It's a welcome sight, because we've had tons of flies this year, and they don't seem to be letting up even in the cooler weather.

The black phoebe was appearing to be pretty aggressive toward the goldfinches, and then it flew to the area under the eaves that is usually reserved for the sparrows to nest. They were a little late calling in their reservations to me this year. :D

No pic yet, but I shall remain vigilant. :)

Brenda

I'm curious (I'm not familiar with CA birds), does the black phoebe have the same type of call as the phoebe we have here towards the east coast? It makes a sound just like it's name.......feeeebee. It's always fun seeing a bird for the first time! Like you, I haven't been as aware of what's going on in my yard bird-wise this year.
Several years ago, I quit feeding the wild birds, since the dropped seed attracted alot of coons. I got chickens a couple years ago, and so I'm trying to NOT attract the coons now.
I have one really cool new visitor to my yard.......a pileated woodpecker! The first time I saw it out my kitchen window, I was talking to my husband, and I let out this big gasp. He thought something awful was happening out there!
Have fun looking for more black phoebes!

I rarely get pileated woodpeckers, but last Sunday I had one hanging on the 4"x4" suet feeder outside my living room window. It was huge! Thought Murphy was going to go through the window...then he was gone...

Sarah

The only call I heard it make was a single-note, cheeping sound. My description is sadly lacking, but after a few minutes of the "cheep", it got rather irritating, I can say that. LOL I did listen to its other call online, as well, and I haven't heard that one yet, and nothing at all yesterday. I just hope it comes back for a quick photo op!

Those pileated woodpeckers are gorgeous! I've seen one only occasionally, and then just glimpses, in a large tree next to our house. The Nuttall's woodpeckers that come around here are much less skittish, and I usually see them poking around on the large tree in our front yard near the very base of it. And I love the flickers, as well!

If my kitty so much as looks cross-eyed at any of "my" birds...well, she's a big cat, so I'll just have to talk to her. :D

Brenda

Regulars right now at the feeders are: nuthatch, carolina wren, hairy woodpecker, red-bellied woodpecker, goldfinch, house finch, carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, robins, cardinals, blue jays, mourning doves, song sparrows and white-throated sparrow. I had one sighting of a male towhee.

I've planted a thicket on the edge of my woods this fall with 5 each of American Bittersweet, black chokecherry, and scarlet American elder. On the side of my house, near the porch, I put in callicarpa and viburnum dentatum 'Blue Muffin'. I still want to put in a Mulberry, but I'm worried my neighbors might not like the purple poop! I am partial to the berry eating birds of summer, in particular, brown thrashers, catbird and mockingbirds.

I finally saw my first Pileated Woodpecker about a month ago, but only in flight. It prefers the deeper woods on the back of my community.

CT

My current list: chickadees, gold finches, blue jays, downy and hairy woodpeckers, as well as the rare pileated. 3 different sparrows, nuthatches, pigeons, morning doves, and the ocassional pheasant that struts through the yard.

Sounds like wonderful bird watching in your yard! Thanks for sharing!

Speaking of birds of prey - I saw SOMEthing swoop sideways through the yard the other day. The house finches and goldies were snacking up a storm, then they scattered. When they eventually returned, their silence was eerie the rest of the day. LOL

Brenda

Sarah (with a dreamy smile)

:) Mary

My folks only have the fruitless mulberries now, but you're not kidding about shade, Mary! The (huge, almost-hurt-your-eyes yellow) leaves are dropping now, covering all of my mom's Azaleas and shady things, but the rest of the year, they must cool the house by at least 10 degrees. :)

Brenda

Had relatives in the LA and San Diego areas 'til they all moved. So now I look forward to exploring Idaho and Arizona on my travels! Where are you in CA?

Back to the bird watch, had a purple finch this morning!

Sarah

Oh, Idaho is awesome! I lived in Meridian for 3 formative, younger years, and my dad grew up in Paul, Burley, & Twin Falls.

Yeah, I'm veering off topic...WAY off. LOL Wow, a purple finch! Do they look like the goldies (or the house ones), only purple? I'll have to look that one up.

Miss Phoebe has made herself scarce since that day I saw her. :(

Brenda

I will continue to plant for wildlife but it is a slow process because my soil is mostly clay, so hauling soil amendments causes me to take it easy. Mostly it is the edge of the woods I am adding to with wilder type shrubs.

