Feeding Wild Birds

[R2elk]

I downloaded Merlin and Merlin says it's a black headed grosbeak.

Merlin can identify birds from their songs.

 

[ValerieJ]

Merlin can identify birds from their songs.

Well, there weren't any osprey nor blue herons in the area. IDK. Could just be a bad picture and it went by the water. Apparently they were right about the black headed grosbeak. It certainly would be nice to take a photo and have a program identify it.

 

[ValerieJ]

We are sitting on the deck later in the evening listening to all the birds, and I thought about you mentioning that Merlin can identify songs, @R2elk , so I went to the app.

Well, the first bird identified was the Song Sparrow, so that solves that mystery. The video they show on Merlin of the Song Sparrow looks very much like what we have seen here. I say this knowing that they are always a little further than these old eyes can see. But, I'm pretty confident of that one.

Most of the calls and songs Merlin identified were Black Headed Grosbeaks. Judging by this and the amount of them visiting the new feeders now, I'd say we have a lot of those. I can hear them from all sides. And they are beginning to chase anyone else away.

But I am, and Merlin is, also hearing the sparrows from a few places.

This is so much fun!!!

I'm getting so much great information from you all! Thanks a million !

Oh, and by the way, I don't think Merlin misidentified a sound earlier. That was just a photo. So I don't know why Merlin thought it was an Osprey or Blue Heron, unless it was the water in view. We do have those, but we haven't seen them yet this year.

I watched a couple of Osprey in their nest directly across from me on the river several years ago. They raised two young. I got very familiar with identifying the adults from the youth as they grew, based on eye color. I had to buy a telescope to do this, and see them upside down. That was the most fascinating spring and summer ever. Unfortunately, the bald eagles were not willing to share their fishing territory with Osprey and they have never nested there again. The way of the wild.

 

[R2elk]

Oh, and by the way, I don't think Merlin misidentified a sound earlier. That was just a photo. So I don't know why Merlin thought it was an Osprey or Blue Heron, unless it was the water in view. We do have those, but we haven't seen them yet this year.

If the image of the bird is small enough that it does not fill the square in the app, it can misidentify.

 

[sourland]

Time to open my eyes and get looking. A club member mowing paths says he saw a turkey hen with 8 or 9 poults around 2 to 3 weeks old and that one was yellow/white.

 

[ValerieJ]

Three goose families are in our neck of the river. They are so quiet when they have young and so noisy when they don't.

 

[ValerieJ]

Two of the famies. The third swam into the slough.

ETA: The 3rd family came back out but they are all swimming too close to the bank now to get a good photo.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Two of the famies. The third swam into the slough. View attachment 4143972

Awwwwwwww

 

[ValerieJ]

We've been having fun seeing what Merlin can hear singing. So far the dark eyed junco, Western Tanager, black headed grosbeak (of course), band tailed pigeon, mourning dove, chestnut back chickadee ( this is the one we see occasionally), Steller jay, bald eagle, ( watching him fish), a raven, a crow, belted Kingfisher, violet green swallow, (both of which may be flying and swooping over the river but too far to identify by sight), red breasted nuthatch, song sparrow, and some others. so many birds on this river and in the surrounding forest. Wish they would come close enough to see them.

At one point Merlin said he detected a spotted towhee and to look in nearby leaves for it. If it is close by it is on the river bank and we wouldn't be able to see it there. DH looked at the photo and said he has definitely seen them in the forest.

Anyway, I had no idea we had so many birds here. I never see them, but as their calls came up i could recognize hearing that sound before.

I'll probably drive you all crazy with this new toy. I'm obviously not feeding all these birds.

 

[Molpet]

Merlin didn't recognize my domestic turkeys, not even as a bird. I thought they would sound the same as wild.