Birds

Discussion Topic

Return to Forum List

This thread has been locked

Messages 8581 - 8600 of total 9874 in this topic

<< First | < Previous | Show All | Next > | Last >>

Gary

Social climber

Where in the hell is Major Kong?

Jul 18, 2016 - 12:23pm PT

For the last three years, there's been this house finch hanging around the yard. We noticed him because he has a white head. When we first saw him we thought it was a fungus. We named him The Bald Eagle. We always got a kick when we'd see him around.

Last night, returning from the mountains we saw him laying on the porch, dead as a door nail. The wife threw him in the freezer while she decides what to do with our little feathered friend.

little Z

Trad climber

un cafetal en Naranjo

Jul 18, 2016 - 05:43pm PT

Gary - weird that it would wind up on your porch. What do you think happened? Do you guys have a cat? did it crash into a window?

Red-winged Blackbird (they are native to Costa Rica too)

RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD!!!!

Gary

Social climber

Where in the hell is Major Kong?

Jul 18, 2016 - 06:02pm PT

No cat. Maybe a window. Maybe he just came home to die.

dee ee

Mountain climber

Of THIS World (Planet Earth)

Jul 18, 2016 - 08:34pm PT

The classic cliché bird name of all time!

Yellow Bellied Sapsucker.

Here in the OC at HB Central Park

Crimpergirl

Sport climber

Boulder, Colorado!

Jul 18, 2016 - 08:50pm PT

I wonder if the House Finch had conjunctivitis. We see some here, and when they are stricken, they hang around the where there is food, water and protection from predators. Generally, we find their bodies at the house as well. Tough illness.

Gary

Social climber

Where in the hell is Major Kong?

Jul 19, 2016 - 07:26am PT

Crimper, thanks, that's interesting.

amyjo

Trad climber

Jul 19, 2016 - 10:29am PT

Reilly
Good choice Monsieur
Enough in the dumpster for one day

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Jul 19, 2016 - 11:11am PT

From CalBirds - interesting but sad:

Many birders pay close attention to the arrival dates of the first
juvenile shorebirds of many species, although some species get less
attention given that ageing them in the field may not always be so easy
(e.g., Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit) or somehow they otherwise
escape below the radar. Certainly the first juveniles of some of the
southern (Great Plains and Intermontane West) breeders have started
returning the past several days (e.g., Long-billed Curlew, Willet,
Wilson's Phalarope), several taiga-breeders are likely soon to follow
(e.g., several very slightly-early juvenile Least Sandpipers were
reported here in San Diego yesterday), and the first
taiga-tundra- breeders (e.g., Semipalmated and Western Sandpipers,
Short-billed Dowitcher, Red-necked Phlarope) should be appearing within
the next week or so. One species for which accurate juvenile arrival
dates MIGHT not exist for many regions is Greater Yellowlegs, and I'd
like to report what seems like an early arriving juv. Greater here in
San Diego today, July 18. Seems that arrival dates for juv. Lessers are
better known (first few days in August). The earliest arrival date of a
juv. Greater that I know of in Santa Barbara County is also the first
week of August, and such a date here in San Diego County may be
unknown. Any thoughts? Same is true for arrival dates of things like
juvenile Whimbrels, Black Turnstones, Surfbirds, Solitary Sandpipers,
and Wandering Tattlers--less so juv. Semipalmated and Black-bellied
Plovers and Red Knots, though still not aged as often as are the peep
and dowitchers. Anyone care to tackle a juvenile Wilson's Snipe?!

Alvaro J. posted some thoughts a couple days ago about yet another
failed year of breeding by Heermann' s Gulls and Elegant Terns off s.
Baja earlier this season, but that Brown Pelicans are doing better. Yes,
young Heermann' s are essentially absent so far this year in southern CA
as well, but many of those southerly Elegant Terns have, again, shifted
their breeding north, with somewhere in the neighborhood of 30,000+
pairs currently nesting on south San Diego Bay. And judging (very
UN-scientifically) from the large numbers of almost-fledged young
standing around the colony edge, they seem to have done pretty well. I
also heard a rumor that not long after this year's nesting failures in
Mexico that large schools of baitfish finally did appear in the
Gulf--but too late for those species there this year. But hopefully that
portends better luck in 2017. It has now been three years in a row of
almost total failure down there of some species.

--Paul Lehman, San Diego

Bob D'A

Trad climber

Taos, NM

Jul 20, 2016 - 09:17am PT

No much from me, kinda slow here in Taos, NM.

BrassNuts

Trad climber

Save your a_s, reach for the brass...

Jul 20, 2016 - 11:39am PT

More tropical birdies from Panama for a Wednesday afternoon...

Bob D'A

Trad climber

Taos, NM

Jul 20, 2016 - 12:11pm PT

Hummers.

Darwin

Trad climber

Seattle, WA

Jul 20, 2016 - 03:36pm PT

It's always humbling posting here, especially after the likes of all of the above. Nonetheless:

Reminding you all about a mid May post of mine from Montlake Fill:

Well nature has taken it's course.

(there are three chicks)

But the real self aggrandizing incentive for this posting is this.
It's not the best photo (clicking on it helps), but it is only the second recorded sighting of a Lark Sparrow at the Union Bay Natural Area (aka Montlake Fill)(*1). And I found it!
I have to admit to being pretty confused as to what the bird was when I first saw it. Some Longspur is what I first guessed without a guidebook. I couldn't page through enough potential birds on my stupid App, so I cycled back home to look at Sibley and grab my camera. Not being satisfied with trying to shoehorn it into some intermediate phase Longspur (not to mention the bill), I thumbed through enough paper pages to hit upon Lark Sparrow, complete with "whitish breast with bold central spot" that I saw.

And it was on my bicycle commute so I can count it on my human-powered-vehicles list!

I know, much ado about nothing, but I was way stoked.

Darwin

(*1)wrt 2nd sighting, That's what the locals tell me, I didn't check ebird.

dee ee

Mountain climber

Of THIS World (Planet Earth)

Jul 20, 2016 - 07:10pm PT

Darwin.....nice.

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Jul 20, 2016 - 07:58pm PT

Man, hope that Puffbird wasn't planning on flying for a few days!

Darwin, good score!

Crimpergirl

Sport climber

Boulder, Colorado!

Jul 20, 2016 - 08:24pm PT

It took that Puffbird forever to choke that lizard down. He had to back it out few times, but ultimately, he swallowed it all. It was gruesome...I couldn't stop watching. :)

dee ee

Mountain climber

Of THIS World (Planet Earth)

Jul 20, 2016 - 09:14pm PT

Snowy Plover, rhymes with lover.

edit: But Reilly, she's so cute!

Reilly

Mountain climber

The Other Monrovia- CA

Jul 20, 2016 - 09:20pm PT

Dee ee, yer not supposed to take 'em home!

little Z

Trad climber

un cafetal en Naranjo

Jul 21, 2016 - 04:10pm PT

BN - that puffbird choking down the lizard has to be one of the most captivating photos I've seen here

Darwin - way to go! finding a bird like that always provides big motivation.

Crested Caracara (Darwin - did you go see the one that was hanging out by Skykomish last year?)