Michele
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Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)
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MicheleParticipantI have a few Anna's hummingbirds who hang around my patio feeders. A few times I have seen one of the males flying erratically- and close to the ground. I had worried that he may have been sick or injured but today the angle of the sun was just right and I noticed he was eating small insects- catching them while he flew. Also I have a lot of white winged doves at my feeder. They are a bit too big to perch on the feeder, but will try anyway- often landing on top of one another to force their way to the feeder. And while house wrens and house finches eat from both the feeder and the ground, Aperts Towhees only eat seeds that have fallen on the ground. I have not yet seen them perch on the feeder.in reply to: Activities: Noticing Behaviors #728137
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MicheleParticipantActivity #2: I chose three birds that have the same shape and colors: Black Tailed Grackle, Common Raven and Brown-headed cowbirds. I used my Merlin app to figure out the differences between them. The Brown-Headed cowbird was easy to distinguish because of the brown head. The difference between the common raven and great tailed grackle was more difficult- but the tails were different and the Grackle has light eyes. I was surprised how much I am learning to pay attention to subtle differences in birds. Activity #3: Searching for food: I watched hummingbirds in a local preserve. I think they were Anna's hummingbirds. They were eating from bushes- I was surprised because they're were no flowers on the bushes- maybe they were finding small insects?? Also watched mallard ducks swimming and using their lower beaks as a shovel in the water- not sure what they were eating. Also back-necked stilts wading and dipping for small fish in a pond. The Merlin app is helpful, especially when birds look alike.in reply to: Activities: Bird ID Practice #717896
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MicheleParticipantActivity #1: I found the Secretary bird interesting for a few reasons. First, I like the crest on it's head- it looks like a wild hairstyle. I also like the fact that it is a predator that uses its feet to attack mammals and reptiles. In addition, it is the only one in its family. Activity #2: The Black-necked Stilt is a bird I see often in ponds near my home, and I recently learned to identify it. I enjoy watching it walk in the shallow water with it's long, spindly red legs. I am impressed that the non-nesting Black-necked stilts work together to fend off predators. I also like the snowy egret- especially it's black legs and yellow feet. Today I saw a Brown -headed Cowbird in my backyard. Once I figured out what type of bird it was, I read about its behavior and learned the females are "brood parasites". They lay eggs in other birds nests, and don't raise their own young. Brown-headed Cowbirds also eat eggs of smaller songbirds. I find the social lives of birds fascinating. Activity #3: My favorite birds in my yard are Anna's hummingbirds. There are at least three that frequent my feeder, and fly quite close to me. One is a male, one female and the other may be a juvenile or a smaller female.in reply to: Activities: Exploring Birds #716917
Viewing 3 posts - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)