Backyard Birds - 2014
I thought I would start a new thread for 2014.
Thanks Nosila for keeping it going for 2013. There certainly was a lot of beautiful pictures of birds.
Here is a picture of a bluebird taken yesterday when it was snowing.He has been around for a few days. We figure he is one of the regular summer ones because when we whistle he comes for worms.
In the middle of the fiercest part of Thursday's storm I had a robin on a branch outside my window. Weird!
This is definitely the long hard winter, one way we enjoy it is sitting in our living room looking out at our bird feeders, we have a suet feeder and bird feeder. It's been fun to see the birds get higher and higher up, they are now not far from being level with our window. One day I looked out all the birds were gone except for one, a large hawk sitting on my pink dogwood, glad I didn't witness the bloody dead. In the morning we get up, get the coffee and watch the birds.
this bluejay was taking a nap for a while on one of my feeders - I had to tap the glass to see his face
I have a Japanese barberry bush in my yard that still has a handful of fruit on it. Yesterday, I watched as three bluebirds would fly in to eat, one at a time. Each time one flew in, a robin would chase it a few houses down the street. Then it would fly back and chase the next bluebird. I can't imagine that any of them took in more calories than they expended. All of that effort for a few barberry fruit, which is a very poor quality food source. It sure is a tough winter out there.
That Bluejay looks like he's DONE with winter, 5catmom.
Re: expending more calories than they were taking in - sounds like you're right, Gadfly. Bet those birds would love the fruit and nut birdseed that is sold. It's expensive, but many birds go nuts for it (pardon the pun). I get many woodpeckers in when I put it out. Also, did you know that Bluejays love cat kibble? If you've got a cat, throw a handful of his kibble around your bush, and watch them stop fighting over the berries!
The wrens and the tufted titmouse eat cat food also.
They all eat the worms we put out.
Where do you buy the worms and where do you store them? I'd like to try them for
the bluebirds which never eat the black oil seeds I put out.
You can buy dried meal worms anywhere from Walmart to Lowes. I give my birds that and peanuts for an afternoon treat!
Our bluebirds are spoiled, they will not touch the dried worms. We grow our own. We bought 2000 from Jim at Hackettstown Pet Supply maybe 5 yrs. ago and started to grow our own. You can look it up, growing meal worms. It is easy, but messy and you can be allergic to them. I believe the Duncraft bird book sells live ones and dead ones too.
Bluebirds will not eat black oil sunflower seeds. They have the dried ones and some kind of suit stuff but we never had any luck with that kind. You could try the Hackettstown Pet Supply on Main St. Jim may have some live ones and canned dead ones and maybe the suit stuff too. If he doesn't have it, he may be able to order it for you. Good luck.
The biggest problem is all the other birds eat them too.
Just a few of the recent visitors to our back yard. It is a mixture of cardinals, sparrows and doves. Just out of sight were juncos.
Yesterday we had this visitor looking for a fresh meal. It is a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. There are also Coopers hawks around that look just like this, but they are a little bit larger. This one was trying to catch a Tufted Tit-Mouse that was hiding in the pine tree. The Tit-Mouse did get away!
We put out old Christmas trees to give the little birds hiding places from the hawk and as a place to get out of the wind. Then in Spring once the needles fall off we remove the tree.
For some reason the picture I tried to post did not show up in my original post. Here is the picture of the Hawk
Congrats on your new lens, 5catmom. What setup are you shooting with now? That's a really great shot of the wren.
Nikon D90 and Nikon 18-300 and since I know very little I mostly use the P setting though my photog friend is patiently trying to get the manual settings stuffed into my addled brain - editing - just a little iphoto cropping
5catmom, I love your picture of the wren. I find wrens so entertaining because I can't believe all the noise that one little bird can make.
Exit 19 was backed up at 4 PM all the way back onto Rte 80 W, so as I crept along in my car I enjoyed watching a large flock of robins on either side of the exit scavenging wherever the snow had melted.
hanging in a tree in the complex waiting for cars to leave so he could get at the deer carcass below
Found this Pileated wreaking havoc to a cherry tree the other day. I've seen him before but usually no camera in hand.
