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BIRDS

Started by Bro. Noble, December 16, 2004, 10:19:33 AM

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beenthere

Certainly must be a 'wood' duck.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

crtreedude

I was once fishing on Hemlock Lake, south of Rochester NY and while I was fishing a bald eagle came and snatch a trout off the lake - about 20 feet away from me.

I wasn't catching anything, but it was worth the trip just to see that!

So, how did I end up here anyway?

SwampDonkey

I've seen osprey pluck salmon out of the river below where we fished.

I've also seen mallard ducks perched in cedar trees beside my fish pond. I couldn't believe it because their feet are not designed for perching. The fish pond wasn't favorable to brook trout, not enough oxygen, plus alot of field run off.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Norm

Last night I spotted this blur out of the corner of my eye. Sure enough it was a ruby throated hummingbird, never seen one this early in the year. He spotted the aliums in the back flower garden and spent 5 minutes giving them a good going over. Patty and I walked out on the deck and stood a few feet away and watched him manuver in a strong wind.



When he flew away he buzzed past my nose by a couple of inches, probably never knew we were there.

Jeff

Nice catch on the picture Norm!
Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

SwampDonkey

I haven't seen any yet here, although the sap suckers are back. Everything is in full bloom and waiting for them. The wild fly honeysuckles have been in flower for at least 2 weeks, before most anything else.

Nice shot Norm.  :)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Corley5

 8) 8) pic!!!  Dad and I saw a hummingbird last week.  1st one of the season and kinda early for up here but there's lotsa stuff in bloom for em.
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

UNCLEBUCK

Hummingbirds been here for 10 days and the Orioles . Showed up during the heavy rainy week . I must have good fuel that they like . Always wonder if its the same little hummingbirds and if they made it all the way down to see Harold and cr or just how far they go south.  Great pictures Norm !

Drove the lawnmower over to my sisters the other day on the backroad of the farm . 2 sets of canadian honkers with little fuzzballs running between them and looks like big hatches. A dozen woodducks off the corn stubble and 18 more honkers with feathers missing all over their wings and then one loose bull  :D
UNCLEBUCK    bridge burner/bridge mender

Bibbyman

We have some killdeer that have taken up makin' their home on the gravel on our loglot.  A pretty hazardous place. 



This little hen built her nest (if you can call it a nest - it's only a cupped out place in the gravel) right beside the main drive.  You can spit on her as you drive by.  We pass by her a dozen times a day.  When heading up the drive,  she'll stay on her nest.  But coming back,  she'll jump and run and fake injury if you come walking up.



She's been setting on these four eggs for two weeks.  They are very large compared to the size of the bird.  They are about the size of a banty's egg.

We'd found a nest earlier in the spring and watched it for a week.  Then one morning Mary noted the hen was on her nest and when she fled,  the eggs were there.  A couple of hours later,   the eggs were gone.  No sign of the shells left.  I suspect a snake got them.

Anyway,  it'll be great to see that she gets her eggs hatched.  It's been a fun watching her.

Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

Mooseherder

Here is a Purple Gallinule. He was in our pond a few days ago feeding on minnows.
This is a Zoomed in and blown up photo, the actual size of the bird is similiar to the size of a BlueJay, maybe a tad bit larger.
The beautiful colors aren't always caught with the naked eye. (At least my eyes)
It helps to have binoculars.


SwampDonkey

We used to work around the nests of the killdeer in the fields. By the time the fields greened up with crops the babies where hatched out and about. Bug spray couldn't have been too healthy though.  :-\ :'(
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Tom

I moved the sawmill from the front of the house to the field, yesterday, to test some repairs and to cut some beams for a customer.  Snuggled under the engine on the frame of the head of the mill was a house sparrow nest with 6 eggs in it.  When I was cranking up the engine, she flew out within inches of my head.  I guess she took all she could take.  I removed the nest and put it in a rose bush about 10 feet away.  I know she probably won't find it, but it made me feel better.  I'll be checking it every day for awhile.  Maybe it'll help my guilt some.  :)

Bibbyman

We got all kinds of bird nest in our sawshed and barns.  I'm not any too good on my birds but some of them look like martins.   They are swooping in and out of the sawshed and all around the loglot all day.

Yesterday evening I was moving some slabs and seen a black snake under the tractor.  I stopped to let it make up its mind where it wanted to go.  It did.  Right into the sawshed. 

I told Mary to watch out for our new mouse catcher.  She was none too happy.  I went out this morning and put a flitch on the roller table infeed to the edger and there he was – sunning himself on the first rays of the morning.  He slipped under some of the floor in the corner.  Later in the morning, Mary tugged on my shirt.  There he was slithering across the floor.  He went under some lumber where Mary had to work around.  She watched real careful. 

About mid-day Mary made noted that the martins were not swooping in and out of the building like they had been.  By evening, they were back.  I bet they knew.

