Birders

[Duncan Glenday]

I heard them this year, but did not see them. (You need to look at the treetops.)

We had to take out two huge crabapple trees last year.

Attachment 17653

This one is from a few years ago and a personal favorite.

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Love those pictures.

I'm sure they aren't in mt area at all. My (reasonably large) neighborhood has an active birding community, including some obsessively serious birders. No one has reported seeing any Orioles for the past several years. So it isn't just me not seeing them - they've obviously designated my neighborhood as a no-fly zone

[ronmac]

Love those pictures.

I'm sure they aren't in mt area at all. My (reasonably large) neighborhood has an active birding community, including some obsessively serious birders. No one has reported seeing any Orioles for the past several years. So it isn't just me not seeing them - they've obviously designated my neighborhood as a no-fly zone

Thanks.

I didn't see any until about ten years ago. I kept hearing this wonderfully musical call and could not find the source. Then, one was right above me and I was blown away. Now I listen for them every spring. They don't seem to stick around very long, once the blossoms are gone.

[Fracktured]

Can anyone identify this odd looking bird? He was sitting in the tree by my deck for the longest time today.


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[Dave (in MA)]

Isn't that a house sparrow?
It might be the most common bird around these parts.

[Fracktured]

Isn't that a house sparrow?
It might be the most common bird around these parts.

He was bigger than a sparrow. About the size of a Robin. Maybe he is a sparrow but didn’t look like ones that I normally see around here.


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[Dave (in MA)]

The Merlin app suggests the cowbird:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Shiny_Cowbird/id (female)

[markwoll]

The view out of my dining room window a couple of days ago. I have had the hummingbird feeders up since the first of May and they have just stated visiting more often in the last couple of weeks.
I just happened to have my phone handy.

[Duncan Glenday]

The view out of my dining room window a couple of days ago. I have had the hummingbird feeders up since the first of May and they have just stated visiting more often in the last couple of weeks.
I just happened to have my phone handy...

Nice!

I was insanely lucky: I've never hung a hummingbird feeder before. Put one up in late April, and had hummingbirds on the same day!

They've been regular visitors ever since. We have at least 3 females and 2 males - I know that, since we've seen those combinations at the same time. 'Course, there could be more than the 3 and 2. . My wife swears she can identify the females and has given them names.

We just have the one feeder. The hummingbirds are very territorial, and watching them chase each other off is like watching the remake of the Battle Of Britain!

I replace their feed 2x/week, though on very hot days, I replace it daily.

The feeder has an "ant moat". I've never seen any ants there, but it's attracted Goldfinches and Carolina Chicadees, who like too sip the water and piss-off the hummingbirds!

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(Click to expand)

[ForeverAutumn]

The Merlin app suggests the cowbird:
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Shiny_Cowbird/id (female)

While not impossible that the bird has been blown off course, the Shiny Cowbird is a South American bird. It seems unlikely for Pennsylvania. But it sure does look like the same bird. Very cool and unusual sighting if that's what it is.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/...ird/maps-range

[ronmac]

We have regular cowbirds here all the time in western PA. I assume they look pretty much the same.

[Fracktured]

While not impossible that the bird has been blown off course, the Shiny Cowbird is a South American bird. It seems unlikely for Pennsylvania. But it sure does look like the same bird. Very cool and unusual sighting if that's what it is.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/...ird/maps-range

I don’t know but this bird still doesn’t look like a cowbird to me. Here is a cowbird on my feeder. Doesn’t look the same.



And this is the bird from the other day.


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[Dave (in MA)]

But this is the female Shiny Headed Cowbird that the Merlin app picked out.
(Setting aside how ForeverAutumn pointed out that it's primarily a S. American species )

[Fracktured]

But this is the female Shiny Headed Cowbird that the Merlin app picked out.
(Setting aside how ForeverAutumn pointed out that it's primarily a S. American species )

Yeah she looks like the picture.


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[ForeverAutumn]

I don’t know but this bird still doesn’t look like a cowbird to me. Here is a cowbird on my feeder. Doesn’t look the same.

Different breed of Cowbird. The bird on your feeder is a Brown-headed Cowbird. The bird that Merlin identified is a Shiny Cowbird.

You can check eBird or local birding Facebook groups to see if there have been any other sightings of a Shiny Cowbird in your area.

EDIT: I did a Google search. The only recorded sighting I can find in Pennsylvania appears to be from 2013. So if this really is a Shiny Cowbird, and you have a photo to document it, this is a pretty amazing sighting. You may want to reach out to Cornell Lab of Ornithology to confirm whether this is, in fact, a Shiny Cowbird.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bonxie88/9144654718
https://pabirds.org/tag/shiny-cowbird/

[Duncan Glenday]

Different breed of Cowbird. The bird on your feeder is a Brown-headed Cowbird. The bird that Merlin identified is a Shiny Cowbird.
...

They're common in my area - though a bit seasonal.



Funny how different species come to my yard in waves:

- Earlier this year we were swamped by catbirds, common grackles, robins, and cowbirds.

- Then they thinned out and we had house & gold finches, chipping sparrows, redwinged blackbirds, and titmice.

- Now it's mostly house sparrows, bluejays, house wrens and doves - and I think the house finches are coming back.

Some of the earlier species are still around - I'm just listing the most common visitors.

Besides those coming and going in waves, several species have been here consistently - e.g. downy woodpeckers, Carolina wrens, cardinals, chicadees, ruby throated hummingbirds, and a few others.

And BTW - the feed hasn't changed, so that isn't impacting the changes.

[Shadow]

Rare brown boobies are being spotted all along the Chesapeake Bay. I thought it would be a little chilly for that this time of year.

[ronmac]

Rare brown boobies are being spotted all along the Chesapeake Bay. I thought it would be a little chilly for that this time of year.

There's a joke in there that I will refrain from making.

[wideopenears]

There's a joke in there that I will refrain from making.

I think you can tell the females by the markings on their chests. Esp. in cold weather.


(I could not resist).

[Fracktured]

Are we still talking about birds?


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[ForeverAutumn]

(clears throat)


I'm not offended by your friendly locker room banter, just reminding everyone before lines are crossed that this isn't actually a men's locker room.

[progmatist]

I think you can tell the females by the markings on their chests. Esp. in cold weather.


(I could not resist).

You fell right into the booby trap.

[ronmac]

I cannot continue to support this conversation.