bird like that on a street with a 25mph speed limit?

Just saw a bald eagle yesterday while driving and slowed down to a crawl to take a few pics ... this bird was ENORMOUS and even at 25mph, I can see how it could be struck by a car.   Definitely an awe inspiring moment!

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Awesome pics FOM!

If you can't avoid a swan on a 25mph residential street, you would likey not to be able to avoid a child either.

If you can't avoid a swan on a 25mph residential street, you would likey not to be able to avoid a child either<<<

Not disagreeing with you at all, people NEED to pay attention ... was just commenting on how some people might not be aware of the time it takes for a large bird which is at a standstill to actually get out of the way.  This was actually in the back of my mind when I was approaching the eagle, since someone had mentioned it a long time ago. 

Crows no like eagles

That's the issue, face, the driver either spaced out, or was driving too damn fast. 

I like those swan, hope the other finds a new mate.

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I believe it was the one in the foreground

That's the issue, face, the driver either spaced out, or was driving too damn fast. 

I like those swan, hope the other finds a new mate.<<<

Yeah, it should never happen.   In light of all the accidental deaths I've caused when I'm staying in between the lines (i.e. bird flies into windshield or deer bolts out of nowhere), I try to be as cognizant as possible about other animals when driving.   Not sure how the other birds process it, but life long mates are something we can all relate to.  The book "Chesapeake" (Michener) has an interesting sub plot told from the perspective of geese that have to contend with the encroachment of humans over a few hundred years.

Speaking of Tipi Hedren, have you seen the movie "Roar", or watched the documentary "Roar, The Most Dangerous Movie Ever Made"?  It's completely insane what they did.  I love the part in the trailer where it says "No animals were harmed in the making of this movie, but 70 cast and crew members were".  They had 150 untrained lions, tigers, cheetahs...living on their property, and they did that to make the movie.  It's completely insane idea to have seen it through to actually filming it, and the documentary and movie are both worth watching for the sheer lunacy of it all.

 

 

Think this is the most recent picture of the couple.

 

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West side gardens

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Visiting Alcatraz? I've heard of the gardens, and it's lovely to see the plants and the birds! Beautiful.

We went yesterday. Beautiful. Our second time, Esau's first. 

We wanted to burn on the South side Agave Trail again but I read it's closed from March thru September.

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Egret and Swan across the street

 

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Neighbors on their way to breakfast

 

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Trying out a new camera (phone)

It appears the two gay bluejay dudes in my yard are shacking up. Spied them both collecting nest materials together. Whatever makes them happy, so long as they keep eating up all the snails!

Taking the kids out for a swim 

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New neighbor 

 

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Cormorant and egrets are back 

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Next across the street...

 

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Not in the yard, but here are some bird pics from my recent Baja trip:

Nest of Osprey at Luguna de Liebre:

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Raven at Bahia Concepcion:

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Curious pelican (Alcatraz) at Bahia Concepcion:

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Bunch of birds on a rock:

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My hummingbird visited yesterday.... but never have my phone camera nearby

 

This thread brought to mind this song by Railroad Earth

https://youtu.be/PuA6nZzxEns

 

I want to sing my own song that's all

Cried the bird and flew into a wall

There must be some way he cried

And his desperation echoed down the hall

 

Just another bird in a house

Dying to get out

Just another bird in a house

Dying to get out

 

I want to join my own kind that's all

Cried the bird and flew into a wall

There must be some way out he cried

And his desperation echoed down the hall

 

Just another bird in a house

Dying to get out

Just another bird in a house

Dying to get out

 

I'm gonna smash my way out that's all

Cried the bird and smashed from wall to wall

There must be some way out he cried

And his desperation echoed down the hall

 

Just another bird in a house

Dying to get out

Just another bird in a house

Dying to get out

3F4AED86-C4D6-4E61-B681-96F42516DF3E.jpegFront yard bird feeder

>>>I saw an otter swimming around yesterday morning<<<<

 

This one swam by the other day

 

https://youtu.be/pZjBpgQUSkA

I was happy to hear and then see the Flicker for the first time in a couple of months.

Wingedus Ratticus,  Yachats Oregonia last Oct

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Osprey was checking out the swan's nest one afternoon 

 

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Coronavirus won't stop my bird from working out...

 

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Osprey overhead...

 

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The little swallow says "Haha, I don't need a mask."

while watering the outside plants today a scrubjay came for a visit and stuck around for a bath.  it was very cool.  he would land on a shrub and I was spraying him down.  

this went on for a good 2-3 minutes.  bird would dart away and I would stop the hose.  as soon as I did, that damn scrubjay was back for more. at least a half dozen times over.

I know pics or it didnt happen.  

 

 

The gull has no fear of the osprey...

 

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