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Forum Birdwatching 2012

jasonpatterson

Philanthropic Misanthrope
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Kotatsu said:
A thread (the third in a series) mainly for four things:

A. A list of all observations of birds made by forum members during 2012, following a set of rules that will be detailed below;

B. A place to display photos of birds (and other animals) taken by forum members during 2012;

C. A place to discuss anything connected to birds or birdwatching;

D. A place to get help with bird identifications from people from all over the world.

The rules for the first of these are as follow:

Validity

- Only observations made by members of the forum are eligible, although this person does not have to be the one to have discovered the bird, nor be the one who identified it.

- Only observations of wild, live birds are valid.

- Further, if there is reason to doubt that a bird is occurring spontaneously in the area, it will have to be accepted by a local rare bird committee or similar first.

Reports

- The preferred format of a report is:

Locality, Province/State, Country (Date)
English name Scientific name

although at least in Europe and America it is usually no problem to figure these things out anyway, and all valid reports are accepted regardless of format, as long as we are able to identify the bird in question.
...

- For dates which span more than one day, the last day will always be the one that is noted down in the list.
Click to expand...
{Dates changed above for obvious reasons.}

With much thanks to Kotatsu and EHocking for their amazing work with the forum birdwatching threads in 2008, 2009, and 2010, I would like to start a forum birdwatching thread for 2012. There was not a thread in 2011, though many appended their sightings, photos, and questions to the 2010 thread. I know that there are many JREF members who are actively interested in birdwatching and more generally in ornithology, and I would encourage any interested party to participate. I have neither the expertise nor patience to keep a master list or interactive web map for this.
 
My own observations thus far have been limited, but -

Macedonia, OH, US - 3/14/2012
American crow - Corvus brchyrhynchos
American goldfinch – Carduelis tristis
Black capped chickadee – Poecile atricapilla
Blue jay – Cyanocitta cristata
Canada goose - Branta canadensis
Common grackle - Quiscalus quiscula
Dark-eyed junco – Junco hyemalis
Downy woodpecker – Picoides pubescens
House finch – Carpodacus mexicanus
House sparrow - Passer domesticus
Mallard – Anas platyrhynchos
Mourning dove – Zenaida macroura
Northern cardinal – Cardinalis cardinalis
Northern flicker – Colaptes auratus
Red tailed hawk - Buteo jamaicensis
Red-winged blackbird - Agelaius phoeniceus
Sharp-shinned hawk - Accipiter striatus
Tufted titmouse – Baelophus bicolor
Turkey vulture - Cathartes aura
White-breasted nuthatch – Sitta carolinensis

I'm hoping to be able to get out a few times in the coming weeks and catch some of the migration as it comes through. The weather was so strange here it's hard telling what's going on out there...

And my real motivation for starting this thread (aside from wanting to drool all over dasmiller's photos, of course), I have a bird that I'm looking for help IDing.

I saw a bird at my feeder today, and had it been alone, I would have thought it was a larger than average, oddly colored female house finch, however, there were two of these birds and they stayed together as a pair in my yard for 20 minutes or more, not associating with the house sparrows and house finches that were present. They were only close for a short period of time and I wasn't able to get a picture, unfortunately. Physically, the birds were built like stocky finches, about 6" tall. Their backs were dark grey without any streaking and their breasts and sides were a paler grey, also uniform. They had charcoal bills and a very pale spectacle line. The only non grey part of the birds were a single white stripe near the edge of their wings. As I said, my initial reaction to their size and shape was "house finch!" but the coloring was all wrong, especially with normal specimens right next to them for comparison. Any suggestions?
 
