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Thread: BACKYARD BIRD CONTEST

  1. #16
    Migration is officially underway at my house.
    I just (maybe) saw a Hermit Thrush in the shadows. Maybe it was a Thrasher, but I don't think so. I would not call it a "hit" if the contest were under way, but ... it was - I think.

    Maybe it was the 4 bottle of Urquell.

  2. #17
    drink beer and guess - good contest

  3. #18
    Registered Users TOAD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AgentOrange View Post
    Maybe Toad, and I, and you? could start a new list here on YC.
    It could be birds sighted in or from our backyard.

    The rules will be on the honor system:

    - the bird must be positive ID, no guessing -
    - the bird must be seen while you are at your residence. If you can see it from there, it counts.
    - Contest will start 01Sept14 and go to midnight 31Dec14.
    - anyone joining in not now members of YC must be vetted and Gnome approved.

    Prize will be a quality bird feeder.

    Who will play?

    Quote Originally Posted by AgentOrange View Post
    The count does not start until Oct 1
    Quote Originally Posted by AgentOrange View Post
    . Like you, I am ready to begin. All are on the "honor system" which is OK as we are all honorable people here.


    I am going to post a running tally of mine. Maybe the first post will be labeled 1,2,3,4,etc and the next 6,7,8.
    That not only
    will be more fun, but also alerts others what to be on the look out for.

    October/November/December is a good time period for this contest.
    There will not be a stagnant period.
    Now you have Summer Birds, but the Winter Birds will be arriving, and you will loose your Summer Birds.
    In OCT/NOV almost anything can be passing by during migration.
    To top it off, we have our year-round birds, and there are a lot of them.

    I believe people who play will have fun and be amazed when they start listing.
    Your list will become longer than you might have believed.






    Ok by me!

    The crows are coming daily because I have two pecan trees in the yard and they love those, so they will be around for awhile.

    After all September is almost gone, it would only be fair to start the count in Octo
    ber.
    It will give more folks time to join in.


    **Hum.. Makes one wonder.... What kind of birds do they have on Saipan?**


    I think I will also make several posts, maybe listing the newer birds in red each time.



  4. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by AgentOrange View Post
    it was - I think.

    Maybe it was the 4 bottle of Urquell.
    Quote Originally Posted by Rorschach View Post
    drink beer and guess - good contest
    ... note I did not post this Thrush as one of mine.
    Actually I can't until Oct 1.

    On the other hand, was just being coy as to the ID of this Thrush.
    I know 100% it was he.

    100% :applouse:
    Migration is under way at my house.

    Birds are creatures of habit like us.
    This Thrush is back where he spends time everyday, every Winter --> at the Frog pond.
    He loves Pyracanter berries. Toad has a hedge of those Pop planted as a border.
    I know Thrush don't live forever, but they are a yearly Winter companion for me over the last decade. I know it aint the same one or two, but I know I am never with out one.

    When my Leica binoculars hit him, it was game over. (Toad's camera has Leica lens .) A backyard "buddy" has made it home safe and will be with me again this Winter:couple_inlove:.
    This is why I like/prefer backyard birds as opposed to birding just anywhere which is also fun (and all can do both).


    If this were Oct 1, would not count him as I am confident I will see him many, many times and be able to photo his mug to post for yall.

  5. #20
    Three wood peckers today:
    Red-bellied
    Downy
    Pileated

    The Red-bellied is a guest at my bed room window feeder everyday of the year. At first light he hits it yelling to scare off the Cardinals. Then they return from time to time all day. During nesting they carry suet off and after bring the young by to learn where the free meal is.

    The Downy (and sometimes Hairy) are common after the freeze limits the bug supply some. They get tame and eat on my log near the chair.

    The Pileated use to be here a lot when the Pine Trees were dying (pine beetles). They strip off the dead bark to get to the beetles. These days I don't see them much, wish the contest had started so I could count this guy. They are not hard to discover if in your area. They are the loudest bird in these parts, and they love to scream. If you hear what sounds like Rodan and Godzilla fighting, it will be this guy.

  6. #21
    Registered Users TOAD's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by AgentOrange View Post
    You have a Panasonic camera?


    Quote Originally Posted by AgentOrange;19624[/B
    When my Leica binoculars hit him, it was game over. (Toad's camera has Leica lens .)
    You are right about my camera on both counts.
    But...how the hell did you know this just by looking at a few photos?

