Any birders? Share your photos!

[altagirl]

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

Thanks! I mean - I have countless photos of them with wings half out of the frame and whatnot, but I've been making myself practice more and more and some of them turn out at least! With my previous camera, it was nearly hopeless to get a BIF in focus so I just wouldn't bother. Having a camera that can do it, the next trick was improving my reaction times and instinct to grab the camera and try. So I try to practice with gulls and pipits and everything that flies by to keep looking at the bird and pull the camera up to my eye and try to get it in focus, even if I don't actually take photos.

And honestly, in the process I've developed an appreciation for gulls - I especially like the juvenile/immature birds with their intricate patterns. And they definitely cooperate more than most birds with flying around certain areas and giving me lots of opportunities. There is a specific pond out in the wetlands area where we have a lot of Pied-Billed Grebes fishing and the gulls will circle around overhead hoping to dive bomb them and steal a fish (and occasionally they get one). Usually the grebes see them coming and dive away with their prize.

It is definitely a great off-season/COVID activity. I can happily be out solo or with friends, in lots of weather conditions and enjoy my time outdoors regardless.

And I'd love to see your New Zealand wildlife! It's definitely on our travel wish list someday.

 

[Winethief]

I saw this magnificent horned owl in my tree this morning...Happy New Year!

 

[bsskier]

1/28/2021 An Eastern Screech Owl overseeing our cocktail hour in my tiki bar.

 

[Christy]

I had what turned out to be a Sharp-Shinned Hawk in my little urban yard. Sure I see hawks on freeway light poles, etc but hadn't had one in my yard. So I ID it in my Birds of Seattle book and am excited to welcome a new bird to my little patch of land until I read that they spend the winter terrorizing/eating Seattle's songbirds in people's backyards, especially around feeders. And it landed next to my hummingbird feeder. (Not that that's a songbird, but maybe the hawk just saw the feeder and didn't know who it was for). Well! I won't be so excited to see him/her again.

 

[altagirl]

I had what turned out to be a Sharp-Shinned Hawk in my little urban yard. Sure I see hawks on freeway light poles, etc but hadn't had one in my yard. So I ID it in my Birds of Seattle book and am excited to welcome a new bird to my little patch of land until I read that they spend the winter terrorizing/eating Seattle's songbirds in people's backyards, especially around feeders. And it landed next to my hummingbird feeder. (Not that that's a songbird, but maybe the hawk just saw the feeder and didn't know who it was for). Well! I won't be so excited to see him/her again.

I get Cooper's Hawks (very similar) in my yard and will say I'm glad to have them. I've only ever seen them catch Eurasian Collared Doves, which are an invasive species. Well and a pigeon. Make sure you have some cover (bushes or something) for your songbirds to hide in reasonably close to the feeders (but bit so close cats can hide in there and ambush the feeders) and the overall effect will likely be minimal - But remember that raptors need to eat too! And that songbirds know how to deal with hawks with specific alarm calls and will mob them to chase them away if needed.

 

[altagirl]

Also - this is how hummingbirds are with hawks...

 

[Christy]

But remember that raptors need to eat too! And that songbirds know how to deal with hawks with specific alarm calls and will mob them to chase them away if needed.

There are plenty of rats and rabbits for them.

 

[altagirl]

Red-Tailed Hawks, Nothern Harriers and Kestrels mostly eat rodents. But Accipiters (The Coopers Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks) evolved to hunt birds. If you ever see one weaving through thick trees at high speed - honestly is amazing how they fly and find their way their the pine trees in my yard without slowing down. Their shape is designed for just that agility.

I know what you mean, though. I love my little songbirds too. But i do really appreciate the hawks and small owls that hunt them. They aren't just sitting there grabbing an easy meal off a feeder. And know that if you have starlings or things like that - the raptors will go for bigger birds whenever they can. Almost their own size, sometimes. It's a better meal for all the effort.

If you notice chickadee alarm calls, they alert when hawks are nearby but lose their minds about Nothern Pygmy Owls- which do primarily eat little songbirds. So that probably speaks to the relative dangers.

 

[newboots]

I once watched a good-sized crowd of my beloved chickadees, finches, nuthatches, juncos and the rest rally when a great gray owl decided to perch on a tree not far from our feeder. I heard unusual cries, and looked outside. They all disappeared immediately, except for a female Downy Woodpecker, who hopped from branch to branch, sounding an alarm, for (trying to guess conservatively) at least 90 seconds, probably longer. I wondered if she was trying to lure the owl or something, no idea.

The owl sat there all afternoon and all night. In the morning it dove and captured a red squirrel, and took off.

