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I've got a somewhat complex id question: I've been watching the various birds from the beach and sea barriers for a couple of weeks and saw what I think are some new ones today. Normally there are Herring gulls, great black backed gulls, black headed gulls, plus sandwich and common terns. They all have different spots that they hang out. Today I was watching some terns diving just out from some rock pools, when a flock of maybe 10 birds appeared flying low and fast over the water, turning in unison fairly often. I didn't have my binoculars and they left quickly but they had black heads, white bodies, and darker wings although I couldn't say for certain. They had a slightly stubby look, including their wings, but were graceful fliers. I didn't get a great look but their black heads obviously suggest black headed gulls, however the birds I saw were smaller than common terns, and I have never seen the black headed gulls fly like that. They almost called to mind large, seafaring house martins. Thoughts? I know that isn't enough to ID a bird but any ideas in what to watch out for if I see them again would be appreciated. E: oops, this is for a sheltered bit of coastline in NW France.
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Jul 22, 2020 20:38
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Someone from Europe should chime in but if you don't find a smaller tern you like for it then check out shorebirds and plovers. Those tend to fly in coordinated flocks, and many are starting fall migrations now. Maybe Ruddy Turnstone (keep in mind you might miss the color if they are far away).
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Jul 22, 2020 21:36
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Little gull matches the colours and has a fast tern-like flight, but the flying in unison over water would suggest waders to me too
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Jul 22, 2020 21:39
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Thanks that's handy, I didn't know waders did that. eBird has a few different waders which look about the right size and have dark heads/light bodies, I'll try and narrow it down next time.
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Jul 23, 2020 08:16
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Just going into 6 weeks of lockdown here in Melbourne. I live in a fairly built up area but fortunately there is a long creek that runs through the city and passes not far from my house. Me and my partner walk there most days. Saw this tiny fellow a few days ago: https://ebird.org/species/spopar1 Easy to ID because some local group had put up signs with pictures of him.  My favourite bird to see though is the much-maligned white ibis. There is an island in the creek where tons of them roost in the trees, I'll see if I can get a good picture. During the day they're often picking over football fields, or storm drains outlets if it's been raining. There's something I find very poignant about a wetland bird forced to adapt to living in the margins of the city.
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Jul 23, 2020 11:04
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pointsofdata posted:I've got a somewhat complex id question: I've been watching the various birds from the beach and sea barriers for a couple of weeks and saw what I think are some new ones today. Normally there are Herring gulls, great black backed gulls, black headed gulls, plus sandwich and common terns. They all have different spots that they hang out. Today I was watching some terns diving just out from some rock pools, when a flock of maybe 10 birds appeared flying low and fast over the water, turning in unison fairly often. I didn't have my binoculars and they left quickly but they had black heads, white bodies, and darker wings although I couldn't say for certain. They had a slightly stubby look, including their wings, but were graceful fliers. Sounds like oyster catchers to me but I'd have though you would notice the red beaks if so.
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Jul 23, 2020 12:47
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pointsofdata posted:I've got a somewhat complex id question: I've been watching the various birds from the beach and sea barriers for a couple of weeks and saw what I think are some new ones today. Normally there are Herring gulls, great black backed gulls, black headed gulls, plus sandwich and common terns. They all have different spots that they hang out. Today I was watching some terns diving just out from some rock pools, when a flock of maybe 10 birds appeared flying low and fast over the water, turning in unison fairly often. I didn't have my binoculars and they left quickly but they had black heads, white bodies, and darker wings although I couldn't say for certain. They had a slightly stubby look, including their wings, but were graceful fliers. Little Gull Hydrocoleus minutus sounds like a possible candidate to me, though I'm no expert. Apparently their summer territory has been moving further west in recent years so you're just about in a plausible range for them. vaguely fucked around with this message at 13:17 on Jul 23, 2020 |
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Jul 23, 2020 13:11
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Oops, I was working on replacing the Pet Island birding thread with a new effort post. Do you want this kind of stuff in here, or is this PYF? Good optics advice. I'll just add a few thoughts as someone who has way too many binoculars and spends too much time reading about optics. First, the 10x vs. 8x (and occasionally vs. 12x) is practically a religious war to some. Personally, I've always found that although I think I really want higher magnifications, the trade-off in reduced field-of-view is almost always completely not worth it. As you get more advanced you spend more time scanning areas where you think their might be birds, or trying to find birds and having a larger image circle can make a ton of distance there. There's a ton of great glass out there now-days and some tremendous deals. Acebuckeye13 posted:I present, for your consideration: bird. Nice! This was the bird I wanted to see most as a young birder. I took a vacation where we spent time driving down the California coast and I was super happy to spot one. We pulled over with a small group of birders and volunteers who were tracking them and eventually a group of 11 Condors circled directly above us. Simply incredible.
