Wild Bird Thread!

[Chicken0Boy]

Hey you guys! I haven't heard from this thread in forever ! Has anyone been taking pics, feeding,and/or watching any wild birds this winter? My yard is almost full of birds that come and go!

 

[yomama]

Just stumbled upon this thread. I love watching the wild birds in our yard too. We mostly have Robins and a variety of finches, chickadees, and Bushtits( who names some of these breeds?

) However, this past summer, I saw one of these in my yard. I couldn't believe how large it was, compared to all the other wild birds that have come to my yard. The pic doesn't do it justice in regards to it's size. It was the size of one of my bantam hens! I believe it is a Norther Flicker

Of course we have all our jays too

 

[desertdarlene]

I love wild birds! My favorite is the killdeer. You don't feed them or anything, but they do like worms and flies a lot. Some of the fishermen will leave worms behind and they love it. They're great little alarms and very alert to hawks, falcons, owls and coyotes. I also like other shorebirds, too.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I can't have bird feeders at my house because of the bears but my friends and I do a lot of birding. My room mate knows all the birds and I take pictures.

Here are a few pics from recent adventures.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

Here's a couple more I forgot!

 

[chicken boy sam]

Oh my gosh I LOVE that last picture!!!

PS my mourning dove population has grown from 2 to 12.... YAY!!!! They're my favorite bird

 

[Scoop]

I just have to jump in and tell yous a story. When I was in 8th grade we did like a half semester just studying birds. We had to identify them, know what kind of nest they built, what they ate, etc, etc. I was completely captivated. I absorbed everything like a sponge and of course I aced the test! But one bird just completely had me skeptical that it actually extisted. That was the Cedar Waxwing. I thought, "No way, I've never seen a bird like that! How can a bird actually look like that? I wonder if that's for real?" Okay. Fast forward 30 years! I took up bowhunting and was out sitting in a grassy field one day. I was being super still and all of a sudden a cedar waxwing landed like 3 feet away from me!!! I was in shock!!! I was like, OM goodness!!! They actually exist!!! They're real!!!! It stayed there for like 5 minutes and I just stared at it beauty! That was like God telling me, yes, they really are real! Don't know if I'll ever see another but that was just so cool. I'll never forget that experience!

 

[sourland]

I was the same way about indigo buntings. I was like, "Nothing could be that brilliant color." Then I saw one. WOW! Chickerdoodle13, more beautiful photographs. Well done.

 

[mom'sfolly]

Waxwing migrate through here in the early spring. They finish off all the yaupon berries, eat blossoms from trees and for a week or so fly around in big flocks. They are one of my favorites. At my Aunt's house in the PNW they had nests, and I got to see babies.

Chickerdoodle, those are some amazing pictures, I really like the one of the tern.

I don't feed the wild birds anymore. We had too many problems with vermin. Our neighborhood has periodic rat problems, and the bird seed just gave them one more food source. I was also dealing with raccoons that would empty or break the feeders almost every night. Our very small pond does attract interesting birds. We've had one painted bunting, an experience I will cherish. And we've had green herons a couple of times. Once the chickens drove the heron off, but I know it visited more than once because all the fishies went missing. It was pretty funny; seeing the lead hen go check out this stranger in her yard, with her whole gang following behind. The poor little heron didn't let them get within ten feet.

We also have Bewicks wren's, they are fun little birds with a big song and a habit of making lots of nests in inconvenient places. The boys make nests for the girls and the girls move in to the best nest. Theyb like coming into open garages and nesting in bicycle helmets, shelves and other places. We've even had babies in the garage, which is always closed at night.

 

[Chicken0Boy]

Quote:
Those are BEAUTIFUL!