Today at the feeder (1 Viewer)

[SixxStar]

Aww, I just looked out of my back window, because usually the cards are out at dusk & there is 1 lone morning dove that is sitting on the birdbath heater. I tried to take a pic, but I got a bad reflection glare from the window & if I go outside, it'll get scared off, so I'll let it be. It looks quite cozy.

 

[Slqfan]

Today at my feeders i have seen.

Chipping Sparrows 20+
Northern Cardinal 1
American Goldfinch 12
Black-crested Titmouse 2
Yellow-throated Warbler 1

 

[amkid247]

today at my feeder i was happy to see that the house sparrows stayed where ever they were and didnt show up! the blizzard must be keeping them all bundled up!
anyway i saw my usual bird friends:
my two downy woodpeckers, my flock of chickadees, the two ruling cardinals and the 2 visiting cardinals in the winter, the dark eyed juncos, the chipping sparrows, the white throated sparrows.
i also had a beatiful visitor brought in by the cold! a beatiful male northern flicker showed up at my feeder! he was amazing and ive seen him around here before.

 

[Ade George]

Finally got the first Blackcap in the garden for this winter, a male feeding on holly berries. The Bullfinches are late getting to the cherry tree but did see a female on another cherry tree not too far from the house. Otherwise its been a very quiet winter for birds in the garden, not surprising seems there are greenfly and ladybirds out and about now.

 

[geogypsy]

A new one for my life list

And she keeps bringing back friends

 

[SixxStar]

And she keeps bringing back friends

She could of at least put on a feather boa... That's kind of neat, but probably because I don't have that 'problem'.

I had about 50 sparrows today. I got home early in the afternoon & the feeders were all empty (for the last week, I've had to fill them daily). One little birdie (I heard a house finch get really chatty) must have called out to the others that chow has been served & instantly they appeared in big numbers. sparrows, house finches, starlings, morning doves, a male & female cardinal, what look like siskins, juncos & my trusty yard companion...the male downy, whom I have named Bandit.

 

[vsjr]

Breakfast

http://129.79.35.49/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=2537&g2_imageViewsIndex=2

There was more than seeds and suet for breakfast at our feeders this morning. We've seen lots of hawks and even kestrels try to grab birds off our feeders, but this is the first success we have witnessed. We get a lot of Red-Shouldered Hawks, which like to watch the feeders but seem to prefer other things to birds (especially snakes and frogs in the summer), and a few Sharp-Shinned's, but the Cooper's are certainly the most regular in attacking the feeder birds.

Vern
Bloomington, IN

 

[tjcritter]

Yesterday evening and again this morning, about 2 blocks from my house was a tree full of what appeared to be cedar waxwings. It's been overcast for the last couple of days so the lighting isn't very good and I could barely make them out, even when I drove the 2 blocks to get a closer look. There were too many to count and at first I thought they were starlings. I've only ever seen 8 or 10 at a time that stop in our yard to get a quick drink once or twice a year. Do they usually get together in such large numbers?

We threw out some leftover lasagna in between the feeders night before last just to see what would happen. Suprisingly the blue birds seem to like it, they have been by every morning since, as well as my kinglets and warblers. A mocking bird seems to have decided it belongs to him, because I watched him chasing the other birds away from it this morning. Other birds today: juncos, goldfinches, carolina wren, downy woodpecker, red breasted woodpecker, and female cardinal so far today.

 

[amkid247]

She could of at least put on a feather boa... That's kind of neat, but probably because I don't have that 'problem'.

I had about 50 sparrows today. I got home early in the afternoon & the feeders were all empty (for the last week, I've had to fill them daily). One little birdie (I heard a house finch get really chatty) must have called out to the others that chow has been served & instantly they appeared in big numbers. sparrows, house finches, starlings, morning doves, a male & female cardinal, what look like siskins, juncos & my trusty yard companion...the male downy, whom I have named Bandit.

cool pic! maybe its just the angle but to me it looks like a hairy woodpecker for some reason. or are you positive it is a downy?

 

[vsjr]

downy

cool pic! maybe its just the angle but to me it looks like a hairy woodpecker for some reason. or are you positive it is a downy?

Definitely looks like a Downy to me. Beak smaller than head, and on a Hairy I think the comma shaped mark extending from the shoulder onto the breast would have been clearly visible in this picture.

 

[SixxStar]

Thanks! Yes, it is a Downy... I just looked at the pic again & I can see the beak is at a funny angle, making it appear to be bigger. It's small though. All my pics are taken w/a digital camera... I have not evolved to a better camera yet.

 

[snowyowl]

Thanks! Yes, it is a Downy... I just looked at the pic again & I can see the beak is at a funny angle, making it appear to be bigger. It's small though. All my pics are taken w/a digital camera... I have not evolved to a better camera yet.

On a Downy I would expect to see the spots on the side of the tail and there are none visible in the picture.
Great raptor shot. How are you id'ing it as a Cooper's rather Sharpie? I wouldn't be able to tell without seeing the tail, which I'm sure you have seen.

 

[snowyowl]

Great Backyard Bird Count

Don't forget that the Great Backyard Bird Count starts today. Details at: http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc/.

 

[SixxStar]

I looked at other pics & I don't see black spots on sides of the tail. But the beak looks small to me (he himself looks little to me as well) & I have listened to the calls of both online (actually did this awhile back when he first started showing up) & it sounds like a downy. So I should assume it is a hairy based on the missing black spots?

 

[cavan wood]

I looked at other pics & I don't see black spots on sides of the tail. But the beak looks small to me (he himself looks little to me as well) & I have listened to the calls of both online (actually did this awhile back when he first started showing up) & it sounds like a downy. So I should assume it is a hairy based on the missing black spots?

Most, but not all downies show the black spots to varying degrees, especially at the angle of your bird. The beak to head ratio is much more reliable and I am quite confident your bird is a downy. If in doubt post another photo or two and we'll have a go at it.

Scott

 

[SixxStar]

Ok here are a couple more pics, these were all taken at the same time. Thanks!

 

[amkid247]

ok considering i stir this up, i apologize =]
here are two pictures of male birds
the left one is the downy, right is hairy
one thing to remember is: The Hairy Woodpecker is more a forest bird and is shyer than its smaller relative, the Downy Woodpecker. so do you live a forested area or suburbs, also now that ive looked at both pictures side by side ur birds bill seems to actually be a downy like u said. sorry for the confusion

PS is your bird more sparrow sized or robin sized?

 

[SixxStar]

It's ok! If there was a chance that I was incorrect, I'd like to know what I was doing wrong-I am new to this. Def the size of a sparrow & he's not shy at all. In fact, I was just out there topping off all the feeders so I could do the count & he came in the yard while I was out there. I snapped another pic, this time I zoomed to 16x.

 

[amkid247]

its a downy, hes so cute. i have a male and female that visit my feeders year round! they didnt make babies this year though =[ anyway today i had a male red bellied woodpecker.

 

[cavan wood]

Check it out. Two faint black spots, but they're hardly visible.


Scott