Bird watching!!!!

[Dogma]

As part of an overall remodel and landscape (slight overstatement!) re-do, I had a natural basalt bowl bubbling fountain installed. My intent was to have some pleasant white noise in my city garden. I had hoped that it might also provide a water source for birds and other wildlife. I had not anticipated how popular it would prove to be. It has been a total joy to watch the MANY birds, migratory and resident, who frequent the pool. Completely entertaining, and water is a disappearing resource for birds in urban environments.

[mtdmind]

Recently had a bunch of Kites learn to fly. They were noisy for weeks chasing each other in the sky. They are gone now.

[catdaddy]

I've been a birder since grade school. My grandmother got me started, and I've loved doing it now for more than 60 years. My wife and I are volunteers in a local Audubon Society project involving Eastern Bluebirds. We monitor 17 nest boxes along a 20 mile stretch of State Forest trail. Every two weeks we check the boxes for eggs and chicks, identify species (sometimes chickadees and titmice use the boxes as well as bluebirds), remove invaders such as wasps, spiders, ants and tree frogs, and clear out old nesting material to make ready for a new breeding pair of birds. Our detailed nest box survey results and notes are then sent to the project coordinator. This year breeding has been steady since early March with our nest boxes producing almost 150 fledglings and a near constant 60% occupancy rate. Only our latest survey from July 31st has indicated that the breeding season is coming to an end.

The project has been ongoing for more than a decade, and the increase in the number of bluebirds in our area has been noticeable and quite gratifying. Here's a photo I took last year of an Eastern Bluebird sitting in the loquat tree on our property about 30 feet from my music studio window:

[MakingMusic]

Originally Posted by Acousticado

Ithe incredible wildlife at the Ding Darling refuge in Florida

Wow, That's an amazing photo, Tom. Just looked at the map and the Ding Darling Refuge isn't too far from me. Will have to check it out.

So I agree with Rllink. Birds are pretty amazing. I think I must be a “casual” birder. Not heavily into it but once you develop an interest, it doesn’t go away. We have set up hummingbird feeders and Blue Bird boxes at our house in NC. So interesting to watch.

I keep saying that one day I've got to learn more about birds as I have so many questions. If there are 100’s of billions of birds in the world, why don’t we see more dead birds lying around? Where do they go? And why don’t sleeping birds fall out of trees? How do they hold onto a branch all night?

Geez. Maybe I need to join a birding group!

[RP]

Originally Posted by MakingMusic

Wow, That's an amazing photo, Tom. Just looked at the map and the Ding Darling Refuge isn't too far from me. Will have to check it out...

Ding Darling on Sanibel is a great birding spot....

[mc1]

I am not really a bird watcher so much as I tend to pay attention to the birds I see and hear.

Anyway, I was working outside much of the day today and an osprey spent most of the afternoon perching on a dead poplar. There are osprey nests around the area, but I can't recall seeing one here in the yard.

I took a picture. It looks like it had caught something, perhaps a fish.

[Brucebubs]

[catdaddy]

[KevWind]

We have all kinds of mountain birds

Here are a few

[Mr. Jelly]

We bought 160 pounds of bird seed yesterday so yes we are bird watchers. Our living room has basically a wall of windows that look out over a garden area. We have our bird feeders right out our windows and watch all kinds of wild life. I started out doing a humming bird feeder and now here we are. Lately we have a nursery of 7 kits that stop by and look in our widow.

[Fogducker]

We've had a pair of Ospreys that started nesting on top of a Consumers Power Co. pole for a couple years, so CP installed them their own pole across the street (About 100 ft. distant). NO WAY, they insisted on the old site. So CP put in a couple vertical 12 ft. risers with a platform on top of the "old" pole that seems to be fine with the Ospreys.

In the off season (The Ospreys don't like our Winter either), the nest was checked and several CAT COLLARS were found in the old nest! It seems that they want to vary their protein sources! Mother Nature is vicious! Oh yeah, they are back again for about the 20th year and all is fine with them.

Fog

[Brucebubs]

[Brucebubs]

Took this shot of a young Butcher Bird about 10 minutes ago.

[mc1]

Originally Posted by Brucebubs

Took this shot of a young Butcher Bird about 10 minutes ago.

That's a nice shot. I don't know anything about cameras, but I assume one needs a pretty good lens for a shot like that?

[Brucebubs]

Originally Posted by mc1

That's a nice shot. I don't know anything about cameras, but I assume one needs a pretty good lens for a shot like that?

Panasonic Lumix FZ-80 - great 'built-in' 20-1200 zoom - very easy to use. That shot above was on full zoom - not cropped.