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Jul 24, 2020 03:44
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I keep blocking it out that I've never a condor. We went looking for the comet last night. No luck since the fog came in but we did see this fat boy.  Fernandez Ranch quail-4703 on Flickr
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Jul 24, 2020 04:26
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BetterLekNextTime posted:I keep blocking it out that I've never a condor. My GF and I spent two afternoons looking for condors. Drove up and down Hwy 1 near Big Sur looking for things that weren't Turkey Vultures. Spent an evening at the top of the High Peaks trail at Pinnacles NP and watched hundreds of Turkey Vultures come to roost. But no condors. So. Many. Turkey. Vultures. That said, watching the roosting Turkey Vultures was pretty awesome. Would highly recommend. Would also recommend an actual flashlight if you want to do that (we used our cell phone camera lights like real adults that definitely plan ahead). If they weren't Critically Endangered I'd promote them to my nemesis bird. They don't need any more enemies tho.
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Jul 24, 2020 06:07
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Some great bird pics in this thread! Does anyone here use one of those cheap monocular/scope add-ons for their smart phones for bird pictures? I've been thinking about getting one to play around with. Right now I have a vortex monocular thats great for site seeing when backpacking but hard to get lined up with my phone for a picture. Disappointed this year as I got zero Scarlet Tanagers earlier in the summer at my orange feeder. Last year it seemed like I had one every day. Overall it's been an odd year for me at my feeder. I feel like there is less activity, maybe due to the high heat, and I got invaded by grackles emptying the feeder every day for about 3 weeks.
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Jul 24, 2020 13:13
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I'd generally say don't get a zoom lens for bird photography unless it has a viewfinder, but if its for them feeding might be alright
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Jul 24, 2020 15:24
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Also, thank god there is finally a bird thread. Have some content! Meet the Kea Nestor notabilis, an endangered parrot endemic to the Southern Alps in Aotearoa New Zealand, and the world's only alpine parrot.  They are a wonder to watch, and they are incredibly smart and curious, which has got them a reputation for being mischievous. This one, for example, was posing for us as we parked up (sadly they've become accustomed to tourists feeding them). Shortly after the photo was taken it went under the car, tore off a bit of the fuel line insulation and ran away. I spent ages chasing it, worried that such a diet probably isn't good for it. Luckily I got it back.  This behaviour can cause problems, including them moving cones out of a road during road works to the point that some infrastructure projects include kea playgrounds to distract them from causing mayhem 
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Jul 24, 2020 15:37
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BaseballPCHiker posted:Some great bird pics in this thread! i got a cheap set of clip-on lenses for my phone a couple years back, mostly intending to use the macro lens for bugs took them with me on a trip to a puffin breeding site and frankly the photos were terrible, but i'm not sure how much of that was me being a horrible photographer and how much was the lens i found they kept sliding around and obscuring part of the shot, and you have to unscrew them and screw them back on pretty much constantly so they don't end up sliding and blocking the entire aperture on the bright side, i did get to see a heck of a lot of puffins 
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Jul 24, 2020 15:45
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drstrangelove posted:My GF and I spent two afternoons looking for condors. Drove up and down Hwy 1 near Big Sur looking for things that weren't Turkey Vultures. Spent an evening at the top of the High Peaks trail at Pinnacles NP and watched hundreds of Turkey Vultures come to roost. Despite living in CA for the majority of my life, I have yet to see a California Condor in the wild. I have seen these guys, though:  Absolute unit. Flying door. Yuge.
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Jul 25, 2020 04:30
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Ratjaculation posted:Also, thank god there is finally a bird thread. Have some content! ahem: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrowing_parrot (to be fair their habitat is mostly not in the mountains...but I've seen some at pretty high elevations there and they do occasionally cross the Andes)
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Jul 25, 2020 06:58
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Kea have also learnt to perch on the back of sheep and rip out chunks of flesh to eat.
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Jul 25, 2020 08:41
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Ratjaculation posted:This behaviour can cause problems, including them moving cones out of a road during road works to the point that some infrastructure projects include kea playgrounds to distract them from causing mayhem
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Jul 25, 2020 09:18
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pointsofdata posted:Kea have also learnt to perch on the back of sheep and rip out chunks of flesh to eat. this just makes them cuter
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Jul 25, 2020 09:35
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Someone from Europe should chime in but if you don't find a smaller tern you like for it then check out shorebirds and plovers. Those tend to fly in coordinated flocks, and many are starting fall migrations now. Maybe Ruddy Turnstone (keep in mind you might miss the color if they are far away). I'm now fairly certain that your suggestion of Ruddy turnstone is correct - I saw a group of a very similar number of them, this time on the ground and up close. Their size, colouration and general impression seemed very similar to the impression I got of the flying birds. Thanks! Wouldn't have thought waders could fly like that.
