Bird Watching

[Storm]

I've gotten a lot of questions about my avatar, the black crowned night heron, and it became obvious that many people on this forum enjoy bird watching.

So, what was one of your favorite sightings? Do you bird watch formally or casually. Any places or skills that are particularly helpful?

I bird watch casually, learning about the different types of birds I see and their calls and habits has always been fascinating to me. Although I've never been inclined to sit out in a shack and just wait for birds to appear.

My favorite sighting was of a male Painted Bunting. They are extremely beautiful, but very shy and rarely come of bushes and trees to be easily spotted. I saw it while sitting on a friend's back porch out in the country. He had a bird feeder that a particular painted bunting had decided was safe enough to eat from.

Another time I witnessed the mating dance of the Canadian Goose. This was especially neat since Canadian geese mate for life and their mating dance is quite elaborate. It's done over a lake and consist of lots of swoops and swimming and calls.

[rahdam]

Cooper's Hawk, Sharp-shinned hawk...they're in the same group, but I forget that group designation.

Osprey. Peregrine falcon. Merlin.
Bald Eagles during a whitewater trip.

[Distance]

We're in the pathway of a substantial number of migrating species, as well as having a massive bird sanctuary within 40 kms. Favourites have been the migration of snow geese to the level that entire fields have turned white from flocks landing or the sky has been blanketed. Hummingbirds and finches are adorable. Our local bald eagle population are magnificent and so are the blue herons. We also have a large population of Canada Geese which nest in parks. Been aggressively chased by mating and nesting pairs while innocently walking by.

[reb]

Storm, as you know, i have a variety all over. i watch buzzards, hawks, cardinals, mockingbirds, jays, chickadees...and, my favorite, i think, wrens.

i have three pair (i think...maybe more) nesting in various places. one in the chicken house, one in a tire planter...and i think one is trying to make a nest in an exterior roman shade. they are bug eating little machines, and cute on top of that.

[brdmadgrl82]

I looove birds (I'm sure you can tell). I think when posting what birds you guys should list the location. It might help with getting an idea of what to look for in different regions. My best bird watching experience was in Costa Rica (I can't even say what my favorite was because they were all so beautiful and unique). The coolest birds I got to see were in the Monteverde Cloud Forests...though I was disappointed I did not spot a Quetzal...I guess the sightings are less frequent. I think Costa Rica is a bird lovers paradise for sure...really...you can't even count all the species you encounter in a day, let alone in an hour.

[True Rune]

I'm a noob still.. but my favorite things to see so far are red winged blackbirds, cardinals.. and ospreys. :D

[brdmadgrl82]

I'm a noob still.. but my favorite things to see so far are red winged blackbirds, cardinals.. and ospreys. :D

red winged blackbirds are cool :) I tried to feed a young one this morning who was picking through the garbage. I normally see them by the prairie trail where I ride my bike too. I did get attacked once though when I was younger (it hit me in the head so I ran away, lol) very territorial.

[Supaslim]

I'm a casual birdwatcher, but I'm very interested in ornithology in general. I particularly like the variations in the morphology of wings. I took an ornithology course last semester, and have been birdwatching for years.

My absolute favorite bird is the Turkey Vulture, for many reasons. Fortunately for me, it's become pretty common in my parts over the past few years, and I'm just beginning to see them standing around in fields and basking on the rooftops of old barns. They're great birds :)

The most amazing thing I've seen was a red-tailed hawk dive, snatch up one of the neighbor's guinea fowl, and fly off with it in tow. And that particular hen was massive, maybe 3, 3.5 lb. The hawk was almost certainly lighter than it. It was really awesome to see it fly off with it.

The other amazing thing I once saw was a partially albinistic little blue heron. They aren't usually seen anywhere near where I saw it. I mistook it for an egret at first, but it had some chinchilla patches. I would say that it was a juvenile molting into its adult plumage... but it didn't look like that at all.

