The Bird Thread
- Thread starter MadamSarcastra
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30 Extraordinarily Beautiful Birds You Might Not Have Heard About
One of the main ways to identify birds is physical appearance and once you start looking closer, it becomes obvious that birds come in many shapes and colors. And some are absolutely drop-dead gorgeous.
www.boredpanda.com
Lou
Forum Legend
Both of my sisters are backyard bird enthusiasts. Joy is very fond of her visiting orioles. Elaine gets a big kick of the little quail family that comes around to look for birdseed that has fallen to the ground.
Elaine's birthday is coming up and I still haven't come up with a gift idea. I've already gotten her a bird feeder.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a gift ($20 - $80) for a backyard bird watcher?
Elaine's birthday is coming up and I still haven't come up with a gift idea. I've already gotten her a bird feeder.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a gift ($20 - $80) for a backyard bird watcher?
I was surprised to see no general thread for birds, so here we go!
I have never "owned" a bird, personally, but have been around them, up close & personal, from time to time, going back to childhood. I see all different kinds now every day & I never cease to be fascinated by them....
What kinds of birds are prevalent where you live? What activity do you see? If you take photos, share them!
Are you an official bird-watcher or just an admirer from the wings?
The list would be too long, but just to name a few...
We have (and let's see how many typos I can make)
Turdus pilaris
Corvus corax
Cuculus canorus
Columba livia domestica
Columba palumbus
Pica pica
Corvus corone
Passer domesticus
Passer montanus
Fringilla coeleps
Caerduelis hernemanni
Garrulus glandarius
Perisoreus infaustus
Nucifraga caryocatactes
Corvus monedulla
Parus ater
Parus caenus
Parus major
Dryocopus martius
Poediceps cristatus
Gavia arctica
Gavia stellata
Motacilla alba
Tetrao urogallus
Anas platyrhynchos
Delichon urbica
Bombycilla garrulus (I love them)
Phoenicurus phoenicurus (And also them)
Bonasa bonasia
All sort of gulls are nesting near my home.
I have also seen Nyctea scandiaca couple of times
And of course, as of late we have been having the honor of witnessing the spectacle of swans returning.
Lou
Forum Legend
Binoculars, a notepad and a book about birds.
Those are great ideas but she already has all of those things. Plus several birdhouses and a few bird feeders.
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
I live in a small apartment in a nice little complex. It is called garden style/type as all are on one level and have a small area in front and some hedges and small trees. There are also large trees in the back. I have posted pictures of my flowerbed around a small tree directly in front of my window. Last year I had a family of cardinals take up residence in my tree. This year I see no nests but the cardinals come around for the sunflower seeds in the feeder. There are some other small birds that congregate in the tree also. I don't know what they are. There are also blue jays and I have seen hummingbirds on a rare occasion. I love all the birds! We also see sand hill cranes all the time as well as other cranes. At the park nearby, there are ducks and other water birds. I think some are called ibis. I really need to study up on my Florida birds. There are many others like crows and hawks and vultures and sometimes an eagle.
Does she have a flower garden? Maybe some garden stakes with birds on them or bird themed wind chimes. Maybe a birdbath? I had one and got one of those solar powered inserts that shoots water. It was very cool. We ended up leaving it for the new owners.
Gift cards can be boring but also useful to a store where she can buy supplies like birdseed.
A couple of geese seemed to have moved in my neighborhood. Now that's a first! They're usually in large gaggles around parking lots and ponds.
I've seen them walking across our lawns, mostly hanging out at the corner house tree lawn, which isn't the safest place!
I've seen them walking across our lawns, mostly hanging out at the corner house tree lawn, which isn't the safest place!
Lou
Forum Legend
My neighborhood is high density residential and commercial. Although there is a strip of trees and bushes below my window and in the morning before the city noise starts up I can hear what I'm pretty sure are sparrows.
Otherwise, we only have gulls and crows. Through all my morning walks and jogs I've learned that the crows all roost in some really big eucalyptus trees in a park about a mile away. Every day they take flight and spread out. It appears to me that they each have a block that is their territory. One seems to be in charge of my block but of course, I don't know if it is the same one - they all look alike. I can sometimes hear him on my roof.
One Sunday morning I was running between my home and that park and I noticed that the Sunday paper had arrived in people's driveways with a box of cereal. On my way home I passed those same driveways and each driveway had a crow. They had opened the box of cereal and they were eating breakfast. I got a kick out the fact that there was exactly one crow per driveway.
During the school year, right after lunch the gulls and crows head over to the local elementary and middle school. They seem to know when school is in session. I imagine that with the schools being closed they have had to find other places to eat. Oh. I wonder if this will reduce their numbers.
Otherwise, we only have gulls and crows. Through all my morning walks and jogs I've learned that the crows all roost in some really big eucalyptus trees in a park about a mile away. Every day they take flight and spread out. It appears to me that they each have a block that is their territory. One seems to be in charge of my block but of course, I don't know if it is the same one - they all look alike. I can sometimes hear him on my roof.
One Sunday morning I was running between my home and that park and I noticed that the Sunday paper had arrived in people's driveways with a box of cereal. On my way home I passed those same driveways and each driveway had a crow. They had opened the box of cereal and they were eating breakfast. I got a kick out the fact that there was exactly one crow per driveway.
During the school year, right after lunch the gulls and crows head over to the local elementary and middle school. They seem to know when school is in session. I imagine that with the schools being closed they have had to find other places to eat. Oh. I wonder if this will reduce their numbers.
Chryssie
Internet Junkie
Here are a couple crows on the pole in the parking lot behind my apartment.
I obviously zoomed quite a bit!
I obviously zoomed quite a bit!
Because of a rare kind of stone-curlew (Triel) the construction of a rather unnecessary new road in Austria has been canceled. Honey Badgers dont give a ****? Just look at this fearless, feathery fellow fending of a bloody crocodile......
"Oi! Sod off! I dont wanna harm ya, buddy....!"
"Oi! Sod off! I dont wanna harm ya, buddy....!"
Geese are Boss! I have a couple of indian running ducks and they are rather dominant. Every year geese fly by and all hell breaks loose... Its a miracle how such an obnoxious species could survive so long with a delicate neck like this.
Guess Im a bit late but maybe for the next time? I prefer to teach people funny things instead of buying something.
Many prey animals detect avian predators by the shadows they cast. While birds of prey usually have their wings near the head, most other birds have them closer to the tailfeather.
If you can copy the call of a falcon and know how to build an origami bird of prey that actually flies.... you can have lots of fun with pigeons for example (just imagine the Piazza San Marco in Venice).
......is that mean? It somehow is... thats why I wouldnt tell this just anyone ; )
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Have you ever wondered how it might be to care for an Owl? Meet Yoll...........
If you take a closer look though the Owl is droping a load outside. When birds dont like you they will paint the whole room white instead of keeping it to certain places (I heard unhappy cats do something similar).
If you take a closer look though the Owl is droping a load outside. When birds dont like you they will paint the whole room white instead of keeping it to certain places (I heard unhappy cats do something similar).
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Brian W
Conscientious Christian
One of the things I noticed when I moved to Sweden was how friendly the birds are here compared to England. In England, you only have to be a few meters away and they fly away but in Sweden you can walk right past them and they won't even move. If you are eating outside, they sometimes come up and ask for food. Perhaps they have gathered that Swedish people are laid-back and not scary.
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2012
- Reaction score
- 19,493
- Age
- 64
- Location
- I'm liek, in Cali, dude.
- Lifestyle
- Vegetarian