  7. #22
    Quote Originally Posted by AgentOrange View Post


    The rules will be on the honor system:

    - the bird must be positive ID, no guessing -
    - the bird must be seen while you are at your residence. If you can see it from there, it counts.
    - Contest will start 01Sept14 and go to midnight 31Dec14.
    - anyone joining in not now members of YC must be vetted and Gnome approved.

    Prize will be a quality bird feeder.

    Who will play?
    The contest begins today. To clarify some, if you see a bird across the street, it counts. If you walk across the street and see it, it does not. If your neighbor has a fence and you have a ladder to see over - it counts. If you can see it in your yard or see it from any place in your yard (from your roof top?) it counts.

    Male & female count as one, not two species.
    There are 3 months, so there is plenty of time.

    Apparently I was under the wrong impression of the rules and now see it started a month ago. Oh well, WTF?

  8. #23
    I will post a few I have seen today. Like I said, the first dozen will be easy, but then it will begin to tighten up, and the excitement will kick in when you sight a new bird.

    Here are a few I see everyday, and saw all today. I have about a dozen birds that are constant companions. The birds I see most become my favorites.
    The most numerous bird in my yard is the Goldfinch, and in Winter the Chipping Sparrow exceeds them.

    Photos are not required, but fun if you can get one. All photos below were snapped in the last week. As these are common backyard birds, I have better, but these recent photos are fun.

    1 - Ruby-throated Hummingbird. These guys will be leaving in the next few days. Fill your feeder so they can fill their belly. This may not be the best photo, but it was taken in deep shade. When I lightened it some you can see the closed gorgets on the throat. I have read that these are not red feathers but a prism trick with the light.
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    2 - Goldfinch. I have these guys in abundance all year. Sometimes when you have a lot of something you fail to see them as individuals or how cool they are. They are fiesty little birds that will hiss at larger bids on the window hopper. This is a young male. Next year he will be almost neon yellow. These are striking birds by any standard. He will pick up a black hat to impress the ladies who are also yellow, but not as bright. They are seed eaters and will hang on flowers like two of my favorite - Cone Flowers and Black-eyed Susans. Both flowers are very easy to grow by just scattering some seed.
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    3 - Eastern Towhee. These guys hang out in the shrubs eating off the ground, especially under your bird feeder. They look kinda like a small Robin, but unlike a Robin, very shy. Most likely you have them or can attract them. This one is a first year bird in a large feeder I made to resemble "the ground" for birds who like to eat off the ground. Not all birds will come to tube feeders, but all will come to hopper feeders. I worry about my Towhees as they eat on the ground, and I have two cats.
    This young bird will color up, get sleek and become just beautiful. The males are very deep red and the females more toward an orange red. This is a common bird, and you have them if you keep an eye out. Snow helps.
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    4 - Carolina Wren. These are my little buddies. They are not much of a feeder bird but do eat suet. They jump around your house and yard all day looking for bugs and spiders. They are very, very loud singers. If you hear a loud song, it is this guy. Many times one has hopped on my leg out here. They get very tame.
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    5- Chicadee. Tiny little bird loved by all backyard bird watchers. Put out any food, and this guy maybe the first to find it. Look up "cuite as hell" in the dictionary and there is a photo of this guy. They get tame and beyond, mine seem to like Rock music. In Winter they "group up" to scavenage their feeding area and other birds join the flock. When they come in you might see anything. This is a photo snapped of one on a water feeder.
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    6- Tufted Titmouse. If you have a feeder (or if you don't) you have this guy. All Winter they will hang with the Chicadees. That is because like the Chicadee, they eat anything and everything. If you want a buddy - this is the guy -> they prefer Jazz.

    7 - Southern Cardinal. This guy wakes me up every day as I have a bedroom window feeder. They are also the last bird out at night. I am lucky that I have been able to keep a lot of these around even though they are kinda territorial. If this is not the best looking backyard bird, point it out. I don't just mean the males as the females also get awesome. Like the Titmouse and Chicadee, they eat everything. They are big on berries. I have Polk plants, Elderberry, Holly, Privett, and Pyracanter. Most see those as weeds, but not me and not Cardinals.

    Here is a photo of Cardinals (M&F) and Hooter (my nick name for Titmouse).
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    Water is the big deal to attract birds. You might not believe me, but it is true. I live on a lake they can/do drink from, but they like my crap as it is safer. Your place is like a desert compared to here. Put out some water and keep it shallow, about an inch or less. Shallow is the deal. You can vary depth by putting in a sloping rock.


