Birders

[Duncan Glenday]

Nice - focused right on the eye!

[Stevie B]

Great pics...you've either got some pretty tame raptors over the pond or some pretty impressive gear!

[Nearfest2]

My gear is good. I have a Nikon D7100 and a Sigma Contemporary 150-600mm lens. The next step up is crazy money.

That particular raptor was very intent on eating the raccoon and protecting it from the circling Turkey Vultures, despite sitting in the middle of a car lane. Several cars drove around him and he didn't flinch. I drove up to him and was probably 6-7 feet from him when I snapped that shot.

[ronmac]

I have one of these guys in my backyard right now. A Rufus-sided Towhee, AKA the Eastern Towhee. They are not common in my area.

[Nearfest2]

Eastern Towhees are very common in Pennsylvania. They started migrating back to the area in recent weeks.

screenshot536.jpg

[notallwhowander]

The towhees near me aren't nearly a striking.

[Duncan Glenday]

...Rufus-sided Towhee, AKA the Eastern Towhee....[/IMG]

I haven't seen one. If they're common in PA - they haven't made their way down to my backyard in MD yet.

[Nearfest2]

The towhees near me aren't nearly a striking.

Well, where you are you have a few. You're probably talking about the California Towhee, which is a relatively bland bird. However, there is the Spotted Towhee which is quite colorful. You may get the occasional Green-tailed Towhee as well, which are drab other than a striking rufous crest.

I haven't seen one. If they're common in PA - they haven't made their way down to my backyard in MD yet.

They're year-round the southeastern US. The southern border of PA is essentially the division. They also winter father south in Texas and Mexico. They summer in the NE and lake states. They will be moving in in numbers soon, especially in the right habitat - typically thickets and forest understory.

[ronmac]

Eastern Towhees are very common in Pennsylvania. They started migrating back to the area in recent weeks.

screenshot536.jpg

Well, that might be their range, but I have rarely seen them in western PA over the last 20-plus years.

[Nearfest2]

Well, that might be their range, but I have rarely seen them in western PA over the last 20-plus years.

Depends on habitat. They are also not going to be as common as robins and blue jays. They are probably categorized as "Uncommon" (vs. Common, Rare, Irruption, etc.) in your area.

[ronmac]

I was at the end of my street near a pond and saw a belted kingfisher today. That's only the second time I've ever seen one. Same place as before. We get some nice wildlife down there. We get an occasional blue heron and I've seen Cedar Waxwings there, as well.

[Nearfest2]

All good birds! I love Cedar Waxwings. The Bohemian Waxwing is on my bucket list.

I got this male BEKI earlier in the year. They're very skittish and can be hard to photograph.
kingfisher.jpg

[ronmac]

I saw this one at my feeder last April. Thinking it was one of the common woodpeckers, I got out the binoculars and was struck that it wasn't. The short beak was a dead giveaway. I studied it closely and identified it to be a rose-breasted grosbeak, a bird I have NEVER seen around here in all these years. While they do make it to the region, it's usually not until summer. Looks like he got an early start. (Not my photo, though).

[Nearfest2]

Cool bird. They sound like a sneaker on a gym floor. The females are very drab brown with a white eyebrow.

[ronmac]

So, a few years ago, I kept hearing this beautiful high-pitched, melodic call, but could not find the bird. It wasn't until it got closer to me and a neighbor pointed it out that I saw that it was an oriole. I learned that they tend to hang around the treetops, which made sense as to why I had such difficulty finding it. Every year since then, I hear the orioles for only a couple of weeks as they pass through the region heading north (I assume). I got a few quick shots, but was finally able to get a couple of nice ones at the top of my crabapple trees.

oriole-2014-2.jpgoriole-2014-1.jpg

[Nearfest2]

Love orioles. They should be coming in soon. They're song is so melodic and sweet.

There's been a Black-backed Oriole in Berks County, PA for a few months now. It's native to central Mexico and never recorded in the United States. It's a pretty big deal in the bird world. People have been traveling from Vancouver, Canada, California, Maine, etc. It's quite the spectacle. There was also a Bullock's Oriole in the area, which is a western species not usually seen here.

[Duncan Glenday]

Love orioles...

They haven't been worth 2 cents since Cal Ripken left!

(You KNEW someone would be a wise-ass, din' ya? )

[markwoll]

Depends on habitat. They are also not going to be as common as robins and blue jays. They are probably categorized as "Uncommon" (vs. Common, Rare, Irruption, etc.) in your area.

Around here they are uncommon but I think that is largely due to their ground based scratching behavior.
I usually hear them tossing leaves around and rustling under a bush before i spot them.

[markwoll]

Cool siting in the backyard at twilight. An 18-20" Barred owl.
We assume it was looking for love, calling with no responses.
I had heard it around the neighborhood, and caught a glimpse but it posed for about 5 minutes.
The light was no where near good enough to try a photo. Pretty bird. big wingspan.

[Nearfest2]

An 18-20" Barred owl.

Fantastic! Barred Owls have eluded me so far this year.

[proggy_jazzer]

A couple of years ago we had a Barred Owl take up residence somewhere on or near our property (we live on a lot in what used to be a large nursery; lots of old-growth trees) and we would hear him nightly. Last year it was more rare, and we're hoping we hear him again this summer. We miss our "Hootie"!

Thanks for starting this thread - I'm fascinated by birds, but am very much a neophyte.

[Nearfest2]

Thanks for starting this thread - I'm fascinated by birds, but am very much a neophyte.

My pleasure. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it earlier.

Lots of great learning resources on Cornell Lab's website, http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478

I'm currently taking the Bird Biology class. Quite intensive!

[Yves]

A bird that has made an impressive comeback up here is the northern Cardinal. They used to be rare in the city and now I hear them everywhere.

[markwoll]

After the West Nile virus came in ( probably 8-10 years ago ) we had a major die off of Corvids, primarily Crows and Jays in this area.
They have made a comeback in recent years. Crows more so than Jays.
It is nice to see them again.
I expect to start seeing Goldfinches soon. A true sign of spring.

[Nearfest2]

I had a goldfinch flyover yesterday morning.