Birds

If you like watching birds or have any comments about a cool bird in your yard or something, this would be a good place to discuss anything to do with birds.

Also saw a hen hooded merganser catch a bullhead and then try for 2-3 minutes to swallow it.  It finally gave up and let the bullhead go.  3 pics of hoodies.

Took a country ride to the north this morning.  Very windy and cold.  Saw a bunch of different migrating waterfowl.  A few hundred blue-winged teal, shovelers, ring-necked ducks, buffleheads, hooded mergansers, trumpeter swans, and tundra swans.

Pics of calling red-winged blackbird, a pair of ring-necked ducks, and a drake blue-winged teal.

They are pretty cool birds very different. This one watches like a century goose while it’s made as eating on a ground behind him. 

Only 3 ft away. He must trust me. Or she. 

Little bit different nest for a robin. Lots of grass in this one. We’ll see if it’s strong enough. I’ve got four making nests in the yard.

Goldfinch invasion at my place today...

Bluebirds are settled in their house protecting like they do so well.
Another migrator showed up. Male Eastern Towhee. Very cool bird.

A little sunbathing going on in the garden

A few close-ups of one of BMR's favorites....the grackle.  Actually, a very pretty bird up close.

crawdaddy,
If possible, look at them close with binoculars.  I had what I thought were purple finches and upon closer (magnified) inspection, they were actually house finches (they have a purplish/rosy red hue around the head and upper breast).

Had some purple finches yesterday.  At least looked like them from a distance.  I’m ready to see some migrating warblers…

Nice BMR...a yellow-bellied sapsucker.  

My buddy is back. 

Breakfast with the babies this morning!! If you look close lower right they had something that mommy brought them, just hope it wasn’t the 3rd baby could only see 2 .

My son needed a break from studying med school stuff this afternoon, so I took him on a drive to show him the nesting sandhill crane and a new bald eagle nest that is active.  Along the way, we saw 9 kestrels, 1 merlin, and 1 northern harrier.  Also saw a handful of tundra swans (5), 4 GPCs, some gadwalls, buffs, woodies, mallards, and 1 flock of teal.  I was hoping to see another Brewer's duck (hybrid mallard x gadwall), but did not on this day.

Pics of a Kestrel, the nesting sandhill crane getting buffeted in the high wind, and a bald eagle feeding its young eaglet.  The eagle pic was at 250X zoom in the wind.  The adult eagle was tearing bits of flesh off and feeding it to the chick which was difficult to get a stable pic at that distance.  Still cool to watch, however.