Any birders? Share your photos!

[Scribble]

Ugh, this is the time of year I hate.. the last days of hummingbird season in MA. I still had a female yesterday at my feeder, but I haven't seen any today. Thinking that might have been it, it makes me so sad.. Hoping I might still get some stragglers coming down so I'll definitely leave my feeders up for a couple more weeks just in case.

I'm already missing them! I had to take the feeders down last month when yellow jackets started swarming the poor birds. For some reason, wasps are particularly angry and aggressive here this year - me and the dogs have been stung just walking around the garden.
The magpies have been fun to watch lately. They're quite fond of the kiddie pool we set out for the dogs. They peck at the garden when they visit, but I don't mind.

 

[altagirl]

Some fall pics...

 

[altagirl]

Transitioning from fall to winter! I hiked around in the snow up at Alta yesterday.

 

[Scribble]

Transitioning from fall to winter! I hiked around in the snow yp at Alta yesterday.

You are a wonderful photographer!

 

[altagirl]

You are a wonderful photographer!

Oh thanks! I really enjoy getting out and watching wildlife so it's a natural extension of that. I've been learning to be more patient and just enjoy the outdoors. Its definitely good for my well-being!

 

[Christy]

Oh, that goldfinch photo...so good.

Stellar jays crack me up. We get them in the yard, and they are so handsome...until the open their meals! Obnoxious little guys.

 

[altagirl]

Oh, that goldfinch photo...so good.

Stellar jays crack me up. We get them in the yard, and they are so handsome...until the open their meals! Obnoxious little guys.

Clark's Nutcrackers were in the same area and between the two of them they were making so mamy crazy noises talking to each other. And none of their calls are pretty bird songs... They sound like.... antique telephone ringers.

 

[Christy]

Beaks not meals.

 

[Divegirl]

I've been going through photos from this year and came across these 2. The single bird is a juvenile red tail hawk. I was able to get quite close and it was very low to ground for a hawk. We've had a large female hanging around our condo for a couple years. This year there where 2 juveniles hanging around. The 2nd one is a feeding frenzy in late September - there are 2 species of Cormorants - Common and Greater, I think and 2 possibly 3 species of gulls - Black Back, Herring and maybe Laughing. Given the birds are in the water - Striped Bass more than likely drove a school of bait fish in shore to feed on attracting the birds. If it were Bluefish - no bird would be in the water - Bluefish would bite them and drag them under. Bluefish are vicious when in a feeding frenzy. Sorry for the poor quality - used my phone and feeding frenzy was at sunrise.

 

[altagirl]

I've been going through photos from this year and came across these 2. The single bird is a juvenile red tail hawk. I was able to get quite close and it was very low to ground for a hawk. We've had a large female hanging around our condo for a couple years. This year there where 2 juveniles hanging around. The 2nd one is a feeding frenzy in late September - there are 2 species of Cormorants - Common and Greater, I think and 2 possibly 3 species of gulls - Black Back, Herring and maybe Laughing. Given the birds are in the water - Striped Bass more than likely drove a school of bait fish in shore to feed on attracting the birds. If it were Bluefish - no bird would be in the water - Bluefish would bite them and drag them under. Bluefish are vicious when in a feeding frenzy. Sorry for the poor quality - used my phone and feeding frenzy was at sunrise.

That's so cool! I have wondered about that, with predatory fish/dangers from below. Locally, where I birdwatch anyway, the only really big fish are carp and even when they seem big enough to do so, I've never seen one go after a bird. So often I'll see birds fishing and a carp, easily 3-4x the size of the birds) will jump out of the water right next to them and they very halfheartedly move out of the way - clearly they aren't particularly concerned by them.

I'm not even exactly sure what fish we have - I should try to do some identifying. I recognize the weather loaches, and catfish and carp... sometimes the birds catch crawfish... but... most of them I'm not sure at all about.

 

[Christy]

The Anna's hummingbirds have been SO active since fall started! It's like they are trying to bulk up for winter. They love the plants (evergreen huckleberry, hardy fuchsias) that my desk faces, and I have a feeder there too; one (or more) loves to hunker down on this particular fuchsia branch. This was taken with a point and shoot through my window so it's not a great photo, just a representation of how distracting these little guys are for me!

They chase each other around/off a lot, and it made me really happy when I saw a couple sharing a feeder the other day.

