chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
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Post by chromenut on Apr 1, 2011 23:23:49 GMT -5
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Post by Roller on Apr 1, 2011 23:41:58 GMT -5
I am drawn to the third picture down ... I was also greeted this morning by a red cardinal .I stopped and stared until it flew away for 5 minutes but almost made me late to work ..but nature"s beauty is worth taking a time out for !
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rockwizz
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since May 2007
Posts: 971
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Post by rockwizz on Apr 2, 2011 1:08:41 GMT -5
Ditto, if you haven't taken the time to see a sunrise lately,, you are definetely missing out:)
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Post by rockrookie on Apr 2, 2011 5:53:22 GMT -5
morning Sunrises are the best .
i love the sounds & sites of all of the day time birds waking up .
and all of the nocturnal critters looking for a calm place to lay down .
many people never see this .
--paul
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Post by Bikerrandy on Apr 2, 2011 8:46:19 GMT -5
Spring cometh! My lawn needs mowing, you should see how tall it got this week!! (it rained all week)
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Post by drocknut on Apr 2, 2011 8:55:27 GMT -5
Very nice pictures Robin. I haven't seen too many birds out up here but I don't have a bird feeder so maybe that's the problem. The picture of the crow or raven is a little scary though with him looking right at me....quoth the raven...never more....LOL
Randy, guess you'll have to take some time out of wrapping to go mow. All play and no work makes the grass tall....LOL
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,504
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 3, 2011 19:12:26 GMT -5
Awesome pictures! Don't you just love bird feeders? I think my wife and I almost support Wild Birds Unlimited. Think we're up to like six feeders now. Morning bird songs this time of year are really raucous but I still love to hear all the birds wake up!....Mel
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amyk
fully equipped rock polisher
I'm a slabber, I'm a cabber, I'm a midnight wrapper.
Member since January 2010
Posts: 1,331
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Post by amyk on Apr 3, 2011 20:15:31 GMT -5
Nice pictures. We have lots of kinds of birds here also. But they seem to know instinctively just how far my camera can focus. I never get a good picture. I would hang a feeder in the window, but I think that would feed my cats more than the birds. My cats are good hunters. They keep bringing me dead mice and rats but I've never had one in the house. Good kitties. Earning their keep.
Anyway, I digress, My cats would really like it if I lure the birdies in closer with a feeder. LOL
I do feed them on the windowsill at work though. If we forget to put seed out, they start pecking on the window. They know where the seed comes from.
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Post by Toad on Apr 3, 2011 21:40:08 GMT -5
Great job on the pics
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chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
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Post by chromenut on Apr 4, 2011 7:34:08 GMT -5
Thank you all. Living on the lake, in a very quiet section, has it's benefits. We have all kinds of critters here, and I am normally setting my camera up in time-lapse so I don't have to scare them away. I have all the windows open after the family is gone for the day so I sit in my office and listen to the birds. I'm trying like heck to capture three birds that I've not had any luck with - we have a beautiful Great Blue Heron who fishes off of my neighbor's dock, but is extremely skittish. I've only captured him twice and really can't wait to get a better shot:  Then there's the Kingfisher, I don't know if he still lives here or not, haven't seen him in a while, and lastly the small spotted Woodpecker who visits us. Been trying to get these guys on film for a while. Also, on the crow, I did a pencil sketch of him, it turned out even creepier.  |
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MikeS
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2009
Posts: 1,081
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Post by MikeS on Apr 4, 2011 21:54:57 GMT -5
cool.the cardinal is beautiful! I Have a hummingbird feeder outside our kitchen window, but those buggers are always gone before I get the camera ready  |
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Post by frane on Apr 5, 2011 9:32:35 GMT -5
I just love watching the birds at the feeder! We have all the Robins that have returned now. They cover the lawn in the morning, there are so many of them!
