Birds...what do you see today?

Self | 6/15/2024 | rlmorel

[rlmorel]

Just finished grilling some ribs, sun went down behind the trees, and I am sitting in my backyard hammock looking across my yard up here in New England.

Got my pipe, having a smoke...just perfect.

The birds are having a ball!

There are a lot of adolescent fledges, I count four downy woodpeckers, one who has the beginnings of little strings of red, but they stick out in amusing way, giving it the appearance of a kid with a bad haircut whose cowlick protrudes off the back of his head.

Anyone see anything interesting in your neck of the woods?

[rlmorel]

Love hawks, all of them. Red Tails are great! I took this picture of one standing on the road as I came around the corner. I parked and walked over to it, getting close enough to it to get this!

It did not like that I was there, but I have observed that hawks will not leave food to attack you. They are going to stay with the meal, or carry it off if they can.

Like this BIG red tail that carried this rabbit off right outside my trailer at work. I saw something big flash by my window, and immediately ran out to see. This is what I recorded:

That was the biggest Red Tail I have ever seen, and I was impressed as it flew off, with the way it casually reached down with its other talon and secured the payload. Damn. That thing was almost the size of an Eagle!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Sandhill Cranes are amazing! I took a trip to a preserve in the California Central Valley a few years ago to observe them on the Pacific Flyway. There were thousands of them resting for their migration. It was the first (and only) time I’ve seen them.

[rlmorel]

Why thank you! I am just having a grand evening here-still out in my hammock!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

“the damned Gila woodpeckers”

We get Northern Flicker woodpeckers in the spring that drum on our chimney caps. Unfortunately, it’s only a few feet down the chimney to our master bedroom on the second floor. There’s nothing like waking up to that serenade at 5 am!

[rlmorel]

Hah! Thanks for that tip, I will check it out. I was thinking of designing and printing a 3D one, but if I can find one pre-made...:)

Even better!

[telescope115]

Can I ask, what kind of binoculars are those? They look interesting.

[rlmorel]

We have loads of Turkey Vultures up here. They certainly seem to know how to get to roadkill.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Are you sure that isn’t the albino bison born in Yellowstone last week?

[Lurker]

There’s a protected breeding habitat about 5 miles away. They’re magnificent birds. Once you’ve heard them there’s no mistaking it.

L

[rlmorel]

My wife works on it so hard and does such a good job, I help her where I can but I don’t have the aptitude for it like she does.

So a large branch came off of our Weeping Cherry tree and it was too for her to break up, so she asked if I would do it when I took my lunch break (I was working from home)

Well, I didn’t even get lunch, and forgot. It was after midnight, and I was getting up at 4:30 AM to go to work in a few hours, and I suddenly remembered that ugly branch, sprawling across her lovely yard.

So I went out and dragged the whole branch into my garage where I could cut it up (at half-past midnight and not disturb anyone) and put it into lawn bags to dispose of.

It seemed like sacrilege to leave them out for her to have to look at all day!

[conservativeimage]

When you hear crane bugles coming from somewhere in the sky.

[TribalPrincess2U]

Have you ever watched squirrels getting it on? My husband said they
hug a lot and it’s a beautiful thing. And they do it lots of times.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Awesome video!!

Our son was working on the golf course a couple years ago and would often see that around dawn. LOTS of ground squirrels on the golf course for the hawks to eat.

[rlmorel]

In case you were curious (or didn’t know) the Prothonotary Warbler had a key role in the perjury trial of Alger Hiss that year.

And Richard Nixon had a role in that as well.

During congressional hearings, Alger Hiss (Soviet Spy) had maintained he had never met Whittaker Chambers before (also a Soviet Spy who came out) and when it became clear that one of the two men had to be lying, Richard Nixon and his team arranged to meet with each of the men separately and ask them questions about themselves, then bounce them off the other person to see who was telling the truth.

During his interview, Alger Hiss talked enthusiastically about his bird watching hobby, and he bragged that he had even once seen a Prothonotary Warbler, which was quite rare in those parts.

When they got Whittaker Chambers, they asked him personal details about Alger Hiss, and asked if he knew if Alger Hiss had any hobbies. Whittaker Chamber said that yes, he was an avid birdwatcher and had even mentioned a bird called a Prothonotary Warbler...

[ProtectOurFreedom]

On our family trip to Yellowstone for my 60th birthday (13 years ago), we stopped at various locations and were able to use spotting scopes. They are the greatest! A couple years after that trip, I did a lot of spotting scope research and finally bought a Kowa scope which I really like. You can buy adapters to mount your camera (without lens) or phone to the spotting scope. If you really want some great optical performance, a spotting scope can’t be beat.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I borrowed the pic from the PhoneSkope web site. Based on the color, I'd guess they are Swarovski Optik binocs. Those are really top of the line and priced to match. Hold your breath about price!

Swarovski Optic SLC 8x56 W B.

I bought good Nikon binocs for a lot less than that.

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

I didn’t know that. Thanks!

[samadams2000]

Turkey vultures flying over the house on the Mendocino coast with the rugged ocean below us.

[Organic Panic]

Invasive starlings. Invasive European sparrows. Brown birds with red head. Brown birds with red heads. Crows. A few magpies. And my resident red tail hawk family.