havanaholly Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 Oops, never mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted February 19, 2014 Author Share Posted February 19, 2014 I was standing at the kitchen sink this morning and who showed up? The mystery bird. I whispered several times for him to stay put while I walked across the room to get the camera. On the way back to the window, I turned the camera on, flipped out the view finder and removed the lens cap. You guessed it, he was gone. Later, I did manage to get a couple of shots but it seemed too far away to get a good look at him. I decided to raise the window so I could get a better picture, then waited. I haven't seen him since. Grrrrrr. Oh, now he's just playing with you! LOL! It's like how they refuse to turn around when you're looking for a specific marking. Birds can be so coy. Roxy, you really have a wonderland of birds, don't you! Do I remember correctly that you're in the northern part of the state? Some of the most unusual forest areas are up around Santa Fe and even around the Las Vegas area. I love the scrub pines at the tree line because they are truly inspirational in the way they grow against adversity. It also makes for a breathtaking terrain and now that I think about it, it makes sense that there would be a huge variety of birds because it has a little bit for everyone. The one birdie that I'm reeeeeeally hoping will show up is a roadrunner. They're amazing birds to watch; very smart and inquisitive. My dad used to feed them and would call to tell me whenever they did something new or exciting. With all the little lizards sunning themselves on my back wall there's plenty enough food for a roadrunner in the yard, but they tend to stay further out in the desert. When I was a kid it used to just tickle me to pieces when we'd be driving down a dirt road somewhere and a roadrunner would come out and run along side the car like he was racing us. Dad always let the roadrunners win too. Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 19, 2014 Share Posted February 19, 2014 I was standing at the kitchen sink this morning and who showed up? The mystery bird. I whispered several times for him to stay put while I walked across the room to get the camera. On the way back to the window, I turned the camera on, flipped out the view finder and removed the lens cap. You guessed it, he was gone. Later, I did manage to get a couple of shots but it seemed too far away to get a good look at him. I decided to raise the window so I could get a better picture, then waited. I haven't seen him since. Grrrrrr. Well that certainly sounds like a kingfisher! When we're paddling they like to fly just a bit ahead and then perch and wait until we're close enough for another glimpse; then off they go again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gayle Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 I really wish the bird would come to the door and introduce himself but I know that won't happen. The birds around here will give the cats a wide berth and the cats ignore them. I walked out onto the deck the other day and a blue jay was dining on the cat food. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey6163 Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 We have a flock of around thirty wild turkeys that live in the area, I headed down our road today and they were all waddling down the middle of the road in front of me.After a couple of minutes they all took off up the bank and back into the woods, one of the joys of living in the boonies. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 We've come across small family groups of wild turkeys a couple of times on hikes and once paddling; they're a treat to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey6163 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 I have got to get one of the "MySpy Birdhouses" that they advertise on TV , that would be neat, with my luck though the birds wouldn't use it. But maybe they would.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 I walked out onto the deck the other day and a blue jay was dining on the cat food. That's just got to be insulting if you're a cat. Blue jays seem to make it their life mission to annoy and tease kitties tho so it seems in perfect character for them to add insult to injury. My boys are inside so they don't pay any attention to them, but in Denver our neighbor's cats like to hang out in our back yard and the jays were always tormenting them. Since they were both senior cats and, well, let's just say they were chubby enough to look like furry bowling balls with feet, all they could do was crouch down and mutter bad things about the blue jay's mother. I had a close encounter yesterday! I was sitting on the patio after I'd finished transplanting flowers and was trying to decide where to put the Dallas Red Lantana when I heard that distinct little chipping sound and when I looked up there was an emerald green hummingbird hovering right in front of me. He dipped down to taste the Lantana blossoms and seemed to like it which resolved the question about where to put that plant.......it's staying right there so I can see more hummingbirds up close like that! All it took was one little visit from a hummingbird and I was smiling all day! There was a red-throated hummingbird in the oleanders a couple of days ago but I don't see them nearly as often. Deb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannie Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Oh I'm just loving all this bird talk too! Being near the water, both at home and our cabin in the Shuswap, we have osprey too and I spent many a happy hour with the telescope last year watching the osprey nest!! It's just fascinating to see mom & dad so hard at work! Back at home we have lots of quail running around, and of course as soon as I put the seed out the ducks come and get most of it. I have a huge Colorado spruce in my front yard and it's been a haven for stellars jays, flickers, and the occasional owl, not sure if was great-horned or great grey but it was LARGE!! Last year, as we left the cabin and drove to Kamloops, I sat in absolute awe watching the bald eagles sitting patiently in craggy trees on the shores of the Thompson river waiting for the salmon to run....I had no idea there were so many eagles in this area....one tree have seven birds in it; all in all there were about 50 birds. I'm sure they'll be back again this year and I WILL have my camera ready! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Oh my goodness Joanne, you're in bird watching paradise!!! The thought of seeing bald eagles like that gives me goosebumps! It would be fascinating to have such a view of an osprey nest like that too. I'd never get anything done because I'd be glued to the telescope all day. Do you have the tangerine colored flickers? I can't think of their name and am too lazy to look it up this A.M., but the colors on those birds is sooooooo pretty with the range from brown to cream to vivid tangerine. They're nice tempered birds too which makes them most welcome in the backyard. Do you have chipping sparrows too? Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted February 21, 2014 Author Share Posted February 21, 2014 Anyone in the mood for a little light hearted bird silliness? My dad taught me this song when I was a kid. Tennessee Bird Walk <giggling> Whoever did the video found some cute photoshopped bird pics to go with it. Deb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joannie Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 "Oh my goodness Joanne, you're in bird watching paradise!!!" It is indeed Deb!! We have lots of tiny sparrows here but I'm not sure just what they're called, ..we do have purple finches and they are my favourites! Years ago we had a whole flock of cedar wax-wings in our yard but I haven't seen any of those since we moved from that house. Yes, the flickers here have that beautiful tangerine colouring and we get our share of those cheeky magpies too! They used to tease my poor dog unmercifully.It was just like watching something out of a Three Stooges movie! One of my daughters has taken my "bird book" and I'm going to get it back before we go camping this year. I never seem to get anything done while we're here at the cabin...which reminds me - I was going to post some pictures of my recently completed Fairy House!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 We took DS camping with us lat June to a state park in Gautier, MS, and spent one afternoon cruising the delta around Pascagoula. We came up on an osprey nest with two not-ready-to-fly chicks in it and a watchful mom nearby; they started to squawk in panic and she just sat there, glowering at all of us. Although that was fun, my most memorable moment was when a mullet jumped into the boat and onto the lap of the French-Canadian lady sitting next to me; she was trying to get her DH to pitch it back overboard and he was fussing for her to sit still and let him take a picture first; and all the rest of us laughed ourselves silly... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey6163 Posted February 21, 2014 Share Posted February 21, 2014 Lol Holly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted February 22, 2014 Author Share Posted February 22, 2014 Although that was fun, my most memorable moment was when a mullet jumped into the boat and onto the lap of the French-Canadian lady sitting next to me; she was trying to get her DH to pitch it back overboard and he was fussing for her to sit still and let him take a picture first; and all the rest of us laughed ourselves silly... I'd pay good money to see something like that. I hope he got a good picture to go with the great story he'll be telling on his wife for the rest of her life. LOL! I decided to move one of the hummer feeders closer to the flowers on the patio yesterday and oh my, what a difference that made! That feeder had been mostly ignored but once it was closer to the fragrant flowers, it started doing a brisk business. I'll have to take my camera outside and hope for an opportunity to get a good picture. Here's a pic that I took last week. It's a close up of the mesquite tree in the back yard. If you look closely in the lacy leaves, you can see a bright red finch in the middle of the picture and his mate is on the branch just a little lower down. If this is the pic I think it is, you can see a little cactus wren in the upper branches and other finches hiding in random places. They do a good job of disguising themselves in order to hide from the hawks. It's not a very good picture because the light was fading, but I thought you'd like to see some of the "jewels" that sparkle in the trees here. Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 23, 2014 Share Posted February 23, 2014 I guess I should add that the gentleman got him picture and threw the poor mullet back before it suffocated from lack of air and the rest of us suffocated from laughing so hard. Gee, his wife was a good sport, although their teenaged daughter acted miffed the rest of the tour... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted February 26, 2014 Author Share Posted February 26, 2014 I had a close encounter yesterday!! I was sitting on the sidewalk in the front yard, happily hugging the plant I was getting ready to pop into the planter beside me when I heard that distinctive rattling buzz right beside my ear!!!! I looked up and discovered myself nose to beak with a female green hummingbird! Oh man, that was AMAZING! She was less than 12 inches from my face but she darted back a few inches so I was able to get a good look at her. They are the most curious little birds ever because every time I've had a close encounter with one, it watches me just as avidly as I watch it. (I wonder if they go back to the tree and excitedly tell their friends that they got up close to a human) Anyway, she hovered there for at least twenty seconds as I sat there grinning like crazy. She was so tiny and graceful and even if her green isn't as bright as the males', she's still a gorgeous little creature. If there's such a thing as a dragon, it must be a hummingbird. I always wondered if Anne McCaffrey got the idea for fire lizards by watching hummingbirds. The little green lady did hang around the yard awhile longer and attracted the attention of two males, but they stayed in and above the trees where I couldn't get a good picture even tho I sat on the patio with my camera for a couple of hours. I'll try again today. One of the males is ruby throated fellow and I'd love to get a close up view of him. However, I did get some pictures of the other birds so I thought I'd show you one of the loverlies that's heavily populated in this area. These are Eurasian collared doves....a mated pair who are regulars in the backyard. This pair sit in that same place on the fence between snacks every day like they're the king and queen. They're the largest of the four types of doves in the yard and the noise they make can only be compared with gravel in a barrel being bounced off a rocky cliff. They're gorgeous birds tho.......distinctive by the black collar around their necks. Their heads are almost eggshell white with a slight blue tint and their bodies have sandy colored wings with black tips so they blend in with the ground. But the breathtaking part of these birds is their snowy white underside. They almost disappear when they fly between the clouds and my line of vision. I was able to get a second pic (albeit a very fuzzy one) as they flew away so you can see the beautiful white underneath. I have some pictures of the Inca doves native to this area that I'll show you in a little bit after I rest my hands and then resize the pics. For now, here are the Eurasian Collared-doves. I think I'll go mix up some fresh nectar for the hummer feeders and hang out with the morning breakfast club. Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Wowzers - you've got a real sanctuary going on there Deb. Sounds like they adore you too. Coming right up and saying "Thank ya'll for those D-licious treats". It's too cold still here except for the cardinals and chickadees and other winter lovin' ones and such. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 I still think the most horrible noises to come out of exquisitely beautiful birds are the great blue herons! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 Last summer in the garden I heard a rattling loud buzz right by my ear. I was quite startled, thinking it was some loud stinging insect like a bee, but it turned out to be a hummingbird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 26, 2014 Share Posted February 26, 2014 The last time DH & I RV camped at Rainbow Campground (which is no more) near Cedar Key I liked to sit out in my folding chair to knit in the sunshine and be lulled into insensibility by all the little hummers at the snowbirds' RV in back of us with their five hummingbird feeders. I will miss that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted February 28, 2014 Author Share Posted February 28, 2014 So I made a new identification yesterday. There are some cute little birds who stay in the tops of the mesquite trees nibbling on seeds except for when they go blazing straight up in the air, make a few loops, and then dive back down into the branches. I thought that was because they were, well, just a little demented, but it turns out that when they do that they're snatching bugs out of midair. At first I thought they were cactus wren because they're super small (a little smaller than a chickadee) and have a patch of yellow on their back that shows like a diamond under their wings, but then a real cactus wren made an appearance and I saw the difference. Anyway, I did a little searching online and finally made the proper identification. It's a yellow-rumped warbler! (Yep, that's really its name) They certainly do like to sing and they're adorable little birds with their aerial antics. I miss chickadees sooooooo much and these little fellows are similar enough to fill my need for cute and crazy mini birds. LOL! I'm still trying to get a picture of hummingbirds for you. I've been keeping the camera on the patio with me but in the time it takes to turn it on, those hyperactive little fellows have had breakfast and moved on. I moved the lantana plant closer to the hummer feeder to entice them and there was a ruby throated hummer there yesterday so I'll keep trying til I get a good picture to share. Deb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 Wow, y'all are never gonna believe what I just saw. I was sitting on the patio right after sunrise when this all happened in the space of about two seconds: I heard the whoosh of huge wings directly over my head and saw the *poof* of feathers exploding when a hawk swooped down from the patio roof to nail a dove in midair.....but he misjudged his trajectory and while he did clear the backyard wall he didn't get enough altitude to clear the house behind us so the next thing I heard was the distinctive hollow, glassy "ka-thunk" as he slammed into one of their windows. I think he had enough time to know he was going to crash because he dropped his breakfast, leaving me with a freshly killed dove on the lawn. I waited to see if he was going to fly out of the neighbor's yard and he did but it took him almost a full minute to reappear. He came flying a little wobbly over the wall, grabbed his dead bird with a glare at me (as if I was going to take it!!!) and flew off with a bit of a starboard list. Deano was watching all this from inside the patio door where he has a bird watching post and when he saw the hawk, he flattened himself out on the floor because even an urban kitty knows to hide when you see that kind of shadow, but he was sure mad at me when I came inside. I'd had a chance to get a fresh bird for him and didn't take it. He'll be miffed at me all day over that one. <chuckling> There are some days that I consider contacting Mutual of Omaha and pitching a reboot of Wild Kingdom to them. I think it's a good idea but for some reason Bruce is adamant about not changing his name to Jim. Deb (who will be back with hummingbird pictures in a little while) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 8, 2014 Share Posted March 8, 2014 Speaking of Jim Fowler (formerly of Wild Kingdom), he has signed on to help raise donations for Gulf Shores' Little Zoo That Could to move to larger acreage inland from the hurricane flood zone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted March 8, 2014 Author Share Posted March 8, 2014 Oh that's cool! We watched the documentaries about the Little Zoo and like so many others we fell in love with its occupants and keepers. I hope that they attain their goal a little faster with Jim's help Didn't someone donate some inland acreage to them awhile back? I did it! I've kept the camera out on the patio with me (which is where I spend most of my time these days) and finally got a semi-decent picture of a hummingbird for y'all. Here we go: Oh wait. That's not a hummingbird. That's a female finch with a sweet tooth Or would it be a sweet beak? Either way, she regularly stops by the hummingbird feeder and sips away happily. There are three birdbaths in the backyard and one in front so she's not thirsty.....she just likes sugar water better than plain water. Maybe it's the finch version of sparkling Perrier with a twist. I'd been wondering why that feeder was emptying so fast and then caught her in the act which solved the mystery. I took a picture of her because I thought y'all would get a kick out of seeing her. Here's the hummingbird. The quality isn't very good because I had to zoom like crazy and it was right before sunset when the light was terrible, but you can still see how sweet she is. This is the little green female that hangs out in the backyard. Isn't she a little sweetheart? I haven't thought of a name for her yet but I probably should since it seems she's going to be a regular here. Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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