Mar '14
Can someone please help me out with ID on this one? It's from my archives... I have a guess, but there at least three people on this thread who are much better at ID'ing than I am!
Thanks so much.
Oh, I should specify time and place for my ID request... it was taken in late February in Mansfield Twp, and the bird was coming under my feeders. It was the first time I had seen this species visit the feeders.
Saw a beautiful woodpecker right by my deck today!!! I love their little red Mohawks! Of course as soon as I got a clear shot with my camera he flew away haha! Maybe next time...
Thank you, Gadfly! I was thinking that but I don't trust myself any more. You are definitely one of the people on HL who are better than I at ID'ing! They are indeed handsome little birds.
Rebecka - Classic Fox sparrow. The reddish brown on the breast rules out a lot of others like the house sparrow that would be white breasted with very different multicolored top feathers or the savannah which should have a plain head and a touch of yellow. That's got a very definite silver head to go with the reddish brown front - that's fox sparrow.
Thank you, GC, as well. You are one of the others who are much better than I at ID'ing our avian friends! I look at the guide books and just can't decide.
a slight diversion - cornell has great bird cams including on bird feeders - the one showing here is a redtail hawk nest - and poor mom is covered in ice though I've been assured she 's ok --- http://cams.allaboutbirds.org/channel/16/Red-tailed_Hawks/
Thanks 5catmom. Love looking at these cams. A few years ago right around Easter weekend we had very high winds. We went to check out a nearby GH owl nest and sure enough the nest was destroyed. We found 2 owlets on the ground. Called raptor trust And they said to bring them In. Which we did. I heard later they were re nested with foster moms.
Mar '14
The Swallows are back in force... I call this a lucky shot as those lil guys are fast!
Apr '14
What a nice surprise to see plenty of Palm Warblers at Tilcon today... the Yellow Warblers can't be far behind!
Apr '14
Very nice Gadfly. I thought this was a Wood Thrush until I saw the eyes. I'm thinking Brown Thrasher. He was playing hide and seek.
Apr '14
I'm hoping the bird experts on here can help me identify a bird that I do not have any pictures of.
I came across this beautiful bird yesterday, she was sitting on her eggs (no nest) on the ground right next to a very old tombstone.
Description: Light reddish brown, a narrow black pointy beak and two very distinct black rings above her breast. The eggs were an off white with black specks.
Hate to say it but I was going to track down this thread for the same reason - I don't have a picture but the cats went crazy yesterday morning with typical teeth chatter while watching Bird-O-Vision.
I looked out and saw a bird that was very similar coloring like a Junco, but larger, and two very distinct white stripes down the wings. Is this a different kind of Junco that isn't typical from around here? Or a completely different bird?
positive:
Sounds like a killdeer. They often just lay their eggs among stones or gravel.
The Junco pictured to your left shows what is an uncommon (but by no means rare) plumage variation in the "Slate-colored" subspecies, distinct white wing bars. Such birds are sometimes mistaken for the "White-winged" Dark-eyed Juncos (Hyemalis aikeni).
I copy and pasted the info from the website.
Is this the bird that you saw GC?
positive - Thanks. It's possible but I don't think so. The bird was bigger than that. And the stripes seemed to be further down the wing, plus it didn't seem to have as much white on the breast. But the color is definitely like that which is why I thought of junco.
positive: You're welcome! "Killdeer" is a strange name for a bird, isn't it? Once you become familiar with their rather loud call, you realize they're around quite a bit.
GC: I've got nothing. :-(
I'm thinking you're correct, Grascal, Blue-gray Gnatcathcher. Great photo of him hopping.
Kayaking good to know it's time to put the humming bird feeders out.
The heron has been back fishing at our pond:) One day we'll finally get a good picture.
We had a little male drinking from my feeder this morning - Schooley's Mtn. So happy to see him.
Now that is some pic, OP. Really wonderful. Where (what township) did you photograph him? I've not seen that species.
Grascal - can't help you with the ID, but love your mid-air capture!
I am on Schooley's Mtn. also, so I better get my feeder cleaned and make food and hang it up. They are early this year. They usually show up when the apple blossoms open. Thanks for telling us they are here. I love to watch them. I hang the feeder right in my kitchen window. I can watch them when I do dishes.
