Occasional Birdy Thread

Picture ^ | Mar 5, 2016 | Me and you

[Islander7]

Here are few pictures from my walk along Lake Jackson today. Hope you enjoy.

Sand hill crane on her nest.

Pine warbler (I think)

Purple grackle

Cat bird

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

Nice!

[Paleo Pete]

Thanks. Loads more on the Flickr page, I think some even as far back as 5 years ago with the older K-x camera...and quite a few in Louisiana before I moved back to Texas. I gu4ess I need to go through the older shots and pull up a few of the cool sunsets I got there...

[Islander7]

Nice shots!

[Paleo Pete]

Thanks, I’ve done just a little practicing...

A lot of those on my Flickr page were taken at by improvised bird feeder, where I can get really close. Combine that with using a really good camera, and I manage to get some decent shots now and then.

[Ditter]

Our squirrels are pretty big and fat but not as heavy as your cats.

[dglang]

I live in Mount Dora Florida and we frequently have from 3 to 5 sand cranes visit us in our back yard. They are not shy about it either, they come up to and walk past the house on their way to the front year,

[fidelis]

Great pics, Islander, and thanks again for this thread. Here are a few Arizona birds I've shot:

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[xander]

I use to do weekly species, goose and raptor counts just North of Portland, Oregon at the Ridgefield NWR in Washington. Two to three years of birding bootcamp with some exceptional birders. Anyway, the American Goldfinches were around nearly all year. Pretty good sized flocks in the Fall and then a decline in the Winter, but many stuck it out and were on our lists nearly every week.

During Spring we had to take a closer look at the Goldfinch flocks as we might catch a Lazuli Bunting or two hanging out with them.

[xander]

Thanks for the ping. You got some beautiful shots there. Makes me want to get my camera gear out again.

Recent sightings at my place in Oregon...
I haven’t been getting any Spring Warblers yet. Did catch a glimpse of some Tree Swallows that have returned over neighbor’s ponds this week. Was able to add a Fox Sparrow the other day to my cumulative residence bird count. Elusive bugger, was hiding in with some Golden Crowned Sparrows.

[Hot Tabasco]

do they really fly all the way from the Gulf Coast to Oregon?

I can't answer that but I do know that here in S.E. Michigan I have a whole bunch in my yard that stayed the winter.........Since they don't have any color, they're either all females or it's a natural dull plumage on the males that will change after spring arrives.......

[FamiliarFace]

I’m betting you have both males and females. I live in central Indiana, and they stay here year round. The males become very olive colored instead of bright yellow, and the females go from dull to more dull over the winter. The yellow is starting to come back on the males.

[Hot Tabasco]

The males become very olive colored instead of bright yellow

That's got to be the case.....

[Islander7]

Nice nice!

[Ditter]

When they are in Texas they are all that dull color. Unusually, when they are getting ready to leave you start to see they are getting some yellow spots on the gray green color. This year they left about a month early, we had a week of warm weather and then they were gone. They never turned yellow this year before they left.

[Ditter]

We have seen Lazuli Buntings here on the Gulf Coast but not often. There is a town named Lake Jackson down on the coast, I thought maybe you were in Texas sometimes and I was going to invite you over.

[xander]

Texas was a hub during my upbringing. Growing up I was there several times a year to visit close relatives. Sure do miss it. Look forward to hearing about what birds you are seeing there and extend the same offer if you make it out Oregon way.

[Ditter]

If I see anything other than the regulars, Cardinal, blue jays, woodpeckers, house finches, chickadees, titmouse, doves, robins and hummingbirds, I’ll let you know.