• BirdForum is the net's largest birding community dedicated to wild birds and birding, and is absolutely FREE!

    Register for an account to take part in lively discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.

Recent content by dbooksta

  1. D

    Window strikes in southeast PA

    This morning these two birds collided with a second-story window and fell to the ground dead: I think the larger, more colorful one first, followed a second later by the smaller one. What are they? At the time the sun was reflecting almost straight back from the window. Is sun reflection...
  2. D

    Why are woodpeckers attracted to this exact spot on my house?

    Yeah, I cut the entrance 1.25" in diameter. Looks plenty big for these little guys. I don't mind if they customize it; I just hope their intent is to take up residence and not just destroy it before going back to attack the structure!
  3. D

    Why are woodpeckers attracted to this exact spot on my house?

    This story continues: Another downy woodpecker came to work on that same spot. I asked for and was granted permission to put up a birdhouse to avert any further measures to harm the birds. (See picture.) Now the woodpecker is standing on the perch of the birdhouse attacking the entrance to...
  4. D

    Why are woodpeckers attracted to this exact spot on my house?

    Thank you both -- very interesting info. I like the idea suggested on the about.com page of simply installing a suitable birdhouse in that location once it's clear a woodpecker has chosen it for a roost. I wish I had come up with that sooner.
  5. D

    Why are woodpeckers attracted to this exact spot on my house?

    Interesting; thanks for the info, and also for the idea. I have tin snips and a ladder: I'll screw a piece of white aluminum over the spot. I thought it remarkable that the second bird came to the exact same spot a year later, and was working to open the hole that had been previously made but...
  6. D

    Why are woodpeckers attracted to this exact spot on my house?

    I'll alert the property managers to that. They're probably as unaware of the law on this as I was. Are there any ready resources on the correct and legal way to deal with this sort of situation?
  7. D

    Why are woodpeckers attracted to this exact spot on my house?

    I don't know what the laws are here, but I certainly hate to see these beautiful birds killed. That's why I was wondering if there's something in their behavior or perception that can be exploited to deter this.
  8. D

    Why are woodpeckers attracted to this exact spot on my house?

    I live in a development in SE PA surrounded by mature trees. Last October a woodpecker took an intense daily interest in this one second-story corner of my house that had recently been renovated with PVC boards. The property manager tried a number of things to deter it, like hanging out strips...
  9. D

    Sexual dimorphism

    Some birds have striking sexual dimorphisms, while others are practically indistinguishable by gender. Is there a clear delineation of the species that do and do not have sexual dimorphism? E.g., do they all happen to fall into the same families? Or are there other characteristics that seem...
  10. D

    Songbird this week in SE Pennsylvania

    What species and gender is this?
  11. D

    Small bird in suburban Pennsylvania

    Yeah, my hand-held snapshots don't do it justice. I was stunned by its coloration.
  12. D

    Small bird in suburban Pennsylvania

    Thanks! Guess the taxonomists weren't having a very creative day when they got around to naming that one? ;)
  13. D

    Small bird in suburban Pennsylvania

    Photographs from today in southeast PA. What is it?
  14. D

    ID - scavengers from SouthEast Pennsylvania

    I came back to this original picture because I am wondering what explains the difference between these two birds' heads. The one on the left seems to have a blacker head with a higher feather line. I read that there is no sexual dimorphism in vultures, so is this a less mature bird on the...
  15. D

    Small blue bird in Pennsylvania

    Seen this week in suburban area of southeast Pennsylvania. What is this guy? Given its size I am amazed it can survive the recent low temperatures.
Top