I already have a natural wooded area. It is not a huge area but it is packed tight with good wildlife species. The fruit and nut trees in the woods are large and bearing: 4 kinds of oak (white, red, black and willow), American Holly, 9 Black Tupelo (a bird favorite and fabulous fall color), Dogwood, Black Cherry, Pignut Hickory, Tulip Poplar, Hackberry, Winterberry ground cover, and native pines with many cones. In the yard I've added crabapple (the rabbits eat the fruit too), red maple, pear, cherry, and juniper. I find that the birds also enjoy seed bearing perennials: coreopsis, liatris, coneflower, several grasses, goldenrod, asters, and others.

I'm missing my male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker this year. I think I had the same one for 2 years but he didn't show this year:-(

Well.... most of us will see (and eat) at least one kind of bird today. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
CT

There was another type woodpecker on a nearby branch, waiting for a turn at the suet, but the big boy looks like he is in no hurry to vacate.

CT

Brenda

I am writing to you to let you know that you are missed greatly and someone special is hoping you will come home!

Fondly,
CT

OMG!!!!!! You are NOT going to believe this, but....I just finished typing the line above, and GUESS who showed up?? This is just too freaky for words. I haven't heard or seen her since the 14th, and there she was, right outside the window, trying to get up into the eaves where the sparrows usually nest. I got a great look at that creamy tummy and crown head, too. And...now Phoebe's gone again. Wow.

You rock, CT!!!!! LOL

Brenda

Imagine my surprise to hear of your short visit. Your special friend anxiously awaits your return, as your visit was most brief. Until next time my dear.

Fondest Regards,
Mr. Y. B. Sapsucker

I'm SOOOO excited! I saw a (get this name) female yellow-rumped warbler, "Audubon's" form, in my yard yesterday!!! She was SO beautiful. She seemed to be thrashing around in my Chrysanthemums, but then I noticed that she was picking critters (aphids?) off each stem, near the base of the flowers. You go, girl!

I've never seen a warbler in my LIFE! I was so absorbed in the sight, breathing heavily, binoculars pressed against my glasses, that I didn't even think to get her pic til it was too late.

I'll try again if I see her. In the meantime, I'll just post a link. :)

Brenda

We get the myrtle form, they aren't quite as colorful as yours and right now they are in their winter colors, if it wasn't for their bright yellow patches, they would be pretty drab. I have three hanging around, they'll hang around most of the winter and then disappear when they change into their breeding colors :^(. Heres a couple of pics from the last couple of weeks ...

I found a buffalo treehopper on a plant yesterday, so hopefully the warbler will come back and eat it (and its relatives). I'm so glad I gave up spraying for critters. It's worth it to me in the long run, if I get to see more of Nature's remedies. :)

Brenda

brenda, just a sidenote...i had ants herding buffalo treehoppers on my sunflowers one year, much like they do with aphids. so, i had to find out what these weird looking things were!

I held this kinglet in my hand this fall. A sharp-shinned chased him into the window. I heard the hit and rushed out to get him before the hawk did. He was laying on his back and convulsing and I thought for sure he was a goner. I held him in my hands until he stopped shaking and after being sure his legs and wings were not broken I held him out toward a hanging basket where he fluttered to this vine. I made a quick retreat into the house and watched to be sure he was going to make it. It took a few minutes but he recovered and took off. The orange crest is rarely seen, usually when the bird is distressed, as I am sure he was.

Here you can see the orange crest really well ....

Just a few moments after he took off, this ruby-crowned kinglet appeared. They tend to forage together (with the yellow rumps) and I imagined he wanted to know what was holding up his little buddy. They also have a rarely-seen red crest which doesn't show here.

So what does a buffalo tree hopper look like? We get those giant leaf hoppers, I can't iamge a warbler eating those big bugs!

this is what i had: http://bugguide.net/node/view/27350
http://bugguide.net/node/view/27347

Our first below below freezing is forcasted for tonight. Have to remember to fill up the suet feeders. So many woodpeckers, Carolina wrens and nuthatches chowing down (and my one lone Mr. Sapsucker).

Jean - if you get a chance can you post that suet recipe again? Thanks.

