New Birds

We went to GA for a visit this past weekend and made it out to Phinizy Swamp for some bird watching. We got a Cooper's Hawk while we were there. Between Phinizy and our stops in Columbia, SC, on the way home to WV, I got 6 'new to me' birds, including THREE different species of Hawk.

Red-tailed Hawk

We didn't get great pictures of the Cooper's Hawk or the Red-shouldered Hawks we saw, but here is a beautiful Great Blue Heron we saw on Fort Jackson, SC.


Charles got a great picture of an Anhinga pair at Phinizy.



We also went to Phinizy Swamp over Easter weekend. That weekend I got 15 'new to me' birds, including a Bald Eagle (taken while stopped for gas at Fort Jackson, SC)!!


Here is a great picture of a Great Egret, taken at Phinizy Easter weekend.

We also saw some beautiful Red-winged Blackbirds Easter weekend at Phinizy.

And a TON of Cattle Egrets.

Here is a Broad-winged Hawk we saw over Easter weekend.


As we were leaving Phinizy that weekend, the birding group we happened upon pointed out this Osprey to us.

What GREAT weekends of birding we've had lately!

So many new birds!

Yesterday we went to Lake Stephens and saw 8 (EIGHT!!!) new birds! It was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, I didn't get great pictures of some of them. I saw 3 different kinds of swallows (Tree Swallows, Barn Swallows, and Northern Rough-Winged Swallows) and tehy were hard to capture. They were flying all over the lake, swooping here and there. Cool birds. We also identified our first Hawk. We got a Broad Winged Hawk. And then there was a Greater Scaup ( a duck), an Eastern Phoebe, and a Spotted Sandpiper, and a Red Breasted Merganser (another duck). Fun day. And then today I saw another beautiful White-throated Sparrow pecking the ground beside a great looking Chipping Sparrow. Here they are:


Here is the Hawk


Greater Scaup


Tree Swallow


Some Rock Pigeons we saw on the way out of the neighborhood

Yay! A new Lifer! Purple Finch

I was photographing this guy today, even though I thought he was a House Finch, which I have many pictures of. I was taking his picture anyway because he was so bright. I thought it was just his mating plumage. Apparently, I was wrong though. This is a Purple Finch! This is the first time I have seen a Purple Finch. Isn't he pretty? I hope to get some better pictures soon.




And, for comparison, this is a picture of a House Finch from November.

White-throated Sparrow

I have had some BEAUTIFUL White-throated Sparrows outside this morning. I love this bird, mostly because I often don't know what it is until I look at the pictures and see the yellow spots behind its beak. This morning though, the yellow spots were nice and bright and I knew immediately that the White-throated Sparrows were back. They're cute, chubby little things and are fun to watch as they peck away on the ground.

Chipping sparrows

I have had lots of Chipping Sparrows at my feeders today. They're pretty little birds, with their chestnut crowns. I saw my first Chipping Sparrow at my sister's house in Georgia in early March. I had not seen one here in WV until earlier this week. Now they're everywhere. Skittish little things though. There were about 5 on my red feeder and when I went for the camera they all flew off. Here are some individual portraits I got though. ;)



And I've had several American Goldfinches lately also. Pretty birds, too.

Killdeer

I saw a 'new to me' bird today! Woo hoo. That's so much fun! We were at my youngest son's soccer practice and my husband pointed out some birds to me that were walking around in an empty field. I took pictures as I slowly walked towards them. Once I got home I was able to identify them as Killdeer. They're very cool birds. They're actually Shorebirds, but are often found in large fields or parking lots. Check out the pictures I took.

Dark-eyed Junco

The Dark-eyed Junco is a bird that, at first glance, seems kind of normal and maybe even boring. But the more I watch them, the more I like them. Their top half is a dark gray, almost black, and their bottoms are white. They're a cute little bird with light colored beaks. They have been coming to my yard in flocks lately, alongside the Mourning Doves and sparrows, pecking for seeds, or maybe insects, on the ground. The lighter colored, almost brown ones, are the females. Remember you can click on the pictures to see them bigger if you want.








Happy Birding!