Rebecka, that was taken mid-day at Waterloo Village behind the old metal smith's house. Exact location here: 40.915936, -74.753766
Apr '14
Nice pic OP.. I haven't seen one either so another added to my list to find this spring...
Apr '14
Had quite allot of Cormorants buzzing Tilcon this past Monday...it was partially impassable due to flooding then can imagine how wet it is after all this rain.
May '14
Had a great morning birding at Garrett Mountain today. If you've never been, it's a park outside Patterson, and yes it's a drive, but it's a spectacular spot for spring migrants. Here are the highlights from this morning.
Yellow warbler
Black and white warbler
Black throated green
Black throated blue
Chestnut sided
Nashville
Redstart
Parula
Ovenbird
Palm
Yellow rumped
Common yellowthroat
Pine warbler
Warbling vireo
Blue headed vireo
Rose breasted grosbeak
It's that time of year. Get out there while you can!
Thanks, Gadfly! With warbler populations not what they used to be (so I've heard), it's nice to know you could still see so many.
I had a hummingbird show up at my back sliding door yesterday as if to ask "Where's the feeder?". I had to run into the garage and find my hummingbird, feeder, whip up a batch of sugar water, and find the Shepard's hook to hang it up, Today, the feeder is already busy. I think the hummingbirds are back earlier than usual this year!
Old mine rd today- some warblers seen but best sighting was bear cub (did not wait around to see Mom) and a large bobcat.
Green heron on deer park road was nice to see (pond on rd by house for sale).
May '14
Damn! I would have trade all of those warblers for one bobcat sighting! Still haven't seen one in Jersey.
Gadfly
Old mine rd - I have had at least 5 opportunities to see bobcat. Once it was carrying a muskrat in its mouth. Look around the old calno school and that area in general. We also saw a fisher on the River late winter in 2013. We were lucky that day.
May '14
don't mean to be ignorant but where is old mine road?? I see several on my map - be kind - I'm still relatively new to the area....
5catmom, Take Route 80 west to the Delaware Water Gap. The last exit in NJ before paying the toll to cross into PA. Get off there.. bear right. Wait patiently at the long 3 minute traffic light and proceed.. you are now on Old Mine road. It's a great drive and as "a good day" said great wildlife along the way and many great trails.The schoolhouse mentioned is on the left a few miles up the road if I recall correctly.
May '14
Thanks Grascal - planning to head out to the other side looking for eagles - this will make a nice addition
A nice spotting (No pun intended) of a Spotted Sandpiper (Breeding) up at Hyper Humus today..
May '14
I'm in need of a confirmation is this a Blackburnian warbler? Not a great shot but long way off and I took a chance.
May '14
The beak shape, and body shape, look more like a thrush/oriole to me, Grascal. Curious as to what others will think.
Grascal - I looked up Blackburnian on whatbird.com and it shows striped only on the underwing and not on the belly. It also shows the eye pattern is very distinctive with a straight line behind the eye. I don't think either of those things match. Whatbird.com gives you a set of similar birds to look up. To me the closest one is a Cape May warbler. It's got both color and striped on the belly.
http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/285/_/Cape_May_Warbler.aspx
@Grascal
It looks like a Brown Thrasher IMO. I can't quite tell if the beak is curved from the angle though. I don't think it's a thrush because the belly is streaked not spotted and the beak is too long.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/brown_thrasher/id
May '14
The white in the outer tail feathers do suggest that this is indeed a Blackburnian warbler.
Boy, that's tough. I don't think it can be a warbler. Look at that bill. Warblers have slight, tweezer like bills. This birds bill isn't a big seed cracker like a grosbeak, but it's definitely conical.
My guess is a female red-winged blackbird. The shape is right. Orangish under the throat and heavily streaked breast. It's tough to see the top of the head, but the facial pattern looks right.
Some have very little orange under the throat, but some have a lot.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-winged_blackbird/id?utm_source=Cornell+Lab+eNews&utm_campaign=fb7e4c32a2-Cornell_Lab_eNews_2013_3_07&utm_medium=email
Hmm, good educated guess, Gadfly. I think you're probably right. But the tail looks strange, doesn't it?