CT

My first warbler was a Canadian that I saw last fall. I've since had 19 different kinds, mostly in the fall. For about 6 weeks during fall migration I see at least one kind every morning, sometimes 3 or 4. They can be confusing, especially the first fall females who tend to be pretty drab and tough to distinguish. Only a few kinds will actually eat seed from the feeder but most of them will at least investigate the seed on the ground. I started wetting the leaves of a crapapple and a cedar in the morning and sprinkling sunflower hearts on them, all the birds seem to really enjoy that, even the warblers. The tennesee warbler will readily eat from the feeder as will the bay-breasted and the chestnut sided. Theres a woman in Cinncinati who has a pine warbler (a very late migrant) that is coming to her waxworm feeder every day. I've not tried waxworms yet.

Speaking of confusing birds, I was going through my bird pictures and deleting some pictures that I decided not to keep. I was just about to delete this one thinking that I had better pictures of the ruby-crowned kinglet when I noticed it was not a kinglet at all but a blue-headed vireo! So I had a new yard bird and didn't even realize it! The main differences between this vireo and the kinglet is the white spectacles instead of the partial white eye-ring, bolder wing bars and the shape of the beak. But when they are hopping around in the tree and mixed in with the kinglets, those differences are not so obvious.

CT - does your yellow-bellied sapsucker come to the suet? I have yet to see either of the pair of sapsuckers come to mine. They have just about girdled a monster russian olive, I say "Go for it" as I have not yet found a good way to kill those nasty bushes. Some get the pileated to come to their suet too but I've not had any luck getting them to come that close to the house.

Heres a link to the website of suet recipes. I use the basic recipe with lard, peanut butter, cornmeal and flour and add raisins, walnuts and peanut chips. I plumb the raisins by pouring hot water over them and then draining. Sometimes I do the same with dried cranberries or cherries - the red-bellies really seem to like them, I've seen them chip through the block to get to them. Any nuts are good, I've added pecans when I have left overs from baking. The recipes are pretty forgiving so I don't really measure how many nuts and raisins that I add. I saved the plastic containers from the store bought which I fill and freeze. I make 14 or 15 blocks each time. You will find that the homemade is much more crumbly than the store bought but any crumbs are quickly eaten by the ground birds, the white-throated sparrows and juncos seem to be quite fond of it. And of course the chippies and squirrels! GFS has a bag of peanut chips for sundae toppings that is perfect and I buy the walnuts at Sams Club (they are cheaper than the mail order places). This website is devoted to bluebirds but the suet is good for any bird. Some people add oatmeal and make it really crumbly and put it on a platform feeder, I'e not tried that yet.

I think I'm going to try some suet this year, as well. I always seem to forget until the weather gets too warm. I'm also thinking I should set up some sort of bird blind out in the yard, possibly utilizing the cast iron garden table. LOL I can never seem to get a clear shot of the birds through my front windows!

Where would one get waxworms? I did a search online and only came up with places in the UK. And would it be worth it in attracting anything new and different?

I got a pic of my little buffalo...but he doesn't have the horns that I've seen in most pics of them.

This site had the best pic for what I saw in my yard. They rather remind me of fleas in the shape of their legs. Yikes! Kind of scary. LOL But I've heard that a garden hose works wonders. :)

Brenda

I really got a smile the other day when a carolina wren was sitting on top of my Japanese maple singing his little heart out. Another was answering from afar. Joyful little fellow. They love the suet too. I attraced most of the wrens, which I get winter as well, by placing the log and brush piles in my wooded area. Male towhee was seen in that area during summer. Now that is a handsome bird.

Still getting the Sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawk hunting at the feeders. That is a moral dilemma for me, putting out food so the predators can hunt it. But, my friends at SMAS have convinced me that I should be greatful for the diversity at the feeders and the fact hawks are not as common. When I see that big red-tailed hawk waiting for squirrels to scamper my way I cringe. I know at least one squirrel got caught because I heard the crows mobbing and went out to look, and the hawk flew away with part of a squirrel. Eeek!

One time a hawk made a screaming dive but didn't get anybody. Those that didn't immediately fly off in all directions, they froze in place. I mean, not a muscle was moving for 20 minutes. One of the frozen birds was a downy at the suet, sitting in plain site of the hawk which, after catching nothing sat on a tree limb about 10 feet outside my window, so I got to watch it real close which was nice. It was preening. Having it this close gave me the chance to identify as Coopers. Coopers and Sharp-shinned look too much alike for me to identify when they are flying fast.

CT

Forgot to thank you for all the details on your suet preparation, especially soaking the fruit. That is a good idea to make more pliable and safer for the birds. I'll probably chop the plumped up fruits as well.

It all sounds bird yummy! CT

Be careful of the wheel bug, apparently their sting is very painful and takes weeks to months to heal.