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jasonpatterson said:
I saw a bird at my feeder today, and had it been alone, I would have thought it was a larger than average, oddly colored female house finch, however, there were two of these birds and they stayed together as a pair in my yard for 20 minutes or more, not associating with the house sparrows and house finches that were present. They were only close for a short period of time and I wasn't able to get a picture, unfortunately. Physically, the birds were built like stocky finches, about 6" tall. Their backs were dark grey without any streaking and their breasts and sides were a paler grey, also uniform. They had charcoal bills and a very pale spectacle line. The only non grey part of the birds were a single white stripe near the edge of their wings. As I said, my initial reaction to their size and shape was "house finch!" but the coloring was all wrong, especially with normal specimens right next to them for comparison. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...



Bohemian Waxwings, in indifferent light? They are seasonal irregulars.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Waxwing
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bohemian_Waxwing/id
 
jasonpatterson said:
I saw a bird at my feeder today, and had it been alone, I would have thought it was a larger than average, oddly colored female house finch, however, there were two of these birds and they stayed together as a pair in my yard for 20 minutes or more, not associating with the house sparrows and house finches that were present. They were only close for a short period of time and I wasn't able to get a picture, unfortunately. Physically, the birds were built like stocky finches, about 6" tall. Their backs were dark grey without any streaking and their breasts and sides were a paler grey, also uniform. They had charcoal bills and a very pale spectacle line. The only non grey part of the birds were a single white stripe near the edge of their wings. As I said, my initial reaction to their size and shape was "house finch!" but the coloring was all wrong, especially with normal specimens right next to them for comparison. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...


Other than the white stripe near the edge of the wing I'd guess it could have been a couple of female Brown-Headed Cowbirds.

ETA: The Northern Mockingbird would have a bill much more slender than that of a finch, but they're gray on gray with a white stripe near the wing edge.
 
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By the way, if we have any southerners (Cape May - Florida) and you see the Orioles coming back, let me know! I want to get my oranges and hummingbird/oriole food out
 
Haven't done any real birdwatching so far this year, but did stumble across a Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo while walking the dog last Sunday.

Thanks for opening a new Forum Birdwatching thread.
 
GeeMack said:
Other than the white stripe near the edge of the wing I'd guess it could have been a couple of female Brown-Headed Cowbirds.

ETA: The Northern Mockingbird would have a bill much more slender than that of a finch, but they're gray on gray with a white stripe near the wing edge.
Click to expand...

I considered female cowbirds as well. The size was about right, but the coloration was off. I realize that color is often a great way to get mixed up about a bird ID though. They were certainly some sort of bird, after all, but Sibley certainly doesn't have anything that looks like them.

I would have loved for them to be Bohemian waxwings, but alas, they were not. :) Hopefully they'll return and I'll be able to get a picture or two. I'm sure it's going to turn out to be something utterly mundane, but it was odd enough to get me perked up this morning.
 
JJ looks out the window in real time in Redmond, Wa -

Crow (times 'n') (front yard)

Looks up into the tree, yep, it's there:

Pair of Great Horned Owls (back yard)

Yesterday, Sammammish Slough, in tree: Bald Eagles (the fish don't stand a chance!)

Yesterday, Sammammish Slough, next to water: Canada Geese
Ditto, in water: Bunch of Mallards.

Just for a few observations, but nothing here that is even remotely out of the ordinary, except for the Owls who nest about 1 in 3 years in a cedar snag in my back yard. I like them, they keep down the annoyance population really well. Just don't look too hard at the ground below their nest.

There's one I would love to add but I have no, repeat NO idea what it was. Huge raptor-style bird, hawk-style wing ends, but way, way too big to be a red-tail, more eagle-sized. Long, pointy wings. Dunno. Dark against the sky, lots of help that is, eh?
 
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Oh and seen this year in front yard, but dunno what date: Raven They tend to come around once in a while, and they don't much like the owl, much more so than the crows, even, but they tend to be singular, whereas crows ...
 
jj said:
There's one I would love to add but I have no, repeat NO idea what it was. Huge raptor-style bird, hawk-style wing ends, but way, way too big to be a red-tail, more eagle-sized. Long, pointy wings. Dunno. Dark against the sky, lots of help that is, eh?
Click to expand...


