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Forum birdwatching 2009
- Thread starter Kotatsu
- Start date
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- birds birdwatching
Great photos. Thanks for posting them.
Mr Clingford
Master Poster
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2003
- Messages
- 2,104
Not quite as exotic, but striking and on my lawn this afternoon: a Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis). It spent quite a few minutes pecking away at the lawn. The picture is crap but it was taken with my phone and I was in my kitchen.
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I have never seen a Green Woodpecker,so they are exotic to me!
I did see a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers here a month or so ago--I did not have my camera, though, or even my phone (envy!). At least, I think that is what they were. Red on the head, and a gorgeous white underwing flash on a crow-sized (roughly) woodpecker. I heard them before I saw them, but saw them clearly, being chased by the neighborhood crows.
No pics, though, so (for me) they don't count.
a few more pics, though...
gorgeous bird, lousy pic.
underside of this one's tail was vivid black and white:
this little guy was cool enough to get my attention amidst hippos and crocs!
Mercutio what is the brightly coloured wee bird that is first in that set: I am fairly sure I saw one in Edinbugh zoo but if there was a board to say what it was I missed it.
He is certainly a cool bird
Though your lilypad wader is my favourite I think
He is certainly a cool bird
Though your lilypad wader is my favourite I think
Fiona, that would be a "Lilac-Breasted Roller". Gorgous bird; I got a few other shots, but nothing that could possibly do justice. The lilypad wader is a Black Crake; one of my favorites. If I remember correctly, it is a juvenile, and would have a different colored beak and/or legs if it were older.
Glad you like them!
Glad you like them!
bruto
Penultimate Amazing
Mercutio, all your birds are great. All we seem to see these days is crows!
The most exciting thing was a couple of bluebirds the other day - apparently they forgot to migrate. I hope they don't freeze their tails off this week.
The most exciting thing was a couple of bluebirds the other day - apparently they forgot to migrate. I hope they don't freeze their tails off this week.
The dog and I saw a crow this morning on our walk... it was amazing. Yes, it was just a crow like any other, but this one staked out a branch right above our path, and eyed us as we walked by; I felt like I was disturbing royalty... either that, or like he was going to take a dump on us. Seriously, it was a strangely humbling experience--I'm sure I was projecting to some extent, but that was such an intelligent gaze, and so unlike the flighty retreat of virtually any other bird that catches a glimpse of me watching it, that I am unwilling to concede that it was engaged in the same brainless calculation of predation. This crow was watching, and perhaps knew that I could not harm it from where I was with no tools. Hell, it could harm me, from that position, with a mere flex of a sphincter. Without any supporting evidence, I get the feeling that he knew it.
I love crows.
Oh, and Happy Birthday, Bruno!
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Dammit, I meant to post a few pics of birds I could not ID, but I left the hard drive at work. Soon, then.
Meanwhile...
Top left and near-bottom right, female and male, respectively, from the Cape of Good Hope:
I love this shot--I saw it, took the shot without focusing (barely aiming), and did not recognize it as anything at first. This is a severe cropping:
Meanwhile...
Top left and near-bottom right, female and male, respectively, from the Cape of Good Hope:
I love this shot--I saw it, took the shot without focusing (barely aiming), and did not recognize it as anything at first. This is a severe cropping:
bruto
Penultimate Amazing
I hesitate to post this sighting, because it is not quite 100 percent certain, and somewhat rare, and I got no pictures, but I have looked and looked and tried to find anything else it might have been, and come up empty handed, so I am going to go ahead and report a Juvenile Great Grey Owl (Strix Nebulosa), in the vicinity of Brandon, Vermont. This is quite near where we have definitively seen the equally rare Snowy Owl, and there have been a few great greys seen in Vermont, but they're supposed to be very rare this far south. But there it was, not seeming as big as one might think, though scale is hard to judge. But it was an earless owl, and rather dark gray all over as seen in daylight. No brown, no conspicuous stripes, bars or patches. We didn't get a good look at its face or eyes, unfortunately, but the only owl I've seen pictured that it resembles is a juvenile great gray.
Well, that's my story, and you can add it to the list as long as nobody's life depends on it.
We did also see a no-doubt, 100 percent, huge and absolutely magnificent bald eagle yesterday too. It was flying around south of Cornwall, Vermont, and obligingly kept circling as I turned the car around, stopped and fished out the binoculars, and then it came toward us, and followed us up the road for a while. This was a really big eagle, and made our day. Common enough these days around here, but I'll never quite get over the thrill of seeing an eagle.
Well, that's my story, and you can add it to the list as long as nobody's life depends on it.
We did also see a no-doubt, 100 percent, huge and absolutely magnificent bald eagle yesterday too. It was flying around south of Cornwall, Vermont, and obligingly kept circling as I turned the car around, stopped and fished out the binoculars, and then it came toward us, and followed us up the road for a while. This was a really big eagle, and made our day. Common enough these days around here, but I'll never quite get over the thrill of seeing an eagle.
EHocking
Penultimate Amazing
Well I can see it's been a little quiet here for the past week or so. At least we've been entertained with some excellent photos, so while I'm sorting out my list from Equador and Galapagos, I thought I'd share some quick photo uploads myself.
Cactus Finch, Santa Cruz
Diving Blue-footed Booby
Diving Brown Pelican
Golden Warbler
Medium Ground Finch
Nazca (Masked) Booby
Waved Albatross
Oriole
(yet to be ID'd, as our trip to the cloud forest was impromptu, so I neglected to get a book!)
Cactus Finch, Santa Cruz
Diving Blue-footed Booby
Diving Brown Pelican
Golden Warbler
Medium Ground Finch
Nazca (Masked) Booby
Waved Albatross
Oriole
(yet to be ID'd, as our trip to the cloud forest was impromptu, so I neglected to get a book!)
EHocking
Penultimate Amazing
... 2 more...
Vermillion Flycatcher
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Vermillion Flycatcher
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
sphenisc
Philosopher
- Joined
- Jul 14, 2004
- Messages
- 6,253
EHocking
Penultimate Amazing
I couldn't find a Grosbeak to match - Tanager, thanks. Got another red one to ID as well as a sythebill and woodcreeper!
Out of many diving shots, the one of the booby is my favourite.
The "Darwin Finches" are proving problematic as well - just found out they hybridise, so when I said onboard, while comparing bill shots to the book, "I think I've found a new Finch." I may well have been right (to a degree).
Out of many diving shots, the one of the booby is my favourite.
The "Darwin Finches" are proving problematic as well - just found out they hybridise, so when I said onboard, while comparing bill shots to the book, "I think I've found a new Finch." I may well have been right (to a degree).
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The Shrike
Philosopher
I won't speak for Kotatsu, but I've banded (ringed) a number of species in North America, and different species will display different behaviors in the hand. For example, our Northern Cardinal will take any opportunity to bite and, when it does, in simply squeezes your flesh relentlessly. Chickadees (tits) will hammer away at some tiny corner of your knuckle again and again. This can also be quite painful. Other species, e.g., sparrows and warblers in general, are usually much less aggressive.
A lot of a bird's apparent temperament has to do with the skill of the handler. Birds held firmly - yet safely - will usually resign themselves to the fact that "resistance is futile" and settle down accordingly.