 

[altagirl]

I once watched a good-sized crowd of my beloved chickadees, finches, nuthatches, juncos and the rest rally when a great gray owl decided to perch on a tree not far from our feeder. I heard unusual cries, and looked outside. They all disappeared immediately, except for a female Downy Woodpecker, who hopped from branch to branch, sounding an alarm, for (trying to guess conservatively) at least 90 seconds, probably longer. I wondered if she was trying to lure the owl or something, no idea.

The owl sat there all afternoon and all night. In the morning it dove and captured a red squirrel, and took off.

The interpretation that I've heard is that most raptor species who hunt birds only successfully do so with the element of surprise. (Peregrine falcons may be an exception - I've seen them still catch something once they've stirred up a huge flock of birds, but I think they do best diving in on an unsuspecting flying bird from above.) If their prey announces their presence they aren't likely to catch anything. So as a prey species your options are to run away screaming, OR just harass the predator until it leaves. So often you'll see small birds dive bombing raptors to get them out of their territory - like my little hummingbird who didn't want the hawk near its territory. They are unlikely to do physical damage but also unlikely to get caught. And if the raptor can't hunt in peace - they can and do starve to death. That's why birding etiquette is to avoid disturbing owls. If they are sleeping peacefully (unnoticed) but people flush them in daytime they will then often be hounded mercilessly by songbirds and can die from exhaustion/starvation if it happens too often.

 

[altagirl]

Even Bald Eagles get chased off...

 

[altagirl]

You know breeding territories are getting picked out then the male red-wings are suddenly chasing Harriers away.

 

[altagirl]

Anyway... not that it isn't sad. Just saying that cute little songbirds aren't as helpless as you'd think. And I guess I get caught up really respecting / appreciating how complex and fascinating it all is.

 

[newboots]

I still wonder about that little downy - she wasn't harassing the owl - it was further up and a bit of distance away. She was hanging around the woodpeckers' usual tree (they like to hang around before making a trip to the feeder) and hopping all over it, making her unusual noise. This was in cold winter, not spring (not nesting). I thought she was warning the others, but they were all in hiding already.

 

[altagirl]

I still wonder about that little downy - she wasn't harassing the owl - it was further up and a bit of distance away. She was hanging around the woodpeckers' usual tree (they like to hang around before making a trip to the feeder) and hopping all over it, making her unusual noise. This was in cold winter, not spring (not nesting). I'm curious.

I'd still guess announcing the danger to other birds to keep the neighborhood safe, so to speak. And in a sense, also telling the owl that it's not going to sneak up on it because it already knows it's there.

I'm somewhat familiar with chickadee alarm calls, which are reportedly as specific as differentiating between perched raptors vs. flying ones and hawks vs. small owls. Humans and such only rate a very weak alarm, LOL. Anyway, many species have their own weird alarm calls.

 

[liquidfeet]

I am not a birder. But I stumbled upon this video of the Lyre bird singing. David Attenborough narrates. This bird is unbelievable.
The amazing Lyre Bird sings like a chainsaw!

 

[Divegirl]

Saw this one this morning around 730. Just sitting in the tree fussing with his or hers feathers. I believe it is a juvenile red-tail hawk as I walked right up to it and it never moved. No other birds were harassing it and there were finches in the tree and seagulls on the roofs. Also the feathers were rather downy looking and the coloring looked washed out. I know we have a large female in the area and she did have at least 2 youngsters last year. I don't believe it was a sharp shinned or Coopers hawk.
And again - the sideways photo - sigh.

 

[altagirl]

Nice! The "belly band" of darker feathers is a standard feature of Red-tails. They come in so many color variations but that's one thing you can pick out on all but the darkest morph varieties. And the large majority of their diet is rodents and such (they don't really have the agility to catch small birds in flight that an accipiter does.) So they're probably not as alarming to other birds.

 

[Christy]

I'd just started getting into birds when the pandemic hit. Seattle Audubon stopped their walks and classes, and they are just now getting up to speed again. I just signed up for a field trip to go birding at Mt. St. Helens. I'm excited about this. I have been interested in how birds live and adapt in the city but hadn't thought about how they've adapted to different habitats created by a volcanic eruption.

 

[shadoj]

With all the avian flu warnings, is anyone seeing problems with your usual yard visitors? I don't have feeders (just lots of bird-friendly plants), so haven't really changed anything about my garden. So many finches and a boldly-colored pair of cardinals -- actually seeing quite a few different species now.

Sometimes they just decide to visit you in the office. Black-capped chickadee at my work today:


It was confused and kept trying to get out this window, flying up and down right against the glass. Door is a lttle warped and doesn't open well, so I let it land in my cupped hands, did a 180 to point it at the other open door, and it flew right out. They're just so tiny and light!