Fran
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Post by tanyafrench on Apr 7, 2011 13:10:24 GMT -5
Awesome pictures. Our whole front yard is a bird sanctuary, we feed them all over and we have about a quarter acre pond in our front yard so they have plenty of water and food. Last year I was treated to a Lesser Bittern visiting the pond for several days. Here is a picture of him, I tried to get closer but this camera only zooms 10 X and that was as good as I could get. He took off if I walked closer.  They are awesome |
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chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
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Post by chromenut on Apr 7, 2011 13:20:22 GMT -5
gorgeous bird!
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Apr 7, 2011 14:51:42 GMT -5
Tanya, I'm calling that bird as first summer Green Heron (we used to call it "little green heron") all day long. Is Lesser Bittern a local name? There is a Least Bittern in the standard English common names, but they aren't usually so bold, while Green Heron is very bold. My best picture of Green Heron may not be too helpful, since this bird is just out of the nest, but I'll place it here for giggles anyway.  The only Least Bittern that has tolerated a close approach by me, without flying, was buried down in the reeds. We approached by flatboat and in that way could get almost close enough to touch. Couldn't photograph the bird though, because it was just a beak sticking up, ha ha. In my experience, at least around these parts, those birds are way more skittish than Greens. And yah, the bird is neither Green nor nicely long-legged like you expect a Heron to be, but I don't name 'em, I just call 'em like I see 'em! :-) |
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Post by tanyafrench on Apr 7, 2011 15:22:56 GMT -5
I checked with the local Five Rivers Metro Park and it is a Bittern, absolutely no green on this bird. I was on the far side of the pond which is a quarter acre so I was not close and if I moved it took off. It spent several days around our pond and I would sit on the swing until he landed. (They don't fly very much, short distances and from the lower tree branches to the ground.) I had to really watch for him but I was lucky enough to get several photos, this being the best.
I love the birds and watch them all the time. We have a Bald Eagle nesting not too far from home. Too far for pictures but it's a treat to see them.
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Apr 7, 2011 16:09:42 GMT -5
There is no green in most Green Herons. The name is one of those trick names, I'm afraid. If they used "there's no green in the bird" as the basis for the identification, I wouldn't be comfortable with that person's call, because it suggests that they haven't seen or at least they have not OBSERVED too many Green Herons. I'm just not seeing the conspicuous light patch on the wing you see with Least Bittern. Could be a trick of the photography or the light, I suppose... I don't have a decent photo of the species. Can you look at this link when you have the chance? 50birds.com/uploads/lkonz/2004-09-30_091415_Least_Bittern~a.jpgYou can see how the two species could be confused, but the Least has a very noticeable "buffy" wing patch. You would have also noticed this when it flushed. |
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chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
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Post by chromenut on Apr 7, 2011 16:16:31 GMT -5
I have a really nice 80 page guide to Waterbirds of Ohio in PDF format if you want a copy. It shows this as an American Bittern. Here's a snapshot from the guide:  It definitely looks more like a Bittern than a Green Heron:  |
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peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
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Post by peachfront on Apr 7, 2011 16:21:34 GMT -5
Nooooo....that's not the crucial part of the bird. In fact, that's a TERRIBLE photo to use in a guidebook. Look at the head of Least Bittern. Look at the head of Green Heron. Now look at the head of American Bittern. Does that photo help you at all? They are all the same, pretty much, aren't they? Tanya needs a photo of the entire body or at least the wings and back. Also, in that guide, they put the American Bittern posed but the Green Heron hunched, so you don't grok that the two birds are actually shaped very much the same. In my link, I have a hunchy Least Bittern...
I'm a believer in the principle of "If you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras." Green Heron is the most likely. The coloring and time of year is right for first summer Green Heron. The person who ID'd the bird doesn't know how to ID herons. Put it together, and I'm not satisfied that "horses" have been eliminated. It may be a Least Bittern but, since I'm not seeing that wing patch, it's hard for me to give it credit.
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chromenut
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since December 2009
Posts: 1,971
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Post by chromenut on Apr 7, 2011 16:27:37 GMT -5
Well I didn't post the Least Bittern because it looks nothing like the photo. Here's it:  |
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