Yeah, but the tail is the only part of the bird in the sun, so I think the very light color is glare/over exposure.
I'm thinking that could be right on closer inspection Gadfly...It just threw me a curve because of the shadows. Thanks everyone. I'm still learning as I go..
May '14
I think Gadfly has an excellent point as well. The shadows hint at the orange color. If the orange color is really a product of the shadows and either more yellow or just not really as prominent then all bets are off. The shadow could also affect the details of the beak to some extent. In any case it's a real eye opener to see those pictures of a female red winged black bird. So very different from the male and you'd have to be a read serious bird watcher to know those.
I'm not sure about the ID but that's my best guess from the photo. I see it's in a hemlock. Was it near an open area where you mind find redwing blackbirds? You usually see them in open grassy areas, especially wet areas or near a water body.
Yes it was at Alumni field way in the back along the canals. So it does make sense and there are plenty of male red wing blackbirds there and everywhere right now. I don't recall ever having seen a female. It just caught my eye with the stripes and colors. I wish it has moved closer.
May '14
Female RWBB.... I think you hit the bird on the head, Gadfly... so to speak. I think that's what it is, too. Good call.
Woah, amazing, Grascal! (What's in your feeders?! lol) The blue of these birds is so intense... like flying sapphires. Nice capture!
Beautiful shot. It's amazing to think that there isn't a drop of blue pigment in that bird. The color is all structural - the feather surface acts like a prism and only reflects blue. That's why you might notice that indigo buntings look less blue from certain angles. A red bird, like a cardinal for example, is red due to red pigment in the feathers.
Nothing but black oil sunflower.. but I think he was just passing through. Thanks for the explanation Gadfly. I had seen some last year in the woods and the shadows made them look black so now I see why.
May '14
I had a Baltimore Oriole at my suet feeder the other day...very exciting. Put out an orange right away but haven't seen him since :(
The wood thrushes have started singing! To me, there is no more beautiful song in the natural world than the song of the wood thrush. We have at least two males who sing all evening, one in the forest off to the right of our house, the other in the forest off to the left. I will go out in the evening and just sit and listen to them.
Does anyone else have them around? Does everyone know the sound of their song? It's absolutely ethereal.
Here's a link to the sound of the Wood Thrush:
http://www.birdjam.com/birdsong.php?id=32
Iola, good one!
I'd faint if that little cub actually sprouted wings and flew off.
Saw my 1st Pileated Woodpecker this morning!! And, of course, I didn't have my
camera :>{
Rebecka, you're right about the wood thrush, it's magical. The little phrases and trills vary, one to the next.
The hermit thrush is supposed to be great also, but I've never heard one sing.
The nightingale is known as a great singer in Europe; it is a thrush also.
Now that is a sight to behold. I'm not sure I'd want to walk out and find him eating away...yikes. Rebecka thanks for the Wood Thrush info. I was at Hyper Humus last week enjoying that sound and wasn't sure what is was. It is a wonderful sound for sure.
May '14
The Bird above from Lola, I believe it is the rare Ebony Bearodactyl. A known raider of Birdfeeders.
Mr 4paws
That has to be the funniest picture I've ever seen!! Imagine what the hummingbirds are thinking when they're coming in for a drink!!
Got the pic of this guy as I was leaving yesterday. As I drove down the driveway coming home, he most bit the window when I spooked him:(
We have a couple pair of male and female Grosbeaks as of yet. Very pretty to watch. Unless Mr Woody interrupts..this was taken a week or so ago.
May '14
I know I'm not avian so maybe its speaking out of turn, but if I was I would think I'd prefer that Downey to a blue jay. If you want something to seriously spoil your day, the biggest bully I've ever seen is the blue jay.
Thanks Gadfly...and Rebecka.. I still say beginners luck. I wish I had found how relaxing spotting birds can be years ago. You guys on here have inspired me seeing so many great photos. I was confused on this lil gal at first. A female American Redstart if I'm not mistaken.
May '14
Oh, that ID would be too tricky for me to attempt, Grascal. I'll leave that one to the other talented birders on here.