Pileated Woodpecker

I just saw a Pileated Woodpecker in my backyard!! How exciting! Unfortunately, I didn't get great pictures of him, but at least I got a couple that are okay. He's a much bigger bird than I thought. The guide says up to 20 inches and this one was probably close. He was just pecking away at a tree, just as happy as can be. I hope he comes back to see me one day soon. I've seen this guy in my guide and was looking forward to when I would see one because his head is so crazy looking. YAY for a great bird day! And I didn't even have to leave my house! Here are a couple of pictures of Pileated Pete.



Happy Birding!

Northern Flicker

We went out both Saturday and Sunday of this past weekend hiking and looking for new birds. I'm guessing 'walking' through the woods might not be the best way to find new birds since I didn't have any luck. Sitting and waiting might be best??? I'm finding that I don't have much patience in that area. I did get 4 new life birds this weekend though. Nothing too exciting (except the Northern Flicker that came to my own backyard. I didn't have to leave the house for that). Other than the Flicker, I documented a Mallard pair, some Turkey Vultures, and some Black Vultures; nothing I haven't seen 100 times before I'm sure. I had a great time out and about with my family though, enjoying all that West Virginia has to offer. Rushing streams, peaceful ponds, dense forest, old ruins, tadpole eggs...so much to explore and experience.

Saturday morning, while I was still getting ready for the day, my oldest son spotted a "new" bird in our backyard. He pointed it out to my husband and my husband took some pictures of it for me. When I came downstairs they excitedly told me about the new bird and we downloaded the pictures. We easily identified him as a Northern Flicker. Very cool bird. He has a perfect black bib on his chest, which made him pretty easy to ID. This bird has so many different beautiful markings. I hope you get to see one one day. A new one came to see me this morning.

Canada Goose

Dang. I was going to write about the Red-bellied Woodpecker today, but I see that I just wrote about him on Tuesday. He came to see me bright and early this morning. He's such a pretty bird.

I went out shopping today and while I was out I decided to go take some pictures of the ducks near where Charles works. I got a new camera the other day; just a small one to have with me when I'm out. I wanted to test it out away from the house because I haven't been real happy with the pictures I've taken from my desk (the way I usually do with my big camera). I saw some Canada Geese:

And also some domestic white ducks. I'm not sure what kind they are and since they're not native wild ducks, I'm not going to spend a lot of time trying to figure them out. They are pretty though.

White-breasted Nuthatch

The White-breasted Nuthatch...one of my favorite birds. I love its coloring, the sleek design of its body, and the way it hangs upside down on my suet feeder. These birds come to visit me often and they're never too shy for a picture. This was one of the first birds I identified and the first one that really gave me trouble. Now it's like recognizing one of my kids. Here are a few pics of this cutie-patootie.

Life List

I finally made myself a "Life List" and a "Yard List". I've seen these terms on message boards here and there and just kind of skimmed over them because they confused me. I looked into it more today and confirmed that a "Life List" is a list of ALL the species of birds you've seen in your lifetime, usually with the date and location you first spotted it. A "Yard List" is a list of birds you have seen in your own backyard, also with the date. Some people have other lists or categories, but these are the 2 I'm starting with. In the 7.5 months I've lived here I have photographed and identified 23 different species of birds just in my own backyard. Then I saw 3 more "new to me" birds when I visited GA this past weekend. Here is my current life list (the first 23 make up my 'yard list':

1 Mourning Dove 8-23-2010
2 Carolina Chickadee 8-23-2010
3 Tufted Titmouse 8-23-2010
4 Ruby-throated Hummingbird 8-23-2010
5 Black-capped Chickadee 8-29-2010
6 American Goldfinch 8-31-2010
7 White-breasted Nuthatch 9-1-2010
8 Song Sparrow 11-6-2010
9 Dark-eyed Junco 11-6-2010
10 House Finch 11-8-2010
11 Chipping Sparrow 11-8-2010
12 Downy Woodpecker 11-14-2010 (female) 1-20-2011 (male)
13 Eastern Towhee 12-1-2010
14 Northern Cardinal 12-1-2010
15 House Sparrow 12-1-2010
16 Blue Jay 12-5-2010
17 Red-bellied Woodpecker 12-5-2010
18 Carolina Wren 12-16-2010
19 Northern Mockingbird 1-16-2011
20 American Crow 1-18-2011
21 White-throated Sparrow 1-18-2011
22 European Starling 3-7-2011
23 American Robin 3-7-2011
24 Brown-headed Cowbird 3-12-2011 (in GA)
25 Eastern Bluebird 3-12-2011 (in GA)
26 Yellow-bellied Woodpecker 3-12-2011 (in GA)

Happy Birding!

