For now. I just don’t have the energy or desire to work actively on this. 4 years ago

I learned the red-wing blackbird today. The male at least. The females look like every other bird around. 4 years ago

Well, these guys were not here last year, but are now. And welcome welcome, I say to you.

Quite friendly. They’ve been perching by the chum’s swing and decorating it.

Kew kew chirpa!5 years ago

One of the benefits of the pond and its watercourse is bird bathing. Today one of these hard to identify, mostly brown birds took a nice long bath so I could look back and forth at him and the birding guides and feel sure.

Chip chip5 years ago

A refresher

The Rufous Hummingbirds never left apparently. Neither did the Turkey Vultures. And the Canadian Geese have ben much in evidence all winter – less now.

The Red Tailed Hawks are back and nesting again and engaged in a turf war with the Scrub Jays.

I’ve seen the American Crows other places, but not here. I think they don’t want to get into the turf war.

In the walnut tree, I’ve been seeing the Juniper Titmouse, the Northern Flicker, and another woodpecker who I thought I had identified last year, but see I haven’t.

The Barn Swallows are back as are the Northern Mockingbird (the dear musical nutjobs!) and the House Finches.

So who are all these lbbs and medium bbs everywhere? And what’s that other woodpecker?

Back to work, I guess. 5 years ago

I’m having trouble getting myself to activly work on this goal.

I think I”m going to start a bird journal and write down all the dates, times and activities of the birds that visit my yard. Hopefully that will get me motivated as I have to look them up each time. 5 years ago

By site and song:
1. Crow
2. Humming bird
3. Malard
4. Canada Goose
5. Seagull

• Robin
• Stellar Jay
• Great Blue Heron
• Bald Eagle
• Red Tale Hawk (only from the back while perched) 5 years ago

I want to do this again.

It’s not like I’ve figured out all of the birds out there. Mainly I’ve got the big birds and a few of those who stay still in the garden.

But yay! Part one of the giant life goal of Know the natural world where I live or whatever I’ve poorly phrased it as, is complete for now. 5 years ago

Thanks for rainy days and the birds moving slowly as they pick up seeds! For once I’m positive about an identification.

The difference between these guys and the House Sparrow is the eye stripe – White Crowned have the black, white, and black stripes above the eye – while the House just has a brownish eye stripe.

Also the White Crowned has a lot more mottling on the wing.

The song goes – do-dicky do do Kind of. Well, doesn’t it? 5 years ago

Finally definitely identified these guys this morning. Black legs and yellow beak.

I love watching them fly by. When will it rain again so we can get a lake and all those waterbirds in our view? Hmmm?

Their sound is terrifying and also like the sound you make when you brush your tongue. 5 years ago

Identifying these guys has been the bane of my birdwatching experience. Well, nearly.

They’re in our garden a lot – eating seeds and bathing in the waterfall so I look at them and try to remember what they look like but then I get inside with the books and the websites and can’t figure it out.

But I think I’ve finally got them. They’re small and fat and all the guides say essentially, they don’t have many distinguishing markings, so if your warbler doesn’t – that’s them. Also making it hard – 4 different subspecies so the pictures aren’t always right.

But I triumph. Orange-Crowned Warbler, welcome to my garden. Eat the catnip seeds to your tiny heart’s content. Cheep5 years ago

I’m finally able to post on this goal again. The heat of August had all our birdy brethren in hiding, but cooler days and seeds everywhere have them back again.

And at night we’ve been hearing these guys. Whoo- whoo! They’re loud too – clearly audible throughout the house! 5 years ago

They’re big, they’re black, they go caw!

I listened to many varieties and kinds of big black birds – this is what we’ve got. Finally I know. 5 years ago

What an omnipresent bird. Yeah yeah non-native and invasive but cute counts for something too!

And they actually say cheep cheep5 years ago

The catnip has started going to seed and so we’re getting the tiny seed eaters to stay still enough that I can see them.

This guy is spending a lot of time in the walnut tree. His pointy head is a dead giveaway!

He’s got a super scratchy song too. Very distinctive. 5 years ago

I have done this, and just bought a 3 cd set of bird calls to recognise even more! We should be birdy loves someday and impress all our friends and family by busting out bird calls, and correctly identifying them! We will be the life of the parteeeeee!!!!!
ehem. 5 years ago

I love these guys. I love that they sing when it is clearly night. I love that they sing cellphones and car alarms. I love that they just sing and sing their heads off.

But I don;’ really know what they look like so I only hear them. Now I know why. Grey and grey. A bird who sings like this should look like a parrot – it’s clearly got the confidence.

Sing, nut job, sing!5 years ago

I do believe this is who I have been hearing at night. That screech is what I hear – not a who.

I’d love to see one – where are you all hiding? 5 years ago

Haven’t seen these guys as much this year – hawks must be scaring them off.

Wheedle-whee!5 years ago

OK – I’m 80% sure about this one.

He came right up to me today at the swing and was looking right at me. Next time I’ll know to look at is back color since he definitely has the under chin red spot.

Buzz5 years ago

Does anyone not have these guys? Big old fat things, aren’t they?

I see them a lot but you hear them first. 5 years ago

OK, I’m not insane. We do have barn swallows too.

The cliff swallows are more by the trail but there are barn swallows living in my neighbors (wait for it) barn. 5 years ago

We had one who spent a lot of time in our meadow a few years ago. Now we just see them sometimes. The hawk party is keeping them away this year I think.

Watching a kite diving is one of those startling nature show moments in real life.

They make the noise like this. 6 years ago

These cute guys are much in evidence recently – especially near the pond.

Cheep cheep6 years ago

So since I found their nesting place, I’ve had a chance to see these guys when not flying so damn fast, and I noticed the white spot on their foreheads. And then I noticed that they have a slight fork, but not a bog old fork in their tail – so I am sure now. Probably.

They sound a lot alike too. 6 years ago

I’m 85% sure that this is what the zooming flying guys are. The mud nests look right and the identification guides say that the long forked tail is the key so.. I’m saying Barn Swallow.

The chum and I had a great time watching them driving into and out of about 20 nests on the side of the apple cannery – very cool birds and so fast on the wing!

The song sounds like what I’m hearing in the morning too. 6 years ago

Thus the problem. I’d see a female Tanager and then a female Oriole and get them confused.

Luckily one of these males chased me and the chum down the trail, watching us for ill-doing, so I got a really good look at him.

Of course, I hear this song all the time – now I wonder if I’ll remember who is who by sound. 6 years ago

I was having the hardest time identifying the yellow song birds I see in the garden. Guess why? There are two different species! Duh.

These are the first. I see them more often zipping around ofter bugs in the shady spots. They’re super beautiful.

Here’s their song6 years ago

Now these are birds I grew up with. After a rain, wheeling overhead, drying their wings. Or lying in the grass and seeing them circling above and standing up to yell, “I’m not dead!” Ah vultures. Thanks for eating the stinky dead stuff. Sorry you get such a bad rap.

Eeee! They don’t sing and don’t listen to their growling hiss in your headphones alone at night! Scary! 6 years ago

The biggest bird we’ve got around here. Now I need to figure out if their white friends are white herons or egrets – It’s all about leg color apparently. Will observe closer.

Croak croak6 years ago