Brenda, you might try putting out nuts in lieu of suet. I offer shelled and unshelled peanuts, walnuts and sometimes pecans or pine nuts. My woodpeckers, nuthatches, etc will go for the nuts as well as the suet.

Cometose, I still have a hard time telling the coopers and sharpies apart unless they are perched. I had a pair of juvenile coopers this summer. They spent the summer practicing on the feeder birds but their attempts were so clumpsy that the feeder birds mostly ignored them. I haven't seen them since early this fall so I assume they have moved on. The sharp shinned is another story, he is relentless and the feeder birds are always on the lookout. I feed the ground birds under a multi-flora rose and they are really quick to dive into the center when the hawk is around.

Heres the juvenile coopers hawk (taken in august) ...

Here he is in October, you see the one adult feather showing the barring patter that has grown in just above his left leg.

Heres the sharp-shinned hawk, he is getting more and more daring and landed just outside the window ....

This picture is a little graphic - the sharpie with a mourning dove ...

Not sure exactly which one visited me last winter. But I haven't seen him since. He perched out above the pond, all was silent, then he moved on. :)

The red thing is the calyx of a Salvia splendens bloom. It's only supposed to be an annual, even for us, but it was still holding its color after the week-plus of below freezing temps we had. Some of my other Salvias are still blooming their heads off, though. This is our time of year for planting (well, near the end of it now), so things can get established during the wet months before the rains stop and the summer heat returns. And the Camellia has been threating to bloom for over a month now! :)

I bought a bag of what's called Nut N' Berry the other day. So far, no takers, but word travels slowly in these parts. :D Thanks for the tips, too! I worship your birding skills. :)

Brenda

BTW - what camera do you use and what lense? Next time I buy a new camera I want to have telephoto. Macro would be nice too. In other words, I want a kickass digital camera so I can take close-ups of the birds I watch. Or do you use a spotting scope with camera?

CT

Anyway - here are two photos. One with 3 eggs (eventually there were 4) and Mom #2 sitting on them. I should have moved that leaf out of the way, but I'm sure another opportunity to try again will happen. I don't like disturbing nesting too much. This Mom Robin let me come in close because she knows me from near the pond when I throw crickets and worms for the frogs (and her). I swear those Robins know when I am tossing out food and come by and snag them up. I toss them food well away from my bullfrogs! I have an 8 inch bullie now and no 'yard birds' are safe.

Brenda

I love the robin pictures! I always wonder why their eggs are so blue, seems like it would make them more obvious to predators, but so pretty!

I have a Cannon XT, it's a digital SLR and a 400mm lens. That is actually the smallest length lens recommended for bird photography - a 600mm would be better. Also, I bought a zoom lens but now which I had bought a prime lens (fixed focal length) as I rarely zoom it in. The primes are cheaper and work much better with the multipliers (1X, 2X, etc.).

Brenda, I am going to take a stab at id'ing you hawk. I don't know your hawks but I am guessing it is a sharp shinned hawk. Here is your photo enlarged and lightened next to a coopers and a sharp shinned.

Here's the sharpie ................ then you's ........... then the coopers

Notice the more barrel-chested look of the sharpie compared to the coopers, the closeness of the eyes to the beak, the size and shape of the head. The sharp shinned also has wider bands of white on the tail and a more square tail (which is much more obvious in the picture below).

Although it could be something entirely different, I really only get to see the coopers and sharp-shinned here. But that's my .02 for what it's worth.

I'm pretty sure it was a winter pic, since the walnut hasn't lost all of its leaves yet this year, so it must have been later. When do they molt? I have 3 other pics of it, but he was on a branch that was further away and higher. He appears to have "normal" feathers in those pics. Maybe he "fluffed" himself before this one. :D

Brenda

One feature I'm going to be looking for is the ability for quick recovery so I can snap multiple photos real fast. This way you get a better chance of catching just the right expression or moment from many shots of the same subject taken within seconds of one another.

Jean's photos ARE noted for wonderful expressions on the birds faces and super clarity of the details and also the background plants. Color is wonderful too, including all the texture. A good crop makes all the difference as well. They are extra special photographs that IMO have evolved over time through practice, increased skills, and great equipment for the purpose.

Most of us take all purpose digital cameras and use them for everything and we do a decent job. But to capture wildlife in the manner Jean does you need equipment suited to that purpose, not to mention the time it takes to sit and wait for the right photo opportunity and the ability to know when that moment is.