 

[Divegirl]

@altagirl - I realize I didn't explain a feeding frenzy very well. Feeding frenzies are also known as "blitzes". Both Stripers and Bluefish are prized recreational saltwater species here in eastern MA. Fishermen watch for large groups of birds hovering/swooping over the surface and for the water to "boil" indicating baitfish at the surface or large schools of baitfish jumping out of the water. If the birds drop into the water to feed chances are it's stripers. They ignore the birds' feet. If the birds are just skimming the water or just dipping in and out then it's probably bluefish. Bluefish will bite anything when in a frenzy - sort of fish mob mentality - you can throw a line in w/ a tin can and a bluefish will bite it. I've seen hooked bluefish get chomped by the rest of them in the water during a frenzy. Blood in the water makes them crazier. The frenzy I saw that morning was more than likely stripers by looking at the birds behaviors - sitting in the water/landing on the water. Cormorants also wouldn't be in the water w/ bluefish as they are diving birds and can't or don't hang in the air over the water. Also in late September stripers are getting ready to head south for the winter so they were probably fattening up.

The behavior is fascinating - people, birds and fish all taking cues from each other. My snorkeling goal is to photograph a cormorant underwater - no luck yet.

 

[altagirl]

@altagirl - I realize I didn't explain a feeding frenzy very well. Feeding frenzies are also known as "blitzes". Both Stripers and Bluefish are prized recreational saltwater species here in eastern MA. Fishermen watch for large groups of birds hovering/swooping over the surface and for the water to "boil" indicating baitfish at the surface or large schools of baitfish jumping out of the water. If the birds drop into the water to feed chances are it's stripers. They ignore the birds' feet. If the birds are just skimming the water or just dipping in and out then it's probably bluefish. Bluefish will bite anything when in a frenzy - sort of fish mob mentality - you can throw a line in w/ a tin can and a bluefish will bite it. I've seen hooked bluefish get chomped by the rest of them in the water during a frenzy. Blood in the water makes them crazier. The frenzy I saw that morning was more than likely stripers by looking at the birds behaviors - sitting in the water/landing on the water. Cormorants also wouldn't be in the water w/ bluefish as they are diving birds and can't or don't hang in the air over the water. Also in late September stripers are getting ready to head south for the winter so they were probably fattening up.

The behavior is fascinating - people, birds and fish all taking cues from each other. My snorkeling goal is to photograph a cormorant underwater - no luck yet.

Very cool!

And that would be amazing - not that I get to go very often, but I love snorkeling, and seeing birds fishing underwater would be ridiculously exciting.

 

[SkiGAP]

@altagirl I real enjoy your photos...if you post one of a bird of prey with wings spread...that'd be cool (perhaps you've done...)

 

[altagirl]

@altagirl I real enjoy your photos...if you post one of a bird of prey with wings spread...that'd be cool (perhaps you've done...)

Oh - I have plenty and can definitely take requests! Haha, let me see what I can find in my library of bird photos.....

Also, it's kind of exciting that it's almost eagle season here. I've seen 2 so far this winter, but once the water ices over at Farmington they are pretty consistent. The only problem is that they spend most of their day just sitting on the ice looking bored, and prefer to just eat dead carp that they find lying around than catching anything.... so it takes some patience to see them flying around.

 

[altagirl]

The first one isn't perfect - but it was a juvenile Cooper's Hawk in my backyard. I don't have much open sky space and obviously didn't even get it in the frame, but I still love that you can see the light through all those stripey feathers. And then the other two are bald eagles, the second one not an adult yet - probably 3 years old? They go through 4 molt phases before they look like full adults. And then the last one is a Red-tailed Hawk.

 

[altagirl]

And this is a different kind of bird photo....

I was hiking up at Alta about 2 weeks ago and took some pictures of the top of Superior because it looked so pretty with the snow....

And then I got home and realized that's a Golden Eagle sitting up top. So check out the ridgelines when you're up at Alta - they hang around up there!

 

[SkiGAP]

The first one isn't perfect

They all are perfect. So cool

 

[altagirl]

A few more, including a couple of Northern Flickers, a lovely immature Ring-Billed Gull, this fox squirrel that made me laugh climbing down the tree towards me. And a gorgeous pair of Northern Harriers (the male is gray).

 

[fgor]

A few more, including a couple of Northern Flickers, a lovely immature Ring-Billed Gull, this fox squirrel that made me laugh climbing down the tree towards me. And a gorgeous pair of Northern Harriers (the male is gray). View attachment 17268View attachment 17269View attachment 17267
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Such beautiful photos! Very good framing for all the BIF shots too. I must get out with my camera this summer and see what birds I can find. Make the most of the off season and all that