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Post by Cher on Dec 6, 2005 10:58:50 GMT -5
My neighbor called me yesterday to say there was a strange bird in her yard and did I want to come see it. I headed over with my dc, binocs and bird book. Boy was I surprised. I didn't get any good pics but he was still here this morning so got one a little better. I'm really disappointed that the sun wasn't out, I could have gotten some much better pics today, had the tripod and everything this time. Anyway, for the bird lovers ... Here he is, making an appearance all the way from his home territory on the west coast. Mr. Varied Thrush ... isn't he beautiful!  |
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Post by joe on Dec 6, 2005 11:17:18 GMT -5
Nice visitor Cher. He came all the way out to Minn. to see the snow. Guess that makes him a snowbird!
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Post by Cher on Dec 6, 2005 19:18:01 GMT -5
LOL Yeah, he's a greedy one too. While I was watching him, he wouldn't let anyone come and eat there, he chased them all away. I was back over there tonight, just before the sun set and he was pigging out again when the partrige came out for his evening meal. He sat there for awhile staring at the partridge then flew up in a nearby tree. Guess he decided he didn't want to push his luck. ;D Watched them for a little while then the bunny came out to eat and scared everyone away. It's fun, like having your own wild animal show.
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Post by joe on Dec 6, 2005 19:29:19 GMT -5
You have a partridge? Cool. Can you get a pic of him? It's fun to watch the pecking order among the birds.
Yeah between the birds, squirrrels, cats, raccoons, fox and deer it's quite the show. We have mountain lions and bears too but thankfully I haven't seen them in the yard yet!
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Post by Cher on Dec 6, 2005 20:04:34 GMT -5
I'll try tomorrow but it's pretty tough to get a picture cause he usually doesn't come out until it's almost dark. We've got deer too but they've been waiting until it's dark too. They come into the yard to eat the bird food. They've been seeing more and more signs of cougars in Minnesota but I haven't heard about any in my area and hopefully the bears are sleeping now. We had a badger living in the backyard one year, that was really cool.
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Post by krazydiamond on Dec 6, 2005 20:38:50 GMT -5
so what is poor Mr. Thrush doing in MN when his home territory is the West Coast, poor birdie. great shot tho, Cher, you need to up the anty on these close up shots, they'd make great card stock. more! photos!
KD
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Post by Cher on Dec 7, 2005 15:21:17 GMT -5
Thanks KD, would you believe I was inside the house, about 35 feet or so away when I took this. I'll have to wait to try and get a shot of the partridge, I've got a sore throat, I'm thinking tonsilitis so don't want to go by my neighbor.
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Dec 7, 2005 15:31:49 GMT -5
Hey Cher, I love the wildlife photos! Do you ever get to see any Snow Owls there?
Ron
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Post by Cher on Dec 7, 2005 15:38:35 GMT -5
Haven't seen any around the immediate area for a few years now but they aren't uncommon in the winter here. We had one that stayed just outside of town one year, used to see him almost every day. They are beautiful animals. PS ... Here's another one I caught yesterday. Was trying to get a good one of the jays, but they just don't sit still very long. I thought this was kind of cute though when I saw who was peeking around the tree.  |
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Post by rockyraccoon on Dec 7, 2005 15:38:40 GMT -5
great picture cher.
kim
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Dec 7, 2005 16:04:44 GMT -5
That's great Cher! I know blue jays are so common here, but I still love to see them. The woodpeckers are always a treat, no matter what type they are. I stopped feeding all my birds some time ago, because I thought that I'd be moving back south to my home. Don't know if that will happen now. Will be here till the first of January at least, and maybe all winter. Makes me wish I would have kept feeding them so they would have stuck around. I have my feeder right outside my window where my computer sits. Love to watch the birds and the squirrels.
Ron
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stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
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Post by stefan on Dec 8, 2005 13:54:02 GMT -5
great shots cher- We did not feed the birds this year (the chipmunks were starting to take over- and after finding three drowned in the sump pump my wife put an end to all wildlife feeding!) I really miss watching the birds- Of course last year we also had a falcon or something that would pick off the birds one by one- He was a greedy little bugger (got a total of 12 birds that I witnessed).
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Post by Cher on Dec 8, 2005 14:18:07 GMT -5
We have that problem in the summer here Stefan, there's a sharp-shinned hawk that thinks our backyard is his personal restaurant. All the raptors fly south in the winter though so we don't have to worry about it then.
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Post by joe on Dec 8, 2005 19:41:29 GMT -5
I love the Blue Jays! I toss peanuts out my window and they grab them whole and fly off to eat. So now Blue Jays wait outside my window in the morning. Also have 4 or 5 Flickers that come around.
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WyckedWyre
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since April 2007
Posts: 1,391
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Post by WyckedWyre on Dec 8, 2005 20:05:53 GMT -5
I love all the Corvidae - ravens, especially, crows and bluejays. I wish I could put out a feeder, but my Shepherds will grab the birds right out of the air. I also maintain a feral cat colony, and they'll kill the birds, too. So - I don't like to attract the birds to my yard. I so envy you folks who get to live in rural areas...or forests, that's my dream. *Sigh*  S |
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Post by Cher on Dec 8, 2005 22:23:02 GMT -5
I like the crows too Susan, they are so comical. Ours have flown south for the winter but now we have ravens instead. Well, we do have some ravens during the summer but they mostly go further north. I was feeding the crows one year, put a five gallon pail cover on my deck railing, nailed it right there so it wouldn't fall off. They would not touch it though, it was like they were scared of it but not quite. They'd spend an hour trying to sneak up on it and grab the food, it was hilarious.
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Post by Cher on Dec 8, 2005 23:20:26 GMT -5
That's a neat pic, my hubby thought it was a magpie at first. I've never tried to feed the ravens around here, hubby gets mad enough when I feed the crows. LOL They drive him nuts in the spring when they come back. We've got the highest house so they seem to think it's a good landing zone. It's got a mansard style roof so it's also fairly flat and we can hear them bouncing around, running back and forth, it's pretty funny. I love it, to me that's when you know spring is here, when you can hear the crows hollering again.
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Post by gaetzchamp on Dec 9, 2005 0:53:05 GMT -5
Cher-
I think he came all that way to make your day! Must've overheard Neph, Sabre or Stoner talking about you and he had to come check it out himself...(you've got a rep you know)
Gaetz
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MichiganRocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
"I wasn't born to follow."
Member since April 2007
Posts: 154
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Post by MichiganRocks on Dec 9, 2005 10:37:21 GMT -5
Crows can be pretty amazing birds. Believe it or not, when I was a boy I had a pet crow that could talk. He flew wild and went south every winter, but would always come back. I grew up in a very rural, very poor area and everyone tended to keep wild animals as pets. That seems like a lifetime ago now.
Ron
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Post by BAZ on Dec 11, 2005 22:28:58 GMT -5
Hey Cher,
Do you have any Bald Eagles up that way?
They come out here to Northern Arizona from November to April every year and I can't get enough of watching those beauties. I'll try to catch a few with my new digi cam and post them here.
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S