[Monte314]

Here on the east coast of Florida, I see a lot of aquatic birds, from common types like pelicans and gulls, to all kinds of unusual looking herons and cranes, some varieties of which are common visitors to residential areas.

I've also seen owls, eagles, jays, Cardinals, vultures, geese and ducks, and different kinds of woodpeckers (woodpeckers are quite a nuisance here, as they make a mess of the soft trunks of otherwise beautiful palm trees).

From time-to-time you will see free-roaming peacocks; these can show up in some very unusual places!

[dontmesswithme]

I love birds as well and would like to get more into bird watching. I want binoculars!

One of my best sightings has been a mockingbird. This was more than ten years ago when I was living with my parents. I could hear strange sounds emanating from outside my bedroom window very early each morning for a few days. Some of the sounds were of a piano playing. It was so odd. I got up extra early one morning and waited and I saw it in the bush outside my window. It was really neat. (I play piano so I guess that's where he heard those sounds). I had to look through my Grandmother's Audubon book to learn what kind of bird it was.

When I was little we were up north and I saw a Blue Heron flying above me when I was walking on a dirt road. I ran after it for a minute or so and it disappeared over a forested area. It was a sunny day and the bird looked distinctly blue in the bright light, and it was big.

I also once saw a Sparrow Hawk in my back yard. Really rare. I had to look that one up in the Audubon book too. EDIT: I've just looked it up on Wiki and the bird I saw is an American Kestrel (sometimes called a Sparrow Hawk).

I was also chased by a flock of Canada Geese at the beach one time several years ago. I fed them a few bread crusts and, evidently, they wanted more. When I ran out of bread, they started walking slowly towards me while hissing quite loudly. It was rather alarming. I started running and so did they!

The other day I saw a tiny gold and black bird that I don't know the name of and he was singing very loudly in a tree. I also looovvve cardinals. They're the best singers.

I saw all these birds in Ontario, Canada.

[Storm]

My absolute favorite bird is the Turkey Vulture, for many reasons. Fortunately for me, it's become pretty common in my parts over the past few years, and I'm just beginning to see them standing around in fields and basking on the rooftops of old barns. They're great birds :)

That's an odd choice. I've always found them kind of scary and smelly. Why do you like them so much?

From time-to-time you will see free-roaming peacocks; these can show up in some very unusual places!

Why are they there, are they lost pets?

[True Rune]

I'm a casual birdwatcher, but I'm very interested in ornithology in general. I particularly like the variations in the morphology of wings. I took an ornithology course last semester, and have been birdwatching for years.

My absolute favorite bird is the Turkey Vulture, for many reasons. Fortunately for me, it's become pretty common in my parts over the past few years, and I'm just beginning to see them standing around in fields and basking on the rooftops of old barns. They're great birds :)

The most amazing thing I've seen was a red-tailed hawk dive, snatch up one of the neighbor's guinea fowl, and fly off with it in tow. And that particular hen was massive, maybe 3, 3.5 lb. The hawk was almost certainly lighter than it. It was really awesome to see it fly off with it.

The other amazing thing I once saw was a partially albinistic little blue heron. They aren't usually seen anywhere near where I saw it. I mistook it for an egret at first, but it had some chinchilla patches. I would say that it was a juvenile molting into its adult plumage... but it didn't look like that at all.

Turkey vultures were the first ones I could spot. So they have a special place in my .. uh.. secret F place.

[khadi]

I notice birds wherever I go but I don't make special expeditions to watch them. My favorite sightings are birds in their natural habitat. Here in southern CA that's a rarity. Like a family of quails in a dry stream bed, or blackbirds singing and hooing in a patch of bulrushes (that are planted as residential landscaping... but it's a start). I'm ecologically-minded and appreciate, in my F place as TR says, functioning ecosystems. The presence of native birds are usually indicative of that. I often feel more akin to them than to people.

[OwenF]

I really enjoy bird watching, though it’s rarer for me now to make special trips solely to look at birds.

I once spotted an American Woodcock on an urban college campus. (In transit, I’m sure.) Because the thing was almost perfectly camouflaged in landscaping pine straw, I didn’t see it until I was almost on it, maybe eight feet away, and it shot up and fluttered across the grass into another bed of shrubs. I followed it over there and stared at it for a few minutes, close enough to see it well without flushing it again. I’m pretty sure some of the people passing by were whispering about the crazy man’s fascination with the pine straw.

I’ve seen a Prothonotary Warbler in a cypress swamp, a Golden-crowned Kinglet drinking from a stream in the Appalachians, and a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher scissoring its way through the air several hundred miles away from where it was supposed to be. I’ve had several excellent experiences with Cedar Waxwings.

I once spent a weird and wonderful evening in my cousin’s front yard because he had a tree that was a nighttime gathering place for barn owls. Seeing barn owls circling over you in the moonlight, flying in perfect silence with ghostly downcast faces—well, I would recommend it.

Why are they there, are they lost pets?

Feral peafowl are a problem in Florida and California. It used to be more common for people to keep them as a kind of lawn art in motion, and there are also peafowl farms. (Tastes like pheasant!) I believe there are some peafowl in the yard when Charles Bovary first visits Emma in Madame Bovary, though I may be getting my novels mixed up.

Thank you for making the title of this thread “Bird Watching” instead of “Birding.” I prefer the older term.

[Supaslim]

That's an odd choice. I've always found them kind of scary and smelly. Why do you like them so much?

I think they're pretty (I know, I'm an odd one), and they're calming to watch. I rarely see them feeding, they're always just basking and looking content with themselves. Plus, they're very interesting, socially. When a large meal is found, they've been known to alert neighboring roosts to come join the feast. When it's gone, the visiting birds go home. I think it's fascinating that there are no squabbles or anything, and they freely share. Plus, they're pretty smart birds, and intelligence is important. ;D

I’m pretty sure some of the people passing by were whispering about the crazy man’s fascination with the pine straw.

It's alright, I stop to watch wild animals that nobody else notices, too- some people on my campus thought I was crazy, walking in circles around the university buildings and whistling. What they didn't know was that I was chasing a Northern Cardinal. XDD

[OwenF]

It's alright, I stop to watch wild animals that nobody else notices

One of the my favorite things about being a bird watcher, an insect watcher, any sort of focused watcher, is noticing how much of the world I utterly failed to notice before. It’s dizzying sometimes, and can even be overwhelming, but I really like it.

[Distance]

My son and I got lost at the local bird sanctuary when he was around five. We took some paths that ended up close to some very aggressive cranes during mating season. There were warning signs everywhere about attack cranes but no maps to show us which way to get out or what to avoid. You could hear the cranes screaming all around us but couldn't see them since the foliage on either side of the paths was really thick. The foliage is probably what saved us from injury.

My five year old ended up leading us out. Boy, did I feel stupid and was so proud of the little guy. And no, can't find myself out of a paper bag when it comes to directions. :embarrassed::p

[Deliberator]

I have always enjoyed casual birdwatching. When I was a kid I used to document their appearances and behaviors like a little nerdlet wildlife researcher.

My favorite bird is the Mockingbird. Such a personality. I love to hear a Mockingbird mother beating the crap out of a crow when she's brooding.

My second favorite is the Chickadee, just because they're so freakin' cute.

Those two are both fairly common in Virginia. So are house sparrows, finches, seagulls, pelicans, dark-eyed juncos, mallards, cananda geese, crows, owls, hawks, vultures, starlings, and cardinals.

I get tickled if I see a woodpecker, a goldfinch, a blue heron, a killdeer, redwinged blackbird, a peregrin falcon, or a Blue Jay. Seems like I never really run into anything that rare, except a dead bluebird once. I think once I saw an Oriole.

[Supaslim]

I get tickled if I see a woodpecker, a goldfinch, a blue heron, a killdeer, redwinged blackbird, a peregrin falcon, or a Blue Jay.