Her works shows a dedication to excellence. They are award winning photographs and if I was taking them I'd be looking to make money with them or at least entering them in DNR and other photo contests for exposure in those circles. It would be great to get a job where they pay you full time to provide your photographic work to be put in magazines and technical journals, and art galleries. National Geographic photographers have nothing on Jean. Super professional and of the highest quality. We are lucky to see them here! I've been saving every one just so I can look at them without having to scroll through GW posts. I don't post them anywhere and I would not without express permission to do so. Too bad GW can by virtue of them being posted here.

CT

Check out this guy's photography ... RobAmy photography His ability to reflect the bird in it's environment is just outstanding and his lighting techniques are unsurpassed.

But I have decided to take an online course geared towards nature photography which I am very excited about!

CT, it's not just the recovery time you need to be concerned about but also focusing time. And you will want a camera that has the ability to keep a subject in focus as it moves. With long telephoto lenses, even a small change in the distance from the camera (less than an inch) can make the difference in whether the bird is in focus or blurry.

Today I am in bird withdrawal, I HATE these short days!

I know I'm no expert, but I know what I like, and to my eye, your images rival his. I'm so glad to hear that your exploring the nature photog thing a little further, since that might mean our words of praise are hitting home. :) I hope that online course is enjoyable, too! I'll be very interested in seeing if you come up with any differences in your current skills. I just can't imagine your photos being any better! :)

Oh, and I finally got a witness during a black phoebe siting! DH ooh'd and ahh'd with me when "she" showed up on Saturday for a quick bounce around the wires. Still no pic, though. LOL

Brenda

TOday I received an email from one of the Birders World editors that they had used my kinglet picture as one of the computer backgrounds that just starting providing on their website. I had given them permission awhile ago but never thought they would actually use it! I am really honored, especially when you see the quality of the other photographs - they are all spectacular (especially the wood ducks!)

I sure hope you're feeling better soon. It seems the cold season is upon us, just in time for Christmas. :(

Brenda

But I did get a nice surprise on Christmas, a hermit thrush showed up with the other ground birds! This is really late in the year for them to be here, they are usually gone by October.

Catherine, which dslr are you getting? I am ready to step-up but it will be awhile. Cameras are like all other electronics, they are outdated in no time and there is always something bigger and better.

I don't worry about the copyright issues, I would rather share them with the off chance that someone might steal them. Even if you put a copyright on the picture, it is too easy to take it out so I don't bother. If I ever get a shot that I think is an award-winning shot I might be more concerned.

Is there some reason you can't feed the birds and the chickens?

All of my shots are taken from the house - I'm afraid I am not a very good birder because in the field I tend to scare them all away long before I can get close enough for a picture ... it takes great patience or a really long lense to get them in the field!

I quit feeding the birds because it attracted alot of coons.....which love to eat chickens. I'm not sure which camera I'm getting.......it's a "surprise" from my husband! My birthday isn't for about a week. But I think he has a pretty good sense of what's good. It will probably be more than I know what to do with!
Wow.......that thrush is around much later than usual...at least for my zone 5.
I really thought that sharp-shinned hawk that you posted pics of, was a kestral. I didn't realize they were so blue.
I'm afraid once I get that camera.........I'll spend way too much time looking for good shots! I can only hope that some day my pics are as good as your's!

Really enjoying the pics and bird info on here, ladies!

Brenda

There are some mail order houses that also take used cameras and lenses in trade - there are lots of photographers who upgrade as soon as a new model comes out, so there are lots of two year old cameras around. I bought a defective used lens from Adorama and had to return it and there were no questions asked, they shipped me another one before I even got the other one returned. They also offer a 2 year guarantee for 64.00 - I don't know how extensive it is though. I've orderd from B&H too and had a good experience with them. And of course they are alot of used cameras on ebay.

Quality and price of lenses can vary alot. I started with a 100-300MM lens that cost less than 200.00. I got some really good shots with it. That was the beginning for me, bird photography became a passion, so I have since bought a pro-consumer lens.

It is a time consuming hobby, even the best photographers spend hours and hours in the field. The biggest challenge to bird photography is getting close enough to the bird to get good details. The best photographers are actually the best birders as they know where to go and how to approach the bird without scaring it. The rest of it make up for it by buying 600mm lenses or shooting from a blind (or the house in my case). I have seen some really knock-out photos taken with a 2 megapixel point-and-shoot camera from an expert birder and amateur photographer. (And there are some great point-and-shoot cameras out there, their only downfall is that you have to replace the whole camera to upgrade, where with the slr's you can upgrade the lens.)

I guess what I am saying is you don't have to have the best equipment to get some great pictures and you don't have to get the best pictures to enjoy bird photography.

Catherine, how lucky to have 33 acres! I lived here for 5 years before I really took an interest in the birds. I always fed the birds in winter (cause Mom always did!) but never really paid attention to what all was around. In the fall of 2005 I saw my first warbler and that was really the beginning for me, I was hooked! I have since photographed 95 different birds in my yard (some of those pictures are not much more than a blur in the picture, but I know it's there!). I hate winter days as I don't get to see much of the birds and I find myself in withdrawal by the end of the week.

Brenda, I love reading through my bird guides - and I do read them from front to back, even the birds that I will probably never see. But it has really helped me learn to identify birds.

Bird books are great. I am a huge collector of 'ID' type books in general. Trees, shrubs, wildflowers, insects, butterflies, mushrooms, you name it! Our SMAS group also has a butterfly walk in high summer using low magnification binoculars and butterfly field guides. The guide is a field naturalist named Arlene Ripley who is a member of the local group. A link to her site 'The Nest Box'.

Great Hermit Thrush Jean! I get those occasionally. They are shy.

Sandy, there's really no difference in the photography now then years ago. In fact the digitals have a setting that is denoted as ISO and it has the same affect as using different ISO films even though there is no film used. There is still some post-processing that is typically needed but it's done on the computer instead of the darkroom which makes it much more affordable for the average photographer. And even that can be eliminated if you set up the camera to do it for you. I do use a tripod most of the time, although my lens has a feature called image stabilization that really helps with camera shake. And I shoot through the window in winter, which makes real photographers cringe.

CT, that website is fabulous, she's got some outstanding photos and such an extensive collection! I can imagine that a walk with her is very informative.

Okay, here's one of my yard bird anomalies. It is a partial-albino bluejay that showed up this fall - we have nicknamed him Papa Smurf. I have searched the web over and over to find out if the albinism is what makes the feathers so long and fluffy. I have found references to the fact that white feathers are not as strong as feathers with some color but none of the images that I found of albino birds show these strange fluffy feathers so I don't know what causes it. Anyone have any ideas???

Heres another anomaly ... this is a junco that I am told is a true oregon junco.

There are many "sightings" of oregon juncos in the east but most of them are supposedly "cassiar" variants ( a cross between the slate colored and oregon). Maybe Brenda can help me out here, does this look like one of your west-coast junco?

The variations of juncos are fascinating and if you want to read more about it, try these websites ...
http://www.oceanwanderers.com/JuncoID.html
http://www.oceanwanderers.com/JuncoID2.html

I have been trying to get pictures of all the different variations that I see and I am amazed at how different these birds can be.

Okay, heres a picture for Brenda to look up in her new guide (and maybe you already know this one) but it is fairly common throughout the United States so a bird I think you have a good chance of seeing .... (and FTM, no hints because I KNOW you know what it is :^)

I was surprised to find a listing in the back of my book of other I.D. books put out by Audubon, such as Wildflowers (Western Region), Trees (Western Region), Weather (wow!), Butterflies, etc. My collection starts now. :)

I'd love to get a CD of bird calls, simply because it would be so much easier than having to dial up online every time. I'll have to look into that. Thanks, Catherine!

Jean, that blue jay is so beautiful! Even DH said, "Wow! That's another one she could get published." :) Hopefully someone will show it to the right bird expert who can solve the mystery of the fluffy-feathered blue jay. Until then, I'll dream of cuddling him. :D

From the pictures in my Western Edition book, the closest one appears to be the dark-eyed "Oregon" Junco (lumped together in the description with "slate-colored", "white-winged", and "gray-headed"). The pic in my book has the bird in a pretty much full side shot in full sun, so I can't tell if yours has the more reddish-brown back. It doesn't appear that it does, so if I had to pick one (of a whole lot of variations), I'd say the "Oregon". Although, I don't have a listing of the Cassiar in my book. It appears that your bird has a darker head on it than the pics on the 2nd link, though. Hmmm...the dark-eyed pic on that first link looks identical to yours, too. :) Those links are VERY fascinating!