Do you also try to take into account the songs of the birds to ID them? About 5 years ago, I went a little nuts with learning all about (and memorizing) the calls of birds. It is truly a fascinating subject, and I now know what birds are around without even lifting up my head to look at them. I have some books on the subject if you're interested.
Yep, American Redstart. Btw, I was jealous of that Blackpoll you saw. Haven't seen one this year.
Rebecka, I am tuning in more to that. I have a few down by song and call but a ways to go. I use "Allaboutbirds.com" when I need a specific..it is a challenge but a fun one. Also thanks Gadfly... as for the Blackpoll he was at the entrance just in from the gate at Hyper Humus and I thought it was a Chickadee till I saw the leg color. I knew it was something different.
May '14
If you are interested in learning your calls and songs, I highly recommend "Birding By Ear" 1 and 2. They used to come on cassette or CD, but I'm sure you can download it by now. Great instructional tool!
The aftercare program at Willow Grove is wonderful! I was able to join my daughter on friday for this presentation......the Delaware Valley Raptor Center - they are a private, non-profit, federally licensed rehabilitation center for orphaned, ill, and injured raptors. They strive to return these wild birds to their natural habitats, and to inform the public about conserving all wildlife. To learn more about their amazing work, visit their website: http://www.dvrconline.org/
With all these injured raptors being rehabilitated and returned to the wild, someone is going to have to do the same for injured rabbits and mice, to make sure the raptors have enough to eat! :)
This guy showed up in my backyard this afternoon. Correct me if I'm wrong but a Great Crested Flycatcher.
Jun '14
Not a bird. I didn't know where else to post it. What an awesome creature. Found him on the ground under a tree. Still breathing, but doesn't look good for the little guy. I have never seen a moth this big. Very cool up close. Hairy little creatures.
The second picture is fuzzy just like the moth ;-) but it definitely shows the "eyes" on the tail wings. Look up "polyphemus". It's normal if it doesn't last long. It spends almost all its life as a caterpillar. Then as an adult it literally can't eat and dies in a couple of days.
Swimming With Vultures
This juvenile vulture decided to come over and have a drink from the pool today. he stayed about 5 minutes while periodically leaning into the pool for a drink.
I think there are less vultures this year... Maybe the power company is making an effort to curb them. From what I've seen, the transmission towers above Mansfield Village have been relatively vacant.
This Loon was a photographic challenge. I spent about 20 minutes trying to follow her. Of those 20 minutes she was above water for only 30 seconds.
Jun '14
OP, the balck vultures just showed up in numbers this week. I was wondering where they were. The metal tower inside the hatchery by Home Depot was loaded tonight at least 100 and the number has been growing each night.
I noticed there were allot of vultures along Old Mine road yesterday. I caught this guy cruising below them all. Always a sweet sight to see.
Nice shot of the loon OP...
Jun '14
What an enjoyable sight. Kudos to all the posters ~ thank you for restarting my interest in birding. Rebecka, I have been wanting to find a way to identify the songs to the birds ~ saw your post which will help me learn. Keep up the sightings
Vultures
The helicopter scanning for vegetation growth rate has definitely -- but inadvertently -- scattered the group.
Not my fave bird, but live and let live works ... most of the time.
Did not appreciate the one, probably juvenile considering the curiosity, perched on my balcony yesterday morning. Not unusual as they explore but THIS one was facing my sliding door which was open and it was staring at my cat!
It shooed away when I waved it off, I realize they don't eat living things, BUT it was just creepy!!!! (awake now thank you)
Don't be so sure. Black vultures have been know to be predatory., though they'd never take a healthy adult cat.
Gadfly,
~thank you~ If a cat was just sitting still, the young vulture was likely just waiting to see if it was breakfastable! The rest of his buddies were snacking at the dumpsters, might have crowded mine out.
Ok fellow birders. I'm confused.. this landed in my backyard. Could this be a young Robin or Woodthrush perhaps? I couldn't get a top side photo...
Jul '14
Grascal - how do you tell its a Robin rather than a young Northern Flicker? Is it the beak shape?
GC - lots of wild turkeys around here. I think we have Thanksgiving dinner covered.
