New birdwatcher! Can you tell me what these birds names are? (1 Viewer)

Hi, I've introduced myself in the say hello forum... I just got my very first bird feeder in my very first apartment and I'm so excited. My parents would never let us get a bird feeder growing up, so this is exciting for me.

I put it up last night, and today, slowly but surely, the birds are staring to come.

environment: I live in an apartment community outside of downtown ann arbor. The landscapers do a good job. We have crab apple trees lining the sidewalks and one about 10-15 feet in front of our balcony on the second floor. About a quarter mile away is a river. I haven't seen it so I don't know if it's swampy or clean or whatnot.

Before we put it up, we noticed one kind of bird living in the tree and in a vent on the side of the building. I'll describe it below with the other birds I'd like help identifying. At first, it was only that one bird that came and chacked out our balcony. It ate the spilled seed on the floor, but ignored the feeder. After a few hours, more started to come and actually go to the feeder. Here are my descriptions:

first bird: 3-4" mostly black with lighter belly, black top of head (maybe dark brown... sun in my eyes), white sides of head, two horizontal white stripes on shoulders- one above smaller

mostly brown with a lighter belly, 3-4". I couldn't tell if there were any markings on the back-- same size, maybe skinnier than black one------ another just came after I wrote this, and it appeared to have a rust red belly and throat.

very soft, smokey grey pair, one with rusty back and head blending smoothly with the grey, maybe a bit longer and skinnier than first 2 birds

yellow with sharp black markings, very small with longish legs

some sort of dove- a pair of them, soft grey with light shiney green marks on back of neck - these were nice-- couldn't really perch on feeder, but hung out on my railing staring at me for quite some time.

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If anyone could tell me the names of these birds, that would be great. I couldn't find the first two on any bird guide websites, but I haven't checked the others yet. I'd appreciate any tips on attracting even more in my type of environment.

I've set up a couple of small flat dishes with water in them on the floor to act as some sort of bath, but none have taken interest in them yet. I placed a drumstick on an angle in one of them for a perch, and put some seed in and around it. Any tips on that? I'd like to have a nice little area for them so I can have something to watch while I'm alone here all day (and to keep me company).

Again, I'm open to any advice. I want to have fun with this. I'm young and I have to start somewhere.

Thanks for reading, and have a great day...

Kimberly :hi:

could be anthing from house sparrows to mourning doves.. one sounds like a goldfinch.

I totally recommend you go out and buy or borrow from the library a petersons bird guide. Invaluable for learning how to identify birds adn understand waht to look for... that's how I started out.

You might also try to take some photos of them to help out with identification... Godo lucka nd welcome ot thewonderful workd of briding!

I know, I will get myself a book very soon. I just don't have a car and don't have very much money. Maybe my fiance will buy one for me... I do have a camera, but I don't know how to load the pictures onto this computer. I should figure that out this afternoon. Sorry to bother with silly questions about common birds, I'm just happy to get started.

Hi Kimberly,

It is great you have taken such an interest in the birds around your new home. Often birds will take many weeks before they get used to a new feeder or bird bath so don't worry if some don't use them immediately.

Some birds prefer to feed on the ground anyway so its good to put alittle seed on the floor. With regards to the baths; as long as they are shallow, I wouldn't bother with the drum stick perch because if it is unstable the birds won't like it. It may take time but I'm sure they will soon appreciate your water.

Sorry I can't help with identifing the birds as I don't know U.S ones. It would be great if you can sort out loading photos, then they should soon be id for you. Oh and don't worry, your questions aren't silly, everyone was a beginner once.

Have fun watching your new feathered friends!

Greenmay,
In the meantime while you're sorting out a field guide and how to load photos, use Google / Images and check out House Sparrow, Mourning Dove, American Goldfinch, and Rock Pigeon.
Good luck,

Hi Greenmay and welcome.

dont forget the bird database here as well which may be helpful.

thank you... i didn't even know there was a bird database here! very helpful

Hi Kimberly,
Welcome to the world of birding- it pains me to be so nice when you are from Ann Arbor and I'm a Buckeye! lol..jk...

Just a few short weeks ago I was in the same situation as you. New to birding and had just gotten a feeder- was so excited to see the birds start to show up! It truly is exciting and a lot of fun. You will find many people that are very nice on this site and are quick to offer help and advice.

I agree getting a field guide is a good start. Simply browsing the internet and google'ing is also a great source of info. I visited a local specialty bird store and just spent hours chatting away with the clerk who was an experienced birder.

Anyways, I wish you the best of luck with your birding and hope you continue to keep us updated on the progress!

-Adam

O yea... my feeder started with sparrows, house finches, grackles, and brown headed cowbirds... managing to get a few Cardinals now.

Thanks everyone for being so kind... and CoolWater, don't feel bad about being nice to me because you are a Buckeye... I just moved here a few weeks ago, and I have no allegiances.

I'm having great fun watching these birds all day. I don't have a job here because of all the confusion this summer with my fiance's new job (his first job out of college) and moving... I'm still in school, myself. I'm an English education major spending the summer reading like crazy. I'm going back in the fall to Marqette (I hope they let me have a feeder at my dorm) but I am working on transferring down here by January. It's all very hectic.

I've been taking pictures all afternoon, and when my fiance gets home from work, I'll get him to show me how to load them on this computer. I haven't seen any other varieties, but maybe they will show up... There is constant racket out there all day which sounds like hundreds of birds. I think there are several newly hatched house sparrows in the vent on the side of the building. I can hear their cute little peeps and the father seems to be protecting them. I'll take a picture of it soon.

I know my talk may be boring to all of you more experienced bird watchers, who have seen many more rare and colorful ones, and I really appreciate those who have taken the time to talk to me. I imagine myself in my kids' long-abandoned treehouse some day when I'm 70 with a pair of binoculars and a bag of granola. I'm not there yet, but with your help, I have a start.

Thanks again,

Kimberly

The smoky gray pair might be slate-colored juncos or even gray catbirds. It depends on your definition of "smoky gray."

The brown bird and the one with the rust red belly sounds like they could be female and male house finches, though rust red belly usually means robin.

There are a few online field guides that you can explore while you are waiting on the paper field guide. Here are a couple that I use for information:
Patuxent Bird Info Center
Cornell All About Birds

Also, take a look at the list of birds for Michigan. The species links all have pictures and tell whether a bird is common and uncommon. Here is a list of birds for Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor. The checklists will help you determine what is likely to be found in your area.

A printed field guide is still great help in identification because it is easier to navigate than a series of webpages. Peterson, Sibley, and National Geographic are all good.