Ok, NOW! LOL I've been holding off on this part throughout many paragraphs. :D CT, you gave me a hint! Too good, I think. LOL The closest one I could find in my book is a brown creeper. Maybe? This is so fun! It would be even more fun if I could see one of those. :)

Brenda

Brenda - they like suet so maybe you will get one. I only get them sporadically always at the suet, but they are always a treat to watch because of the spiral climb. They are small birds and move quickly.

Jean - glad you liked the site. Where I live is warbler heaven, well, and shorebird heaven, and hawk heaven..... OK - you can smack me anytime now. LOL Actually, most people have more species of birds near by than they know. It's a matter of attracting them via wildlife planting, flowers with nectar and seeds, water sources (no problem on this forum), berry shrubs, feeders year round, brush piles, log piles, thickets, etc.

Arlene's passions are butterflies and birds, but I'm so glad she added insects. Insects are so beautiful. Did you see that spiderweb in the morning dew! I love when I see one of those. Spiders are a fave of mine and my son has a phobia about them. When I find a neat spider I always call out to him with great passion to come and see it - and he cringes. LOL

Geez - what a world when you don't have a fellow spider lover near by to come racing outside at this new and wonderful discovery! I should seek out and marry an entomolgist. Watch out bug doctors I'm spinning my web. LOL

CT

I've gotten a few good spiderwebs with my Canon Power Shot A80. I'm sure I could do alot more with that camera, if I could just read the instructions......or find the time and patience to!

Back to birds......We have some neat ones here, mostly in the spring/summer. I saw a couple male and female scarlet tanagers last year. I also had an orchard oriole nest in a pine tree by my garden. I tried to get pics, but it was just too far away. We have towhees, redstarts, woodcocks, brown thrashers, baltimore orioles, kingbirds, pewees, flycatchers, nuthatches,(a redbreasted one spent the summer here once), thrushes, kinglets, waxwings (a nest of them), carolina wrens, vireos, grosbeaks, and others.

A couple years ago, I kept hearing a noise in the very early spring. I thought it was a nighthawk.....but discovered it was a woodcock! I tried to see it at dusk out in the field, doing its dance, but it was too hard to see. A week or so later, I found one dead on my porch. It was sooooo sad....but I did get to see it up close. A very interesting bird.
Oh....and we have black-billed and yellow-billed cuckoos too.
Are any of you familiar with Robert Bateman? He's a wildlife artist who lives on Vancouver Island. I got to meet him several years ago. I love his bird paintings. I have a couple(reproductions). He's a real vocal environmentalist too. He really captures the essence of the birds.
One curious thing.....in one of his books I have, he painted a picture of a dead oven bird. He said that he finds them occasionally on the floor of the forest.
I went out on my deck one day, and found one dead there!!! It was such a coincidence! Oven birds are rarely seen.
I better stop. I could go on forever about birds!

Can you post your spiderweb photos? Or any others you may have taken? Did you capture the cuckoos?

I've hunted woodcock before behind a trained bird dog. They like wet bottomland forests where they use their long bill to root out worms under the leaves and in the moist soil. The dog would freeze and point when he found one until commanded to flush. They fly like a bat out of hell and I'm happy to say I missed every time. Another bird thats come out of the spruce trees like a freight train are ruffled grouse. They look like bowling balls sitting under the heavy spruce trees, until they are flushed. Another bird with bomber speed is a mourning dove with a good tail wind.

(Note: I no longer hunt - so please, nobody get their panties in a twist) LOL Hunting put one in places where people don't frequent and you get to observe birds and animals in their natural habitat. I went to a Federal Preserve one time that almost never allows hunters or birdwatchers (beyond given paths), and I was way back through the forest and down to a swamp edge, and a flock of yellow warblers came right up to me while I was sitting there. They had no clue what I was and they were curious. They surrounded me within inches and I stayed completely frozen except for my eyes watching them back.

I had the same thing happen at a remote waterfall in the outback of the Appalachian mountains in Virginia when Sulfur yellow butterflies landed all over me. I was covered with them, even on my head. Both of those events happened 20 years or so back. Sadly, no photos taken and for some I guess that makes it a Ripley's believe it or not. LOL

CT

Catherinet, what a coincidence the first time I saw a yellow-billed cuckoo was when it flew into our window. Luckily it survived and gave me plenty of time to id it, of course I thought of taking a picture after it flew away. That was years ago, now I see them a couple times a year. Usually too far away but I got this picture this summer.