    Seven for me. I am winning.

  9. #24
    Registered Users TOAD's Avatar
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    I didn't see anything in the rules about using helpers so I hired myself two spotters.
    That way I can just set back and drink beer until they get excited about seeing a new bird.

    The old pro:
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    And the trainee.
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    They watch the birds, and the birds watch them back.

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    Easy picking today, full house at the feeders.

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    So I spy:


    1. American Goldfinch
    2. Carolina Chickadee
    3. Blue Jay
    4. Mourning Dove
    5. House Finch
    6. Northern Cardinal
    7. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
    8. Tufted Titmouse

    Thanks for the books Bill.
    While the one I have has great pictures, The Peterson guide has much more detail on how to distinguish between closely related species.

  10. #25
    Good photos Toad, thanks for sharing. What is the name of your new trainee?

    I am going to match your House Finch and raise you a couple:


    8 - White-breasted Nuthatch - This is a tame bird that is loud, likes to talk to you when he steals food. They are eager to come to feeders with Sunflower or suet. They take seed and wedge it into bark on a tree to be eaten later. One easy way to notice a nuthatch is that unlike other birds, they run down a tree as opposed to up. They look like a big spider. There are 3 types, this one and the Red-breasted (look very similar), and the very tiny Brown-headed which I saw today but did not get a new photo. I'll count him later on.
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    9 - House Finch - I used to have of these, but now they are year-round. They eat every type seed at the feeders, and will nibble some on suet. They pretty much eat anything. They range from really dull (females and young) to some males that are almost completely red. They are feisty like all finches. They are not native Americans but were brought over to be sold as "cage birds". Some got loose in Long Island, and now the numbers here are estimated at a billion. This is a fun little bird, and all surely have them!
    Name:  house finch (2).jpg
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    At some point i'll catch a Purple Finch which is very siniliar and these two are confused by some who don't see them at the same time. Look for buff belly on the Purple with no stripes.



    ... but wait, as I was trying to catch a red House Finch, your bird, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak showed up. That was unexpected and exciting. A Warbler also landed a few feet from my head just now, but I did not ID it. Migration is in full speed ahead.

    10 - Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Here are a juvenile male and female and an adult female. They are at your house now.
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    All photos today taken through the window, proving this can be an indoor game.

  11. #26
    Between Toad and me, that is 12 birds in 3 days.
    I hope some of yall get time to join in at some point.

  12. #27
    cool i can't play but cool

  13. #28
    CPT TNRabbit R.I.P.'s Avatar
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    When I get a chance to get some food out, I'll join in....

  14. #29
    11 - Summer Tanager - Just sat down on the porch and this guy landed about 40 foot away. I have been seeing her for a while now. This is the female, and it is a striking looking bird.
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    12 - Morning Dove - Years ago I a couple, but now I have a couple more, maybe 8-10. I really like them but don't need more. It is a beautiful bird. They eat Sunflower, but also like millet, and bugs. One comes to my window feeder and eats suet. I once watched one sitting on the ground (not standing). Every time an ant came out of the hole he ate it. Doves travel in pairs and mate for life. The female will land and then the male. When she moves, he follows, kinda like us.
    They are known in these parts also as the Carolina Turtledove. They sound almost like an OWl in twightlight. They are powerful fliers. They are fat, spend most of the day just sitting in a tree. They are different at the water hole as they drink like dogs or cows, unlike other birds who take sip and have to throw their head back to swallow. How anyone can shoot these is beyond me.
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  15. #30
    Registered Users TOAD's Avatar
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    I have been busy this weekend, not much time for bird watching.

    But as I am sitting in the "computer room" ( small room on the back corner of the house), I see out the back window that a Carolina wren is hanging on the bell shaped suet ball hanging under the house eve there.
    While on the other side of the driveway a murder of crows is in the pecan trees again.
    Also, just outside the window facing in the other direction is an old friend that lives in a holly bush planted against the house, a Mockingbird just sitting there in the sun.

    So,
    today I spy:


    1. American Goldfinch
    2. Carolina Chickadee
    3. Blue Jay
    4. Mourning Dove
    5. House Finch
    6. Northern Cardinal
    7. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
    8. Tufted Titmouse
    9. Carolina Wren
    10. American Crow
    11. Northern Mockingbird


    So only three to add, but that's not bad considering I am just sitting inside in front of a computer.:)

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