-
Activity 2.
Woodpeckers: a Northern Flicker pair (female in front, male in back). I’ve also spotted a second female this spring who will “joust” with the other female. I’m assuming these belong to the “woodpecker” group, because they climb along tree trunks, but I see them more commonly pecking at the ground.
Songbirds/Finches and buntings: a Northern Cardinal pair (female in front, male in back). Spring is truly in the air as a number of pairs seem to be competing for a “top spot” in the yard!
Songbirds/Other: a Blue Jay pair (I’m not sure of the sex… but I like to imagine one of each). The Blue Jay didn’t fit nicely into the course’s Songbird categories, but I looked on AllAboutBirds and see that they belong to the crow family (Corvidae).
-
Great Photos! Thanks for sharing!
-
Beautiful photos!!
-
It looks like you are taking photos through your binoculars or scope. Nice job - that is really hard to do!
-
@Marjorie Thank you! Yes, it's far from a perfect solution... I use a Celestron spotting scope and my phone (now with an adapter, which makes it much easier)!
-
@Jay Wow! Nice! How do take those photos? Could you share the setup?
-
@cindy Thanks! It's pretty amateur but has nevertheless been a lot of fun... Setup is like this: https://www.celestron.com/products/ultima-80-45-degree-spotting-scope-with-smartphone-adapter
-
I've heard the flicker population is down because people are poisoning the ants that the flickers love to eat.
-
@Carole Oh no! That's incredibly sad... they do, indeed, appear to like to eat ants. I see them often pecking around the base of trees. I'll look more into the issue you raise and try and make my neighborhood aware as well.
-
We have a lot of Northern Flickers . They are a member of the woodpeckers. They feed on the ground. That confused me too.
-
I have a pair of nesting Northern Cardinals about 4 feet away from my house!
-
-
I believe this is an Indigo Bunting? It appeared at my feeder last summer. I am fascinated by the variety of birds that come to my feeder throughout the year. I am taking this course to help myself to identify the birds that appear. Today so far a Yellow Finch and what I believe to be a Downy Woodpecker. I have a really nice Palliated Woodpecker that likes to visit as well. -
-
You can tell the snowy egret by its golden slippers. I've heard they use their feet to startle fish when they are foraging.
-
-
Activity 2
1. Chicken-like Birds:
This bird appears to be a California Quail and was a strange sighting for me. As a resident of Georgia, I've seen the occasional Bobwhite, but this location is entirely outside the usual range for the California Quail.
2. Songbirds/Other Songbirds?
While the Brown Thrashers is definitely a Songbird, its appearance and habit of thrashing around in the underbrush for food didn't seem to fit with any of the other subcategories that we learned.
3. Songbird/ Finches and Buntings
The Northern Cardinals stout, short bill and bright colors put it in the Finches and Buntings subcategory of the Passeriformes. Beautiful birds!
-
Cool quail! Could someone be raising them nearby? Maybe one escaped!
-
I love California Quail! We have them where I live in Washington and the make the funniest "chi-CA-go" call. Also the chicks are adorable little puff balls.
-
Wonderful photos. Thank you for sharing them. A family of California quails lives in my neighbour's hedge here on Vancouver Island in Canada. They troop through my place every morning and troop back every evening. They're so funny, loitering around then making a mad dash, running on the ground. Makes me happy whenever I see them.
-
@Elsie
From my Toronto backyard, the male gold finches are transitioning to their spring plumage. Here is an example of a bright male, a female, and a transitioning male, all taken on the same day. -
@Ann The picture of your transitioning male helped me a lot! I saw a "goldfinch" eating some birdseed, but it didn't have black on its head, and it wasn't brownish like the females. He was dusty yellow!
-
@Ann I love your photos of the goldfinch! These are some of my favorite birds that come to our feeder during their migration. (I live in North Carolina.)
-
Wow that is very peculiar! Definitely looks like a California Quail to me. I see them every few weeks in, well, California! I wonder what's this one's story?
-
From my Toronto backyard, the male gold finches are transitioning to their spring plumage. Here is an example of a bright male, a female, and a transitioning male, all taken on the same day. Read More: