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I like the Western Tanagers... it's hard to get photos of the smaller birds in time, they bail pronto as soon as you make an appearance, lol. Here's a shot from my field guide, I think some of 'em are just yellow & black, no red cap. 🤔

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I've seen a bunch of these guys recently, the Black-headed Grosbeak... first time I've seen 'em here in Alamo. :rolleyes:

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I'm also seeing a bunch of these, not sure which it is, maybe both, lol... small birds with yellow vests. 😒

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Haven't seen the hawk in a few days, maybe it moved to a different area. However, my yard is FULL of hummers zooming around, there must be 2 dozen of 'em, many younger birds... and some really gorgeous adults! I was doing something at the kitchen sink today, and the window is right there in front of the sink, so I got a good closeup look at a scintillating green hummer which hit some flowers outside the window. I tapped the glass and the hummer heard me, next thing I know the bird is right up by the glass, staring in at me, lol. It was an awesome moment! Wish I'd had my camera handy! I'm gonna look up that hummer in my field guide tomorrow, when I have better light to see by, yeah? I saw another one which had a white collar of sorts, that bird was cool, but the shiny green one was the bomb! :cool:
 
Wingnut said:
Haven't seen the hawk in a few days, maybe it moved to a different area. However, my yard is FULL of hummers zooming around, there must be 2 dozen of 'em, many younger birds... and some really gorgeous adults! I was doing something at the kitchen sink today, and the window is right there in front of the sink, so I got a good closeup look at a scintillating green hummer which hit some flowers outside the window. I tapped the glass and the hummer heard me, next thing I know the bird is right up by the glass, staring in at me, lol. It was an awesome moment! Wish I'd had my camera handy! I'm gonna look up that hummer in my field guide tomorrow, when I have better light to see by, yeah? I saw another one which had a white collar of sorts, that bird was cool, but the shiny green one was the bomb! :cool:
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They are fixing to head south!! Feed them a lot! We have a bunch here too!!♥️
 
I've read that songbirds are being decimated due to Avian flu. I hardly see them any more. What I have been seeing is crows, which I do happen to love, but I would love to see a variety of birds.

My suet feeders kept being knocked down, and then the cage broken open and the suet cakes were gone. It was probably squirrels.

I think that the suet feeders were attracting magpies, which I think drive away other smaller birds. After losing several suet cakes in a matter of a week or so, I decided to not put them back up for a while. It took a little while, but then the magpies went away. I love to see the sparrows and wrens at the suet feeders, but thought the rascals disturbing them needed to go away.
 
Weedygarden said:
I've read that songbirds are being decimated due to Avian flu. I hardly see them any more. What I have been seeing is crows, which I do happen to love, but I would love to see a variety of birds.

My suet feeders kept being knocked down, and then the cage broken open and the suet cakes were gone. It was probably squirrels.

I think that the suet feeders were attracting magpies, which I think drive away other smaller birds. After losing several suet cakes in a matter of a week or so, I decided to not put them back up for a while. It took a little while, but then the magpies went away. I love to see the sparrows and wrens at the suet feeders, but thought the rascals disturbing them needed to go away.
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I currently have a hummingbird problem, I have 2 feeders and approximately 12 at a time buzzing my head. I need to start wearing safety glasses on the porch!
 
theheathen13 said:
I currently have a hummingbird problem, I have 2 feeders and approximately 12 at a time buzzing my head. I need to start wearing safety glasses on the porch!
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My mom used to keep a couple hummingbird feeders in front of the living room windows, North side. When the feeders ran empty the hummingbirds would come over and tap on the kitchen windows, East side, to tell Mom that it was time for a refill.
 
When I fed birds I kept a bird book nearby to identify the birds. I am in Oklahoma so this is what I saw. Cardinal couples. Many of them. Mockingbirds. House thrushes (the red and brown ones). A few blue jays. A few woodpeckers (I forget which kind). Titmouses. And the usual sparrows and wrens. A couple of hawks lurked in a tall tree nearby and came down for "lunch" when it was really cold out.

The lady who lived here before me loved birds (she had a cockatiel and a macaw) and so a gazillion hummingbirds came to my place.

One year I had a beautiful garden of sunflowers beneath the feeders. I enjoyed that.

I stopped feeding birds because I adopted an indoor/ outdoor kitty. He was about 5 years old and absolutely would not adapt to indoor only and since he brought me mice, I knew he would one day bring me one of my little birdies. I am still sad that I had to quit feeding the birds.

In Washington when we lived on the Sound, Bald Eagles were always buzzing around being chased by seagulls. More than a few large fish were dropped in our yard. There we also had the little yellow finches, stellar jays (always fighting and yelling at each other) and a few hawks.
 
I highly doubt eagles will mate with hawks . I am located on a bluff overlooking a stream that eagles follow looking for fish . We much enjoy watching the eagles , which sometimes are flying below our perch or perhaps above our perch as they soar in the wind currents as this location has air lifting currents probably due to the cool spring feed stream below the bluff . and is ideal for them . Eagles do change in appearance as they mature . When about a year old they commonly do not have the white head and tail feathers , but that will change as they grow older . Also they occasionally go through a molting stage , which will also effect their coloration . -- I have learned to make a shrill whistle when they are soaring about mimicking a eagle . The sound will sometimes make them come close to investigate the sound and often circle several times . --- I caught one eagle earlier this year leaving with one on my pigeons in it's talons . I raise white pigeons and let them leave their enclosure and fly about which also put on a spectacular show . An interesting day a few months back my grown daughter and I from my back deck , watched a falcon trying to jokey into position to snatch a pigeon out of mid air . The pigeons doing evasive Airel maneuvers was entertaining indeed . The Airel battle took the show over the next mountain so I am not sure whom won , but think the falcon lost the battle .
 
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seagulls, buzzards, eagles both bald and golden. more mourning doves this year, our pair of robins is back, the little sparrows we feed in the winter move when the robins nest. The osprey like it around here on the upper missouri and tributarys and lakes....great birds to watch catch fish then carry them head first in their talons for less wind resistance. Havent seen a pelican yet but they will be moving in shortly as well as the sand hill cranes....and those are just the ones that are easy to see....We also have talking ravens that I squawk at when they cruise over.
 
I use Merlin to help identify birds. I like to use the sound part, tells me what bird is making what noise. It has helped me identify birds by their sounds, before I ever see them. I love birds...
 
Ruby throat hummingbirds, cardinals, blue jays ( lots of those two), one pair of mourning doves, purple and house finches, mockingbirds, tufted titmouse, black capped chickadees. Red bellied woodpeckers, pileated woodpeckers, Downey woodpeckers. We put food out for everyone. Tube feeders, platform feeders, suet feeders. Nectar feeders for the hummingbirds.
 
Pearl said:
Seeing Bluebirds, they nest in our Martin house, and love the biggest bird bath! Many Hummers. Wrens with babies under my pool rail. Roadrunners still building a nest. Crows going for round two 😮! Cardinals building in the big Oak in Buddy's pasture. Mockingbirds everywhere!!😃🤩
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Oh, you reminded me. This is our second year with blues birds. This is clutch 2 for this year. Last year we had 3 clutches.
 

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For the preppers on the forum . Pay attention to the birds in your area " especially during the winter months " . The reason being , I know many during the great depression supplemented their diet with wild birds . My grandmother actually developed a taste for robins and black birds and would occasionally eat them , even when food became plentiful . As we all know there simply is a tremendous reduction in birds during winter months in many areas . - Also have a plan to realistically acquire birds from the wild , if the situation should dictate . - If someone is planning to shoot them , consider how torn up the bird might be if simply blown away with a shotgun . Also consider what appears to coming on the horizon , we may be looking at such a situation with the duration of decades . That might dictate as to which strategy to use to acquire that morsel of meat .
 
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I thought that I would relate my experience forging for food with my grandfather . He was a real survivalist . I would go with him to check wooden home made traps , for captured birds . This endeavor had nothing to do with being a sport . This was done for food for the table . Ammunition was too precious to use shooting birds .
 
poltiregist said:
I thought that I would relate my experience forging for food with my grandfather . He was a real survivalist . I would go with him to check wooden home made traps , for captured birds . This endeavor had nothing to do with being a sport . This was done for food for the table . Ammunition was too precious to use shooting birds .
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👍👍👍
 
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