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Jul 25, 2020 17:18
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One of the few good things about the place I'm living now in Houston is is it's a got a wonderful view of a big empty field and runoff ditch where absolutely gorgeous hawks, black vultures, and egrets hang around so I get to watch them while I work at least.
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Jul 27, 2020 03:39
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What are some tips for getting good sightings of birds in forested areas? I can often hear them and am either unable to locate the bird, or if I do it rapidly moves and I lose track of it. Even brightly coloured ones can be hard to track.
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Jul 31, 2020 17:08
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pointsofdata posted:What are some tips for getting good sightings of birds in forested areas? I can often hear them and am either unable to locate the bird, or if I do it rapidly moves and I lose track of it. Even brightly coloured ones can be hard to track. Things that live in the canopy are a pain. If you can, spend time on the edge of a forest or in a clearing. Power line cuts, forest service roads, etc can give enough of a break, or if you're at a lodge or visitors center on a hill that has a canopy-level deck to look out on. Do your best to learn their calls and songs so you know where to look for them. And you can always try pishing to get them a little closer for a little longer. There's some legitimate debate about the use of recorded songs/calls for playback. My take is a) if it's not a threatened species and b) not in a heavily visited area where people are likely to using playback regularly, it's probably alright to try a quick playback, but just know it's likely causing a temporary change in behavior. So use sparingly. e: also if it's resident or early migrant, bird when there are no leaves!
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Jul 31, 2020 17:54
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Things that live in the canopy are a pain. If you can, spend time on the edge of a forest or in a clearing. Power line cuts, forest service roads, etc can give enough of a break, or if you're at a lodge or visitors center on a hill that has a canopy-level deck to look out on. Do your best to learn their calls and songs so you know where to look for them. And you can always try pishing to get them a little closer for a little longer. There's some legitimate debate about the use of recorded songs/calls for playback. My take is a) if it's not a threatened species and b) not in a heavily visited area where people are likely to using playback regularly, it's probably alright to try a quick playback, but just know it's likely causing a temporary change in behavior. So use sparingly. All good advice. Here's a short video explaining pishing in case anyone is unfamiliar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRvdhovTgRo Canopy birds are very, very tough and I wind up settling for no views quite often.
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Jul 31, 2020 20:36
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BeastOfExmoor posted:All good advice. Here's a short video explaining pishing in case anyone is unfamiliar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRvdhovTgRo 
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Jul 31, 2020 21:36
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pointsofdata posted:What are some tips for getting good sightings of birds in forested areas? I can often hear them and am either unable to locate the bird, or if I do it rapidly moves and I lose track of it. Even brightly coloured ones can be hard to track. Patience, practice, and accepting you will almost always not see them. Bird songs carry great distances depending on the species (The word "song" used liberally there if you live in an area where parrots live) so what might sound "right by you" could be too many trees away to actually have line of sight to. Be calm, be quiet, be still. Go early or late, when they are likely to be out feeding or hunting especially if it's hot out. Practice helps, recognizing their patterns for where they like to perch, and detecting motion with your eyes. Most of the time you see a bird in the trees it's because the bird moved, not because you're so good at spotting them. Let your instinct take over for detecting motion. Try and go with experienced birders who are good at describing where things are located, "up there" is not good, but "See the two tall trees right next to each other at the edge of where we can see? Follow the middle of them down to the canopy of <other tree>, now start at the base of that tree, go up to the first major branch to the right, follow it halfway out. Brown medium sized bird about halfway across that branch" gets you a chance to spot it.
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Jul 31, 2020 21:53
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Thanks for the advice all. I think I particularly need to learn songs better, at the moment when I do eventually track something down in the forest half the time it's a robin or similar (although it is impressive seeing such a small bird absolutely belting out it's song from the top of a tree at dawn). Got very confused by what turned out to be some female Common Linnets today, until I saw a bigger group with a male. Also ran into some Sanderlings on a beach, they're my new favourite, so cute running up and down.
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Aug 1, 2020 13:43
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pointsofdata posted:Thanks for the advice all. I think I particularly need to learn songs better, at the moment when I do eventually track something down in the forest half the time it's a robin or similar (although it is impressive seeing such a small bird absolutely belting out it's song from the top of a tree at dawn). Yeah, learn the songs of common species, at the very least. That way you can filter out the ones you're not as interested in. Its also good to know what alarm calls sound like. Birds will issue alarms if there are potential dangers around like predators or large mammals (such as birders) and can give you an idea if you're close. H110Hawk posted:Patience, practice, and accepting you will almost always not see them. Bird songs carry great distances depending on the species (The word "song" used liberally there if you live in an area where parrots live) so what might sound "right by you" could be too many trees away to actually have line of sight to. Be calm, be quiet, be still. Go early or late, when they are likely to be out feeding or hunting especially if it's hot out. Practice helps, recognizing their patterns for where they like to perch, and detecting motion with your eyes. Most of the time you see a bird in the trees it's because the bird moved, not because you're so good at spotting them. Let your instinct take over for detecting motion. Also, birds like to congregate. If you spot some birds in a tree, chances are good there are others nearby. Its pretty common in a forested area to see nothing for a long time and then come up on a tree that's loaded with a bunch of different birds.