Red-bellied Woodpecker

I tried for a long time to get a good picture of the Red-bellied Woodpecker. He's a beautiful bird and it's always exciting to get a new bird in my backyard, not to mention a colorful one. But this guy would NOT sit still for me to get a picture for the longest time. Then, in December, I finally got some shots of him on the suet feeder.


But today he visited me for the first time in a long time and I was able to get a great picture of him. (And, no, I do not know for sure if this is the same bird. I haven't even compared the pics to see if it might be. But I still use the 'he' pronoun and talk about him as if it's the same one. Maybe one day I'll be good enough to know when one particular bird visits me repeatedly.) Anyway, I love the Red-bellied Woodpecker and I really love this picture!


Happy Birding!

Georgia birds

I went to Georgia over the weekend to visit family and was on the lookout for new birds. I thought I had found 5 new birds (new to me), but it turns out that 2 of the ones I thought were new were actually American Robins. Apparently they have many different looks right now. But I did see 3 birds that I've never seen before, and that was only from sitting on my sister's deck for 15 minutes Saturday morning. I wish I had had more time and more privacy to really sit and watch. I saw an Eastern Bluebird, a Brown-headed Cowbird, and a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (that I thought was a red-naped sapsucker, but my forum corrected me). So much fun!! Here are some pics.

Brown-Headed Cowbird (male):


Eastern Bluebird (male):


Yellow-bellied Sapsucker:


And these last 2 are both American Robins, according to what bird.




I had a great weekend!

Happy Birding!

American Goldfinch

There is a story around this bird, and it is not a pleasant one. If you're a diehard birder and one that doesn't accept the circle of life, you might want to stop reading here. I don't want angry emails about my irresponsibility for letting my cat outside.

So, last fall one of my cats went missing (Moonpie). I think this really upset my other cat, Bandit, because for the 11 days Moonpie was gone Bandit brought me more "presents" than he ever has in all the time I've had him. I think we were gifted with a squirrel, a chipmunk, and unfortunately 2 or 3 American Goldfinches over that 11 day period. I don't know if he was just upset that Moonpie was missing and that made him want to hunt or if he's always been hunting like that but now he knew that *I* was upset and wanted to bring me gifts to make me feel better (as IF!!). I don't know. All I know is that once Moonpie was found (thankfully! he spent 11 miserable days in someone's crawlspace) the killing stopped, or at least the gifts did. He hasn't brought anything home in the 4 months since Moonpie was found. Isn't that odd? And, just for the record, Bandit did eat his prey. It was disgusting, yet fascinating.

Anyway, so these pretty little birds. I thought they were Yellow Warblers at the time. I was a new bird watcher and I wasn't great at identifying them yet. Finally, once I saw some on my feeders and got better pictures of them, I realized (and it was confirmed on what bird ) that they were in fact American Goldfinches. They're cute little birds (and apparently slow...just kidding) and just the other day I saw some females for the first time. Here are a couple of pictures of the male and then the female American Goldfinch. May they live long and happy lives.




Happy Birding!

Blue Jays

The Blue Jay is a beautiful bird and I get so excited when I see one come to my tree or feeders, but AS SOON as I pick up the camera they fly off. They also have a loud and obnoxious call, which wouldn't bother me if they would let me take their picture. But that, coupled with their shyness, frustrates me. Well, the other day a Blue Jay flew into my CLOSED living room window. This is not a good thing, but once I realized he had sat himself upright and wasn't going to fly away I ran for the camera. I took a few shots of him with his head tilted sideways. I felt bad taking pictures of him because I thought his neck might be broken. After 5-10 minutes he straightened his head. YAY! Now I knew he was pretty much okay and had simply knocked himself silly. I went back for the camera to get a better shot of him now that his head was straight. I got one good picture of the little fella and then stepped closer to try for another one. As soon as I moved he flew into the nearby bush. I got a good picture and he was obviously going to be okay. It was a happy ending for both of us. Look at this beautiful birdy.


Happy Birding!