Juvenile Bald Eagle? Turkey Vulture?
 
Kestrel said:
Haven't done any real birdwatching so far this year, but did stumble across a Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo while walking the dog last Sunday.

Thanks for opening a new Forum Birdwatching thread.
Click to expand...
Ditto for me jasonpatterson.

I hope to find some time this year to get back on track and had even considered asking the mods to merge previous threads and just have one "Forum Birdwatching" thread.

Anyway, here's the only "list" I've put together this year.

St Lucia
26/11 Rodney Bay

Red-footed Booby
Magnificent Frigatebird
Snowy Egret
Cattle Egret
Little Blue Heron
Broad-winged Hawk(red-tailed?)
Royal Tern
Zenaida Dove
Eared Dove
Ruddy Quail-dove
Purple-throated Carib
Gray Kingbird
Caribbean Martin
Tropical Mockingbird
Bananaquit (Grenadian all black)
Lesser Antillean Bullfinch
Carib Grackle
Black-faced Grassquit

27/11
Scaly-breasted Thrasher
Bananaquit (St Lucian)
Osprey

28/11
Antilles Crested Hummingbird
Sharp-shinned Hawk

29/11
Caribbean Martin
Red-legged Thrush
 
I just saw one of west suburban Chicago's apparently resident Bald Eagles. The trees seem to be full of warblers, but I'm not up to identifying them by call alone.
 
EHocking said:
I hope to find some time this year to get back on track and had even considered asking the mods to merge previous threads and just have one "Forum Birdwatching" thread.
Click to expand...

This sounds like a great idea to me. I just started this because I know how much I enjoyed it and figured that a new thread would help get people back in the mood. If it doesn't happen, I'm happy to make a master list of sightings and break them down by region/nation, I just don't know enough about birding outside of my region to know when someone posts something ridiculous, and I certainly don't know how to get the cool interactive maps and such going.
 
I'm very glad to see you have continued this jasonpatterson.

Here is my list so far.

Sherwood, OR, USA, January 8, 2012
American Robin, Turdus migratorius
Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
Cackling Goose, Branta hutchinsii
Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata
American Widgeon, Anas Americana
American Coot, Fulica americana
Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
American Kestrel, Falco sparverius
Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis

Netarts Bay, OR, USA, January 28, 2012
Scaup Lesser, Aythya affinis
Scaup Greater, Aythya marila
Surf Scoter, Melanitta perspicillata
Bufflehead, Bucphala albeola
Eurasion Wigeon, Anas penelope
Common Goldeneye, Bucephala clangula
Ring-necked Duck, Aythya collaris
Ruddy Duck, Oxyura jamaicensis
Horned Grebe, Podiceps auritus
California Gull, Larus californicus
Glaucous Gull, Larus hyperboreus
Herring Gull, Larus argentatus
Double-crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus
Pelagic Cormmorant, Phalacrocorax pelagicus
Common Loon, Gavia immer
Red Breasted Merganzer, Mergus serrator
Sanderling, Calidris alba
Great Egret, Ardea alba
Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
Yellow-rumped Warbler, Dendroica coronata
Northern-Harrier, Circus cyaneus
Belted Kingfisher, Megaceryle alcyon
European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
American Crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos
Western Scrub-Jay, Aphelocoma californica
Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
Black-capped Chickadee, Poecile atricapillus
Black Scoter, Melanitta nigra
Pied-billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
Bald Eagle (Golden Eagle?), Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Spotted Towhee, Pipilo maculatus
Red-winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus

Lyle, WA, USA, February 4, 2012
Barrows Goldeneye, Bucelphala islandica
Rough-Legged Hawk, Buteo lagopus
Bald Eagle,Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Tundra Swan, Cygnus columbianus
Horned Lark?, Eremoohila alpestris
California Quail?, Callipepia californica
Common Merganzer, Mergus merganser

Sauvies Island, OR, USA, March 4, 2012
Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia
Golden Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla

