BS: Other birds Thread

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: pdq
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 01:39 PM

The stork that is famous in Europe is not found in the United States, either native or introduced. Just the wood stork in Florida and other parts near our southern border. I do know someone who saw a huge stork when visiting friends in the Brownsville area of southern Texas. That species is known to visit by does not nest in the US.

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: GUEST,KT
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 01:27 PM

Hey, Joe!

Bald eagles? More like how many times a day!
I don't call them trash birds. They seem to command more respect than that. But I do like seeing the Great Blue Herons. As SRS noted, they do appear to have a bit of a prehistoric appearance about them, especially when in flight.

Like you, I get a big kick out of Ravens. In the Tlingit lore, they are referred to as "Trickster" and indeed, they have that quality.

KT

PS How's the smoke down your way? I was there last month and it was baaaaad!

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: My guru always said
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 04:09 AM

Pretty sure I saw several Fieldfare in the tops of the trees around our garden a couple of weeks ago. Hadn't ever seen them before & they're not supposed to be around here just now so I could be wrong. However the garden is becoming more attractive to our feathered friends year by year and we now have resident tawny owls aswell as the odd visit from Peregrine Falcon to our 'bird lawn'.

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 03:24 AM

How many times a month do you see Bald Eagles, KT? I hear you folks have so many, that you call them "trash birds" up there. I lost count at 25 one day, and I saw dozens more.
I think I liked your huge, intelligent, comical ravens best.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: GUEST,KT
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 02:53 AM

Great Blue Heron magnificent!

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: ragdall
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 01:50 AM

"Best" is difficult to define.

I saw my first Black-headed Grosbeak, ever, when I was visiting the Peace Arch Park, in Surrey, BC, June 9th. That was exciting.

The most beautiful were the Mountain Bluebirds which came through here near the end of April -- Hmmm, I guess that was spring, not summer?

I haven't seen many birds this summer because it's been to wet to get out with my camera. The most interesting and most colourful birds which are here at the moment are hummingbirds.

rags

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Joe Offer
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 01:36 AM

Christina and I went on a wildflower hike at Sagehen Creek, at an elevation af about 5,00 feet and about 15 miles north of Lake Tahoe on the California-Nevada border. We went in search of Camas Lilies. We found lots, but they were past their peak and not the spectacular display we hoped for.

BUT, amidst the fading lilies was a Sandhill Crane one of the most ancient species of bird still extant - and it was trumpeting. I've seen lots of Sandhill Cranes because they winter in the Sacramento River Valley, but I've never heard one trumpet before. It was magnificent.

And I saw storks in Northern Spain, nesting in the open bell towers of beautiful little churches. Are there European-style storks in the United States? The only ones I know in the US are the wood storks I see in Florida - they look and behave like big, white buzzards.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: mrdux
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 01:35 AM

best so far this summer has been a hermit warbler investigating our campsite last week up on mt. hood.

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 12:39 AM

I mentioned a couple of sights I don't usually see earlier, but living on the creek means that we see blue herons and a couple of variety of egrets almost daily. Also ducks. When those blue herons fly I feel like I have a tiny glimpse into what it must have looked like to watch a dinosaur fly. That bony angularity hardly seems aerodynamic, yet they fly with slow-moving wings and look like it is barely an effort.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: katlaughing
Date: 10 Aug 08 - 12:29 AM

They have devastated thousands of acres of Ponderosa pine here, in Colorado, too.

Earlier this year I pulled into our drive-way to see an American Kestrel just starting to tear apart a poor starling it had killed. It stayed put while I slowly pulled the car up, opened my door a tiny bit and spoke to it of its beauty. As I pulled the car up further to go get a camera, I glanced away for a split second. Just long enough for it to completely disappear, prey and all. It was like magic.

Also, we have a small lake near here where people go to hike and fish. We went there recently and I was amazed at the number of blue herons AND how comfortable they were with their own fishing etc. while all the poeple were around. They are amazing to watch.

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Peace
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 11:39 PM

"We had a trio of beetle killed pine trees a hundred yards or so from the house"

I don't know how common those beetles are (pine beetles?) there, but don't allow them to get into any pine forests. We have a helluva problem in Albnerta and BC with them. I have seen whole mountain sides turned orange by them. They are seriously bad news.

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 11:32 PM

We haven't seen any intersting birds this summer. We had a trio of beetle killed pine trees a hundred yards or so from the house that Mississippi kites and other raptors liked to perch in during previous summers, but they fell down sometime during this past winter.

However, I have witnessed an interesting bird behavior I'd not previously noticed. We've had a lot of cardinals this year and, now that nesting season is over, the females sometimes congregate into flocks of twenty or so birds. The males, on the other hand, are behaving in their usual territorial fashion. They'd rather fight than flock.

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Sorcha
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 10:54 PM

Four bald eagles. 2 adults, 2 juves

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Peace
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 09:14 PM

Gal on St Catherine Street in Montreal. You can take the boy out of the country . . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 09:12 PM

I watched a couple of hummingbirds do a rapier quick squabble over territory out in the front yard this week. At least I think that's what they were doing.

I passed a large red tailed hawk pulling apart a piece of road kill beside the freeway, also last week.

Not unusual, but interesting.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Ebbie
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 08:11 PM

A bird that's one of the earliest ones to return to Juneau, Alaska, from winter's exile is the Varied Thrush. We welcome its pure long-drawn single note call at winter's end; we know then that spring has arrived. It and the Winter Wren, anothre favorite, are the two early ones.

The Varied Thrush looks like a gussied up American Robin; our Robin, of course, is also a thrush; it's nothing like the European Robin. I like the painted colors on the Varied Thrush's coat and the necklace it sports.

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Micca
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 08:00 PM

2 Snowy egrets in Maine, a coupla weeks ago

Subject: RE: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Raptor
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 06:15 PM

What's the best bird you've seen this summer?

Subject: BS: Other birds Thread
From: Raptor
Date: 09 Aug 08 - 06:15 PM

For Gnu