Just passing through

[MoonCat]

This little guy was in my backyard today:

http://10000birds.com/wp-content/upl...rd-walking.jpg *

We get a lot of different birds stopping in during the spring and fall migrations. Who else has some interesting visitors?





*ovenbird

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Linky no worky.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Access forbidden.

[XCashier]

In my neighborhood, I've seen a lot of pretty yellow birds with lovely voices; they're either Western Meadowlarks or American Goldfinches. We also get quite a few Stellar Jays, Western Bluebirds, Canada Geese and Red-Winged Blackbirds.

[MoonCat]

Sorry, don't know what happened there. Anyway, here he is.

[Pixilated]

Aw, he's cute!

[CoffeeMonkey]

I've been seeing various cool birds in my yard as I've been gardening. (I'm in michigan, btw, near detroit.)

there's a bunch of these black birds which I THINK are some kind of grackle? they're black with a little bit of blue sheen.

The robins are plentiful this year. One was rooting in my turned-over garden the other day, and did not care one whit about my telling him to leave my worms alone, I want them for my vegetables. Every time I shooed him off he returned. I even gave him a spritz with the hose (it's on a gentle shower, not a hard blast or anything mean) and he was all "What? You think I care about your hose rain? I'm a SPRING BIRD. Rain is my thing."

Today I saw a pair of goldfinches chasing each other.

The best one, though, is a cooper's hawk that lives somewhere nearby. I've seen him several times now and he's awesome. I love watching birds of prey. It took me days of googling to figure out what he was.

It'd be even better if we had owls around. My city has a rat problem.

[AccountingDrone]

there's a bunch of these black birds which I THINK are some kind of grackle? they're black with a little bit of blue sheen.
.

I thought grackles were a purplish sheen?

Yesterday was Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom day in CT - I was driving around and was confronted along the way by a badger, a pair of beavers, a swan and cygnets, a rather peeved goose [one of mine, actually] a large red tailed hawk and a pair of squirrels screwing in the middle of the road near my [very rural] house. we almost caught something in our live capture trap, but it was too long for the thing, it calmly finished eating the kibble we baited it with and backed out and left the scene of the crime. We now think that we have a weasel relative in the woods. [the trap works on coons and possums, only thing we can think of is something long and skinny like a ferrety weaseley something. *sigh*

[sms001]

We're fortunate enough to have a pileated woodpecker as a regular visitor out at the farm. They're striking enough at rest, but they lumber through the air ---looks like they really work at flying

Other frequent sightings of note: Bald Eagles, Golden Eagle, White Tailed Kite(?), Turkey Vultures, Peregrines, Sandhill Cranes, Barn Owls (and recently a Snowy Owl!), Redheaded Woodpeckers.

Oddly enough my favorite flyer is the plain ol' Ringbilled Gull, so graceful.

On the predator side, I've seen Baldies go off in defeat. Last week a lone, smaller black bird of some type (too far to make out) swooped and harried the eagle just like a WWII fighter making multiple passes at a bomber. And crows are organized! A few years ago the local murder sent out some strident cry, and groups and loners started arriving from all directions. There were eventually too many to count, but certainly approaching fifty. They took turns in small groups of up to a half dozen launching from the trees to the east of the paddock to swarm a mating pair of baldies, who eventually gave up and (I suspect) eventually nested down the road about two miles.

[Kittish]

Don't see a LOT of wildlife around the house here, but there is some. Had a road runner take a casual stroll through the yard one day, I was outside and it just glanced at me and kept walking. Lots of little (and a few not quite so little) lizards, don't know what particular kinds. Caught a glimpse of a coyote one night as we pulled into the driveway. Crows, assorted hawks, kangaroo rats, jack rabbits, cottontails and ground squirrels (aka chipmunks). I know there are snakes in the area, but I've not yet encountered any, ditto with tarantulas. I'd just as soon keep it that way, too.

[dalesys]

... I know there are snakes in the area, but I've not yet encountered any, ditto with tarantulas. I'd just as soon keep it that way, too.

Or Raps will have to change your handle to s'Kittish.

[klhanson]

I saw something interesting the other day.. a black squirrel

[pitmonkey]

CoffeyMonkey, What you saw may have been a male Brewer's Blackbird. They are about the size of a Robin.

[MoonCat]

I saw something interesting the other day.. a black squirrel

They have those in Toronto! So cute!

Grackles are sort of purpley-black. Their call sounds like an old rusty gate, sort of crraannnk-squeak!

We have Cooper's hawks too. One brought down a pigeon in our backyard once. Red-tails are common. Also, the turkey vultures are back for the summer. Goofy looking up close, very big wingspan. They like to hover over the streets watching for roadkill.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

We're fortunate enough to have a pileated woodpecker as a regular visitor out at the farm. They're striking enough at rest, but they lumber through the air ---looks like they really work at flying

I've seen a pileated woodpecker exactly once--at college when it flew into the window of the apartment above mine.

I was heading out to class and the girls who lived there were freaking out. The woodpecker was standing on the side of the building, probably thinking "How do I flew into window?"

Also, the turkey vultures are back for the summer. Goofy looking up close, very big wingspan. They like to hover over the streets watching for roadkill.

Saw a couple of them flying around yesterday, being harassed by a bunch of crows.

Also, every afternoon I get to see the cormorants coming back from the lake for the evening. They can be identified by their flying in a V shape like geese, only silent.