A Peek Through The Leaves
- Thread starter drifter
- Start date
CinnamonSugar
A Quiet American
well done! that's lovely
drifter
Well-known Member
Thank you.
drifter
Well-known Member
House sparrow? No, but he does live in the neighborhood.
What kind of bird is it?House sparrow? No, but he does live in the neighborhood.
Em in Ohio
Senior Member
- Location
- OH HI OH
How much seed does your feeder hold? It is huge! Very lucky birds to have you providing for them!
Ruth n Jersey
Well-known Member
- Location
- Northern New Jersey
Very nice. I never get tired of seeing photos of wildlife.
drifter
Well-known Member
I’m sure it is a house sparrow. I didn’t know and had to look them up. There’s so many different
kinds of sparrow it is not easy for me to tell the difference. Then there are the small finches. I wasn’t being a smart so and so, it was my ignorance showing, and I apologize if I came across
that way.
Last edited:
drifter
Well-known Member
That one holds ten pounds. In the past I have fed them only in the winter time. But now, stuck at home all the time, feeding the birds benefits me as much as the birds. I enjoy watching them and they provide an occasional subject for my camera. Thanks for commenting on my photo.
Last edited:
drifter
Well-known Member
Well, yes, occasionally, when I have something to say and then sometime when I have nothing to say and should know better. I appreciate your comments.
No need to apologize, Drifter.
We have resident House Sparrows (year round), though they tend to hide from late fall until late spring, but once late spring comes, I love seeing them back.
As for House Finches, I melt when they bring their fledglings by for the first time each year. The little ones are all of the size of my baby finger, clueless, as cute as they get, and completely oblivious to the world around them, then as they grow from fledglings to juveniles, they acquire devils-like tufts of fine pin feathers on each side of the top of their heads. Talk about comical!
As for House Finches, the males display a beautiful red or pink colour, whereas the females are light brown with grayish/white hues.
Funny story about our House Sparrows. At the height of summer, our House Sparrows will hop behind my husband when he's cutting the lawn, as the lawnmower stirs up insects as it passes over, making for an easy meal for them.
As for House Finches, the males display a beautiful red or pink colour, whereas the females are light brown with grayish/white hues.
Funny story about our House Sparrows. At the height of summer, our House Sparrows will hop behind my husband when he's cutting the lawn, as the lawnmower stirs up insects as it passes over, making for an easy meal for them.
In The Sticks
Friend of Frank
Drifter, I hope you don't mind my posting a few bird pics I've taken. I had a lot of feeders when I first move in, but the resident bear has made putting food out an unwise thing to do.
I really miss having the feeders out. Somewhere around here I have a book where I checked off the birds I was able to identify. I especially love the woodpeckers.
I really miss having the feeders out. Somewhere around here I have a book where I checked off the birds I was able to identify. I especially love the woodpeckers.
Wonderful pictures!
Western Tanagers in the top?
Downy Woodpecker (middle), I call them professors, because when they look at you their eyes are so human-like, it's as if they're looking into your soul, and they're so friendly and tolerant of us. Amazing how close you can observe them without them getting spooked.
Last picture is a Red-Bellied Woodpecker.
In The Sticks
Friend of Frank
You know, I don't know what those top birds are. They are smaller than tanagers, and not as bright as goldfinches. I think the beaks would make them some type of finch, but I'm not certain. And I'm not really that close. The feeders are right outside the kitchen window.
Here's a pic of similar-sized red birds I have not identified:
Your ID of the woodpeckers is spot-on. Here's a pair of flickers:
And a hawk of an unidentified species:
I wish I were a better photographer who could command better equipment. These are from one of those small hand-helds.
Was the picture in question with the possible Goldfinches or Tanagers taken in the fall or winter?
The birds in the second set of pictures (top), are Purple Male Finches.
The hawk is hard to identify given the distance away. So many tend to look alike, but I would venture to guess it's a Coopers Hawk.
Last edited:
In The Sticks
Friend of Frank
That first pic of the small yellow birds was taken in January here in the mid Atlantic.
I, too, believe that to be a Coopers Hawk. My struggle is that so many of these are best identified when in comparison to others (like the downy woodpecker and the hairy woodpecker.)