I've caught a sparrow acting like it wanted to build a nest in the end of the dust blower pipe.  It sure must look inviting in there.  I can just see one morning turning on the blower and seeing a sparrow and nest come shooting out of the dust blower pipe like a low velocity canon ball.
Wood-Mizer LT40HDE25 Super 25hp 3ph with Command Control and Accuset.
Sawing since '94

pappy

Got this link in an email... pretty kool  8)



"This is truly amazing. Be sure to click on NEXT PAGE at the bottom of each page; there are 5 pages in all. A lady found a hummingbird nest and got pictures all the way from the egg to leaving the nest. Took 24 days from birth to flight. Because you'll probably never in your lifetime see this again, enjoy; and please share."

http://community-2.webtv.net/Velpics/HUM/
"And if we live, we shall go again, for the enchantment which falls upon those who have gone into the woodland is never broken."

"Down the Allagash."  by; Henry Withee

SwampDonkey

Bibby they sound like barn swallows. Do they have brown or lighter colored bellies? A Purple Martin is bigger than a swallow and has a purple belly, and they are also colony nesters which prefer bird houses and close to your house. Barn swallows build their nest from mud and straw/grass. The cold weather here one May (96 ?) wiped them out pretty much. We used to have hundreds of them around the buildings and they would line the wires when getting ready to fly south in August. It was mind boggling, when they decided to leave for the winter they would all be gone the same day and you wouldn't see one. You could mark your calender for the 21-24 of August, it varied by a day or two each year, they would be gone without a trace. You'll find some barn swallows are very clean and the parents will take the droppings outside the barn and then there were some that were slobs that would dirty the place up under the nest.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Jeff

Update on my wreath robins.  Man, they sure grow quick. The first photo was taken Sunday, the second about an hour ago, just before this last fellow left the nest.





Just call me the midget doctor.
Forestry Forum Founder and Chief Cook and Bottle Washer.

Commercial circle sawmill sawyer in a past life for 25yrs.
Ezekiel 22:30

Corley5

My punkin patch kildeers had a sucessful nesting season.  There were two chicks with the adults last night when I plowed the ground.  Last year I found the nest and worked around it when I cultivated the pumpkins.  They're way ahead of me this year 8)  I also saw a pair of bluebirds in the house at the corner of the patch  8)  For decades we've had problems with starlings in the sawdust elevator at the mill.  They build on the bottom so if you start it without running it backwards to clean out the mess you really get a mess when it winds and jams at the bottom sprocket.  Barn swallows can really make a mess but they are great for insect control especially mosquitos 8)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

SwampDonkey

Some people here confuse the blue bird for the northern parula which are found in thickets and hardwoods on their flight to there nesting sites in softwood. They  are very vocal and migrate in flocks or small groups. I first took notice of them a couple of years ago in a hardwood forest in early May. They were everywhere a cherp'n and a go'n it. I've read that they use spanish moss and old man's beard to build their nest which grows in our mature fir and spruce forests. I've never seen any blue birds here, but that doesn't mean there isn't any.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Mooseherder

Here is a not so great pic of a water bird called Anhinga.
They have a long and slim neck an swim submerged to the neck.
Their sharp pointed bill is used to spear fish.
This guy loves hanging out on the branches above the pond spreading his wings to dry.


Tom



A couple of the more acceptable names for Anhinga around here are Water Turkey and Snake Bird.

Have you ever seen films of them swimming and hunting under water?   They are a wonder.  While they can really hurt the population of bream in a small fresh water pond, they don't seem to kill indiscriminately like Herons and generally eat what they catch before hunting another. :)

It is mistaken for a Cormorant by some people.  But Cormorants hang around salt water, have shorter, stockier necks and swim higher in the water.  Anhingas swim with their body submerged.

Did you know a Cormorant can dive 200 feet looking for fish?

It's fun to watch an Anhinga throw his catch up in the air and swallow it head first.


Mooseherder

I wish someone would have told me that was a Water Turkey long ago because it took me a couple of years to learn how to pronounce Anhinga correctly. ;D
That name would have STUCK. :D

SwampDonkey

We have cormorants here in our rivers. They sometimes sit on old bridge peirs with wings wide spread drying out ofter a dive. Merganzers are hard on salmon parr here. But, I don't blame the birds for the decline of the salmon, we all know whose shoulders that rests on.  ::) They swim in formation and catch small fish, including parr, like a big wide net. I can remember the smallest tributaries had parr as common as brook trout when I was young. You really had to watch what you hooked to be careful to release the parr back to the water. I know of some idiots that would keep them for trout, it was illegal.  ::)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Tom

Here is another bird that is common on the South's shoreline, a Skimmer.  I know that Mooseherder must have seen them too.   It flies and glides at a high rate of speed, close to the water with its lower bill extended into the water.  When it finds a fish or shrimp or whatever, it catches it and either eats it in flight or carries it to shore, depending on the size.  I've watched them do this in the middle of the night as I fished for Snook off of the old South bridge in Ft. Pierce.  It always seemed to me that they risked getting their neck broken.

A written page on Skimmers

Here is Audubon's Birds of America from the beginning if you care to read some of it.  I find it fascinating.  :P :)

Don P

We heard a thump against the glass on the job last week. Kinda sad. This hummer was beautiful. The ruby throat and feathers were irridescent, flashing in the light as you turned him.



Tom

I wonder what a hummingbird mount would cost?

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