And these (except for the falcon, replace it with a red-tailed hawk) are birds I see on a near-daily basis. Woodpeckers and jays if I go somewhere nearby with more trees. Herons and r-w blackbirds if I visit the creek near my house. The killdeer and goldfinches are all over my yard!

I always forget that birds common to me aren't common for other people.

[Deliberator]

And these (except for the falcon, replace it with a red-tailed hawk) are birds I see on a near-daily basis. Woodpeckers and jays if I go somewhere nearby with more trees. Herons and r-w blackbirds if I visit the creek near my house. The killdeer and goldfinches are all over my yard!

I always forget that birds common to me aren't common for other people.

I will say though that blue herons are pretty common here too, but I won't necessarily see them every time I go out.

[OwenF]

One of my favorite common birds is the barn swallow. Beautifully colored (usually much more so in person than photographs because of the iridescence) and a very accomplished flier. Bridges and interstate overpasses are good places to look, but my favorite barn swallow experience is watching them fly over a pond when the sun gets low in the sky. Predation can be awfully pretty sometimes.

Of course sometimes they're drinking instead of eating: To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

[Seducer]

I live with a pet cockatiel. He's my little buddy. I let him roam around freely all the time. Sometimes I pick him up and mess around with him. I think it's cruel to keep birds in cages all the time.

I haven't gone bird watching but I like eagles and hawks. Eagles are truly great birds. They can take down large mammals such as deers and foxes, not just small ones like rabbits.

[SeaCzar]

Where to begin? My parents had a McCaw parrot when I was growing up. He was a noisy and messy bird, but interesting as well. He parroted my Mom calling the dog, "Here Blackie. Come here boy," and invariably, the dog came to the door.

My college roommate (and still great friend) got me started with bird watching. His first house out of college was on the Potomac River in southern MD. I would go down for weekends, and we would spend much time bird watching. From there, I was hooked.

I go to the Outer Banks of NC several times a year to enjoy the solitude and the beach, with the added bonus that there are birds galore, and shore birds are my favourites. Osprey, Black Skimmers, American Oystercatchers and Brown Pelicans abound. Late summer can witness dozens of Brown Pelicans diving into the ocean like a richly choreographed ballet. Black Skimmers fly in tight formation and feed in the ocean and on the sound, like feathered Blue Angels. Its almost an addiction for me, but a good one.

I bought a pair of Fujinon 14 X 40 Techno-Stabi (To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.) binoculars to indulge my addiction. There's no going back.

[Deliberator]

I forgot about robins! We're up to our ears in robins around here.

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[Supaslim]

One of my favorite common birds is the barn swallow. Beautifully colored (usually much more so in person than photographs because of the iridescence) and a very accomplished flier. Bridges and interstate overpasses are good places to look, but my favorite barn swallow experience is watching them fly over a pond when the sun gets low in the sky. Predation can be awfully pretty sometimes.

I got some decent video of some barn swallows near a bridge by my house. There's a small creek that passes under the bridge there, and it's really peaceful- it's my zen place. There are a lot of barn swallows that nest there, so I decided one day to bring my camera.

Here's a clip I uploaded to the Youtube. It's not documentary material, but I was pleased with it. To view links or images in this forum your post count must be 2 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

I forgot about robins! We're up to our ears in robins around here.

As are we! When I was a kid I always wondered why the Illinois state bird wasn't the American Robin instead of the Northern Cardinal, when the Robins vastly outnumbered the Cardinals. Of course, where I grew up, there really aren't any cardinals (not enough trees) so that was part of the issue, too. It was a special day if I saw a Northern Cardinal.

[AnnoyingPony]

Once I was on a hike in a park, when I decided to pick this one cedar tree to sit under so that I could eat my lunch. But as soon as I walked under the canopy, a Barred Owl hooted at me because I disturbed its privacy. I had heard that owls can get angry when disturbed, so I ate lunch somewhere else.

On a side note, there is a pair of nesting Bald Eagles near my home. The crows like to harass them.