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Aug 1, 2020 21:27
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BeastOfExmoor posted:All good advice. Here's a short video explaining pishing in case anyone is unfamiliar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRvdhovTgRo i used to do this, without knowing what it was or why, to see if a cat i saw while walking is friendly or not. Thanks Bird Thread
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Aug 1, 2020 22:08
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Just went kayaking and saw a bald eagle snatch a fish and tear its guts out. Hell yeah, bird. Also saw an raptor of some description in the same area get into a tussle with a great blue heron. It was on the opposite side of the river. A mottled brown, and a very large body. Maybe a juvenile bald eagle? Looks like it wanted to get a piece of fish the heron just caught. This was on the Hudson River just south of Albany, NY
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Aug 1, 2020 22:39
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My money would be on a young Bald Eagle for sure; they're big bullies and the visual description fits. I've seen Osprey harass herons near their nest but I don't think they steal from anyone but fishermen. Shorebirds are starting to migrate in my area so I went out to the marsh this morning to get frustrated over ID. I also saw this doofus imitating some reeds: 
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Aug 8, 2020 21:48
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Cross-posting from the Dorkroom: I went out on another wildlife drive, this one at Lake Apopka. The north shore of the lake was separated from the rest of the lake by a large levee in the 1940s, reducing the lake from 50,000 to 30,000 acres. This land was all used as farms until the 90s when it was turned back to nature. Now you can drive (or bike or hike) along the old farm roads and see the wildlife. Shooting birds from your car continues to be annoying but I got a few good shots:  Common Gallinule (Moorhen) Great Blue Heron Great Egret Anhinga Osprey  Swallow-tailed KiteThere are a few more on my Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPE16pX
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Aug 9, 2020 16:49
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Hi thread! I enjoy a bit of casual birding, especially paired with travel. My partner is a lot more heavily into birding and thanks to her interest, I've seen a great deal more of the world I never would have otherwise, were it not for looking for birds. It's a great way to get off the beaten path and find little local gems of places that tourists would otherwise never visit. I'm not much for keeping score, I just love watching bird behaviour. Even common birds like gulls can be such fun to watch. Anyway introductions over, what I wanted to ask is: Who the heck is this little guy? Just saw it on imgur last night. I have no idea where in the world he is from.  (sorry for screwing up the gifv link, I never get them right)
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Aug 11, 2020 02:17
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It's a cuckoo! The black feathers are part of his alula (wing thumbs).
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Aug 11, 2020 03:26
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Is there an image in the post that isn't showing up anymore? Is it a ghost bird? 
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Aug 11, 2020 14:51
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Enfys posted:Is there an image in the post that isn't showing up anymore? It was this! https://twitter.com/gunsnrosesgirl3/status/1292354617674801152
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Aug 11, 2020 15:48
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my cat is norris posted:It was this! Awesome, thanks! Turns out I've been to a few places I might have seen one, but never did.
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Aug 11, 2020 17:19
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I'm not a bird person, but I came upon this one in the mountain woodlands of Northern California and she let me sidle right up next to her for a portrait. No fear at all. Looks like maybe a sooty grouse? Very chill bird. 10/10.
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Aug 12, 2020 19:26
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I've been using some fairly cheap (~£150) compact 8x25 binoculars with good success so far, but am thinking about getting Nikon monarch 7 10x42 for bigger zoom, apparent fov and low light performance. Is the stability that much worse with eh higher magnification? I can hold my compact ones easily stable enough with 2 hands, with one hand they are stable enough to see fine although it isn't ideal. Obviously beast thing to do would be borrow a pair or go to a shop but neither are ideal at the moment (and I don't know any birders anyway) Just visited my parents and I don't love the town they just moved to but they do have red kites circling constantly, very cool.
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Aug 13, 2020 14:43
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Go for it, especially if you can return them if they don’t work out. The 10’s will be a lot bigger than the compact 8’s but it sounds like you know what you’re getting yourself into. You may find one handed use is not easy, but that’s probably true for normal sized 8’s as well at least for long looks at something. E: I almost always use 2 hands, to the point that if I’m holding something like a book, sandwich, etc I’ll keep that in my hand while I use that hand to steady the binocs. Just don’t do this with a mug of coffee. BetterLekNextTime fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Aug 13, 2020 |
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Aug 13, 2020 16:08
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