RAD - I've got chipmunks out the wazoo to the point I'm running out of the usual Simon & Theodore names, a ground hog, the occasional skunk under the shed, rabbits everywhere, Bambi in the middle of the street at 10PM, and even the bear that jumped my fence just to make sure it was my yard he jogged through. But not a single turkey. If you wouldn't mind, paint a bullseye on one with "GC" in the middle for me. Shoprite has raised their level too high for the free one these days. ;-)
Thanks Gadfly.. I thought the spotted underside had a Thrush look...I honestly was just guessing but the eyes and beak had me confused ...
Jul '14
I love this thread! Grascal, I saw a couple of birds like this in my yard a few weeks ago and could not identify them. Mystery solved.
Yesterday we had a baby hummingbird in our garage! It took a while but we finally got him pointed in the right direction so he could fly out.
OK....I'm not the best photographer, but you get the picture. Saw this crane hanging in our back yard by the river. It is a BIG BIRD!
I had a flock of these what i think are Female Baltimore Orioles in the yard. (Correct me if wrong) They were trying like the devil to get to my Blueberries...
Jul '14
I have a bunch of these birds too in my yard. They are hanging with the robins. I have never seen them before.
Hummingbirds just all over the place around all of the bee balm. First time in a long time I've seen 3 at the same time.
Great photo GC! I don't seem to have many hummingbirds this year. I'm truly missing my huge butterfly bushes. Here's a photo of my potted hibiscus on my front deck. The blooms are so big.
FYI Donaldson's Farm is hosting a bird walk this weekend!
This is off of their website:
"Saturday, July 26 2014, 8:00am - 9:00am
It's for the birds! Join us for 'Birds of the Farm - A NJ Audubon Guided Bird Watch & Walk'. Saturday, July 26th, 2014 (rain-date 7/27). Explore the healthy bird habitats that thrive in a flourishing agricultural environment. Discover our communities gorgeous feathered friends that make our family owned and operated farm their home! Lindsay Gafford, NJ Adubon Stewardship Specialist will host two bird watch walks that meet at Donaldson's Greenhouse & Nursery. The 8:00 am 'EARLY BIRDS' walk is for serious bird spotters looking to learn serious spotting skills. Program is FREE and registration is limited. Email joan@donaldsonfarms to reserve your spot. Enjoy!
Location : Walk Starts At Greenhouse & Nursery
Contact : Joan Molloy joan@donaldsonfarms.net
Must Be Registered To Attend"
Jul '14
Had a first over my house at dusk.. sorry for the lousy photos but they move fast and it was almost dark. Two Common nighthawks hunting.. if you look close he spotted a bug and is making a sharp turn to snag it...they were impressive to watch.
Aug '14
Great photo and back story Grascal. It's a first for me, too. First time I ever heard of this bird.
Ok fellow bird watchers. I believe this to be a Blue headed Vireo. Would others agree? it just seems to have allot of yellow on it's belly which is confusing me. Nice movement up by Crater lake today...
Sep '14
Wow! Nice catch, Grascal. Lovely photo of a bird I've not seen. I'll leave the confirm on the ID to others who are better at it. Where are our ID experts?... paging bird ID guys....
you may want to use this site for identification help (or giggles) The facebook bird misidentification page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1412358078980903/
Awesome birds OP.. it is funny you mentioned the squawking. I had a similar experience today. I walked out of the house and heard this guy (Coopers hawk) in the tree... luckily he gave me time to run and grab the camera.
Oct '14
Yesterday around 5:30 pm mature bald eagle flying low circling over pens at Rockport pheasant farm. Nice.
Oct '14
We stopped by the Raptor Trust this week and while there asked about the two baby great horned owls we brought there a few years ago. Their nest had been destroyed by high winds and they were on the ground with no parents in sight. They let us know both babies had been successfully re nested in the area. We are thankful for the RT people taking care of them. They are a good org to donate to if you are so inclined. Happy thanksgiving.
Nov '14
Northern Harrier. The owl like facial disc is the best feature to look for when they're not in flight. Nice shot!
My yard was filled with 4 cardinals yesterday. I put some bread out and they came running. My camera died and by the time I got my tablet they were gone. It was a beautiful site against the white trees.
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