Ridgefield, WA, USA, March 11, 2012
Hooded Merganzer, Lophodytes cucullatus
Northern Pintail, Anas acuta
Bewick's Wren, Thryomanes bewickii
Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris
Wood Duck, Aix sponsa
Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Regulus calendula
Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus
Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
America Goldfinch, Spinus tristis
Cinnamon Teal, Anas cyanoptera
Stellars Jay, Cyanocitta stelleri

Eugene, OR, USA, March 23, 2012
Anna's Hummingbird, Calypte anna
Golden-crowned Kinglet, Regulus satrapa
Peregrine Falcon, Falco perefrinus
Turkey Vulture, Carthartes aura
 
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jasonpatterson said:
I have neither the expertise nor patience to keep a master list or interactive web map for this.
Click to expand...

No, I know from experience that this is very time consuming, and sort of drains you of the will to continue...

Anyways, I believe I'm at about 100 species this year (all in Sweden), but have no complete list. The nicest records are:
- Great Northern Loon Gavia immer, two individuals flying past
- Purple Sadpiper Calidris maritima
- Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis
- Twite Carduelis flavirostris
- Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchos
- Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis
- Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta
- Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
- White-tailed Sea-Eagle Haliaeëtos albicilla
- Pin-tailed Duck Anas acuta
- Grey Partridge Perdix perdix
- Common Scoter Melanitta nigra
- Velvet Scoter Melanitta fusca
- Smew Mergellus albellus
- Common Crane Grus grus
- Shelduck Tadorna tadorna
- Shag Phalacrocorax aristotelis
- Kittywake Rissa tridactyla
- Long-eared Owl Asio otus
- Dipper Cinclus cinclus
- Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor
- Bohemian Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus
- Curlew Numenius arquata
- Dunlin Calidris alpina
- Wigeon Anas penelope

So a pretty ordinary Swedish winter... I was out looking for a Green-winged Teal Anas carolinensis yesterday, but it was lost among a hundred common Teals Anas crecca and we never found it. I've been busy finishing my thesis, however, so I haven't had time to do much birdwatching. The whole weekend is dedicated to it, though.

HOWEVER, I had one of my most rewarding bird years last year, going both to Turkey and Tanzania just to watch birds (technically, the Tanzania trip was a Ph.D. course, but it was mainly safari...). Tanzania trip resulted in about 260 species, I think, in three weeks, and Turkey in about 70 species in nine days, including gems such as:
- Damlatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus
- Red-fronted Serin Serinus pusillus
- Krüper's Nuthatch Sitta krueperi
- White pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
- Hoopoe Upupa epops
- Bee-eater Merops apivorus
- Booted Eagle Aquila pennata
- Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus
- Pallid Swift Apus pallidus
- Crag martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris
- Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria
- Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides
And lots of other stuff. If you're planning to go to Western Turkey (Istanbul and Bursa area), send me a message and I can give you some tips for great birdwatching localities.

(Incidentally, and only marginally relevant, I have also started describing six new species of head lice from Australasian Honey-eaters, and as soon as I've got time to put them on slides, I'll start working on about a dozen new species of lice from a variety of Japanese and Korean birds)
 
I have a question hopefully one of you knowledgable birders might be able to answer.

The other day I was walking with my partner along a trail in the hills behind our house. Close by is a little creek and a pond. About 20 metres from the pond, on the trail, lay a Mallard duck. The way it was positioned, it looked dead. No movement whatsoever. It was on its stomach, its neck and head lying on the ground straight in front of it, if you get my meaning.
I approached it with the intention of taking it off the path, then, when I was about a metre from it, it suddenly flew away, much to both of our surprise.

My question is - is this normal behaviour? I thought perhaps it was in shock from flying into a tree or something? Or was some instinct reaction to spotting a predator? (hawks and buzzards in the area)

The duck seems fine, its taken up residence in the pond with a female. (assumming its the same duck of course)
 
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