Last spring I heard a horrible racket outside, and went on my deck and looked up to see a pair of hawks in a mating battle just overhead with the apparent female just circling above them, waiting to see who would emerge victorious. It went on for the longest time. Just amazing to witness.
The only thing I've yet to capture are the pileated woodpeckers. They're pretty shy. I like watching pairs of them in flight.
I'm so very fortunate. I have such a large cleared area around the house with a direct-southern view out the back where my deck is, I also get a nice view of the night sky for my telescope. Been out for meteor showers, saw Mars when it passed close by, etc. Even the moon through just a set of binoculars is other-worldly.
I, too, believe that to be a Coopers Hawk. My struggle is that so many of these are best identified when in comparison to others (like the downy woodpecker and the hairy woodpecker.)
Last spring I heard a horrible racket outside, and went on my deck and looked up to see a pair of hawks in a mating battle just overhead with the apparent female just circling above them, waiting to see who would emerge victorious. It went on for the longest time. Just amazing to witness.
The only thing I've yet to capture are the pileated woodpeckers. They're pretty shy. I like watching pairs of them in flight.
I'm so very fortunate. I have such a large cleared area around the house with a direct-southern view out the back where my deck is, I also get a nice view of the night sky for my telescope. Been out for meteor showers, saw Mars when it passed close by, etc. Even the moon through just a set of binoculars is other-worldly.
Okay, my guess is the birds in question are Female Pine Warblers (possibly juveniles, hence the pale yellow colour).
A helpful tip I can pass along to you, compare bill or beak shapes, examine the tail feathers (striping, colouration, etc), and lastly, segregate the species into groups according to size. It really helps one work from a starting point.
Hawks do visit our immediate area, but I find the Ravens do a great job at chasing them away.
We usually have a couple of species of owl visit our neighbourhood each fall, and last year we had one that was gigantic, and when it hooted, it sounded like a full grown man.
Like yourself, I, too, am fascinated with astronomy.
Last edited:
In The Sticks
Friend of Frank
I'll have to further research those birds. Thanks for the suggestions.
The interesting thing about the hawks around here is that you can drive up & down the main roads doing 55MPH and they are perched on the power lines just watching. You have to be careful, because if they see prey they'll lauch into your path. But here on my property, if they see me inside my house through the patio door from far away (no matter how stealthy I try to be), they're off in a flash.
I commented in another thread that I had an owl when I first came here in 2010 and never heard from him again. Just a few nights ago (around 2AM), I heard an owl for the first time since. I heard him again last night on the other side of my property. I think it's a barred owl. Not too many species of owls in this area...even fewer when you eliminate the ones that screech...so there's not that many calls to select from.
It's funny how things seem to cycle through. There will be years where the turkey are thick, then none to be seen. You mentioned ravens...same thing. Some years they are overwhelming, they years go by and you rarely see one. Applies to mammals as well (fox population seems to ebb & flow.)
What a stark difference between the hawks that visit our area (here in our neighbourhood), compared to the ones that frequent your area. The ones we get are not easily spooked, which leads me to believe we may possibly have more bird activity in our area. Interesting findings though.
As for our raven population and presence, it's thriving. The manner in which they patrol is stupefying, and their vision, out of this world. My husband killed two mice, with several days separating each kill, and on both days when he laid the mice out back in the garden, within minutes, down swooped a raven to snatch their meal, and they spotted those tiny little mice in our backyard from some serious altitude.
I just find the entire wild kingdom so interesting. I love nature in a really big way, and as for bird-watching, nothing captures my interest more.
In The Sticks
Friend of Frank
Funny you should say that.
Every few years I'll got one or two field mice in the house. When I trap them, I always toss them outside so they may fulfill their final act in the natural cycle. I have no idea what ate them.
I'll toss this pic out there before Drifter boots me out for poaching his thread. I set out ground feeders with game cameras to see if I could get pics of birds (maybe ground feeding grosbeaks) that might be too shy to be around when I was at home. Instead I got this:
and this:
Every few years I'll got one or two field mice in the house. When I trap them, I always toss them outside so they may fulfill their final act in the natural cycle. I have no idea what ate them.
I'll toss this pic out there before Drifter boots me out for poaching his thread. I set out ground feeders with game cameras to see if I could get pics of birds (maybe ground feeding grosbeaks) that might be too shy to be around when I was at home. Instead I got this:
and this: