Any fellow birdwatchers out there?

[Alexandra33]

Within the last few years, I've become absolutely, hopelessly addicted to wild birds. Has anybody else expanded their horizons from poultry to all types of avian life? If so, I'd LOVE to chat about interesting finds and observations. Feel free to share pictures, too!

~Alex

 

[Willowspirit]

We are new to Oregon and it's very exciting to see new birds. My most exciting resident is an American Kestrel!

 

[Ribh]

Within the last few years, I've become absolutely, hopelessly addicted to wild birds. Has anybody else expanded their horizons from poultry to all types of avian life? If so, I'd LOVE to chat about interesting finds and observations. Feel free to share pictures, too!

~Alex

I've done it for years but I'm in Australia so probably not something you're too interested in.

 

[Alexandra33]

We are new to Oregon and it's very exciting to see new birds. My most exciting resident is an American Kestrel!

Lucky you! Kestrels are easily one of the most stunning little raptors to grace this earth. Male or female?

I've done it for years but I'm in Australia so probably not something you're too interested in.

You'd better believe I'm interested! My interest expands internationally, as well. In fact, I know next to nothing about Australian birds (besides zebra finches, which happen to make lovely pets ).

~Alex

 

[Ribh]

Lucky you! Kestrels are easily one of the most stunning little raptors to grace this earth. Male or female?

You'd better believe I'm interested! My interest expands internationally, as well. In fact, I know next to nothing about Australian birds (besides zebra finches, which happen to make lovely pets ).

~Alex

Finches are wild here. The double barred are the ones I usually see but there are others @ times. I have 1/2 a dozen bird baths around the yard & we get all sorts of things.
Common: honeyeaters, kookaburras, rosellas, cockatoos, fantails, drongos, butcher birds, curlews, brahminy kites, whistling kites, sea~eagles.

Migratory: bee~eaters, rollers, shearwaters, egret, black swans, cat birds, fig birds, doves & pigeons of various sorts.

Rarer: koel, rail, quail, whistlers, flycatchers, robins [yellow, rose & red], pittas.
This is a pitta one of my boys [cat] brought me.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Within the last few years, I've become absolutely, hopelessly addicted to wild birds. Has anybody else expanded their horizons from poultry to all types of avian life? If so, I'd LOVE to chat about interesting finds and observations. Feel free to share pictures, too!

~Alex

I love bird watching. It’s actually part of my job haha! We actually have the migration of Sand Hill Cranes that fly through here during the early spring. I’m always on the look out for owls too!

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Here is a list of our wild birds if you’re interested:
https://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/files/fw-Birds_Of_Indiana.pdf

I’m still looking for the elusive wood duck!

 

[Willowspirit]

The kestrel .i've seen is male. We also have hordes of robins! When i lived in so CA i only ever saw one. We have the usual lbjs (little brown jobs), crows and some kind of large hawk i couldn't see well enough to i.d. We also have the nutria of the skies: European Collared Doves that have outcompeted native doves almost entirely--gone in less than five years!. Also a mockingbird and a scrub jay.

Aren't budgies native to Australia?

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

If you’re really into bird watching I suggest getting the Peterson’s Field Guid to birds of North America.

 

[Kessel23]

Idk if I would call myself a "bird watcher" because I do not know if that means I need to go around with binoculars, recording the species and stuff
But yeah I like to watch wild birds. I spend a lot of my freetime doing it. Right now I have my trail cameras set up on the pond to catch migrating birds.
(Canadian geese are the main ones in the area right now)

Other than spy on them with cameras, I like to watch the large birds during the migration seasons. Right now I have been watching a lot of large flocks of Sandhill Cranes passing through and forming large circles. I have also been watching the wood ducks and mallards return to the breeding grounds. I am watching Turkey Vultures come back too right now.
The geese stay in this part of Wisconsin on the big rivers year round but I have been watching them spread out over the breeding grounds along with the Sandhill cranes, wood ducks, and mallards.

Last spring I saw my first Trumpeter swan passing over. I saw 2 large flocks passing through that fall. I was really, really excited to see 2 flocks of whooping cranes fly over that fall as well. My dad told me that when he was a kid he would only see small flocks of sandhill cranes pass over during the spring and fall. (now they are all over the place) Hopefully I can say the same about whooping cranes to my kids way off in the future

I have been watching Bald eagles fly over, that's always a nice surprise. My county is one of two in Wisconsin that does not have a nesting pair of Bald eagles yet.

For small birds I am always waiting for the swallows and American Robins to come back. The Robins are already back. Swallows should start showing up here early-mid April if it is a regular year.

For nesting birds, we have 2 pairs of Red Tailed Hawks on the property that I keep an eye on throughout the year. There are also two colonies of Great Blue Herons on the property. One has 12 nests and the other has 6. Those guys are already coming back. I watch the Barn Swallows raise their babies in our old barn, they have not been doing well recently. The colony went from around ten nesting pairs in 2015 to one in 2016. In 2018 there was 4, fingers crossed for this year . I also set up houses for Purple Martins and watch them during the summer. Still waiting for them to come back, should not be long.