I get ovenbirds in the fall, they are one of the few warblers that will eat seed on the ground. Heres a shot of one and another one. I have heard that ovenbirds, kinglets and brown creepers are all birds that are commonly killed by window strikes, makes you wonder whats up with that?

I have yet to see a woodcock but would love to! Would they be a ravine bird?

Raccoons are not just nocturnal, I found that out this summer when I was feeding them suet!

Those spiderweb shots are too cool. I've not started on insects much yet, just a few that I took when I first got my camera. Maybe next summer I will get off my bird kick for a few hours to try :^)

Yup, it's a brown creeper! Heres another one, it too should be in Brenda's book.

Cat- beautiful spider webs!

Too bad the birds hit the windows. Did you try decals? Also, they say to move feeders closer to the window rather than far away so when they take off from the feeder, if they hit the window, they don't hit too hard. I found one dead bird at my front door which has an oval window on it but you can see through it to the back door window. Not sure it even hit the window. Most of my windows have screens on them.

Hey - I worked my way through that SLR link and learned alot about SLR cameras and lenses. It also explained the terminology and the differences between a prime and zoom lens, differing mega-pixels, what type of camera to get for what purpose, comparisons of price and features, etc. I went through each section and hit next (I didn't have to register or sign up for anything). Not a bad link for SLR camera newbies.

CT

Jean - they might frequent your ravine in particular if it is moist, but only at cetain times of the year in Ohio (during breeding) in summer. Not somthing that comes to a feeder. Another similar bird is the snipe.

CT

great pics as always and thanks for the camera info. dh is also going to get me a camera for late christmas...though not an slr. anything should still be better than the one i have!

CT - I've got decals on all my windows and the feeder is 5 feet from the house and well beneath all of the windows and away from the sliding doors in the basement. I actually get more window strikes from birds that never go to the feeder ... I've had a wood thrush, a yellow-billed cuckoo and two kinglets, the wood thrush and one of the kinglets didn't make it :^( The feeder birds seem to know to avoid the windows. They will run for cover when the sharp-shinned is around and I've seen him chase them out of the cedars and into the windows, he's a pretty smart bird.

I listened to the call of the woodcock and I can't say it sounds familiar, but then again I'm not sure if I would notice over the tree frogs!

I read through most of the website about cameras and it is pretty good although I was surprised when they recommended the Nikon over the Canon for action photography. While the camera is better suited, the canon lenses have been preferred by sports photographers. If you ever watch sporting events, check out the photographers lenses, the ones with white lenses on their cameras are Canons, the black ones are Nikons. The pixel explanation was good too, although most bird photographers will say the more the better since you end up cropping out alot of the photo, especially with the small birds. But the difference between 6 and 8 or 8 and 10 is not a huge difference, I'm waiting for an affordable one with 12!

FTM, we'll be counting on you to supply us with lots of bug photos!

So does anyone know the mystery bird, or do you know and just not saying?

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Identification Tips:
Length: 4.75 inches (can't tell from photo - looks fluffed up and plumby)
Conical bill (yes)
Brown crown with gray central stripe (yes)
Gray face and supercilium (yes)
Eye ring (yes)
Brown streak extends behind eye (yes)
Thick malar streak bordered by white throat and buff submustachial stripe (yes)
Olive back with darker streaks (iffy)
Brownish-olive wings (iffy)
Buffy breast and flanks with fine streaks (yes)
White belly (yes)
Thin, rounded tail (cannot tell in photo)
Sexes similar
Juvenile (Summer) similar to adult but is buffier
Similar species:
The Song Sparrow can be told from the Lincoln's Sparrow by its larger bill, heavier streaking on the breast and flanks, lack of buffy color on the breast and face, brown back, larger size and longer tail. Juvenile Lincoln's Sparrows are very similar to juvenile Swamp and Song Sparrows. Savannah Sparrow is similar but has a yellowish supercilium and lacks a buffy breast. Swamp Sparrow has a rusty crown, rusty wings and much less streaking on the breast.

Am I right or is it back to the drawing board? LOL

CT

Jean - I forwarded your PapaSmurf photos to Arlene Ripley and posted them on my local Audubon website late last night. Thanks again. CT

Catherine, LOVE your web photos! That 2nd one is so beautiful. And your hummer is so handsome. :)

Jean, that 2nd pic of Papa Smurf is so gorgeous...and even a little hilarious. He is a wonderful specimen! And that cuckoo and the ovenbirds are amazing, too. I'd never even heard of an ovenbird before this thread!

I would concur that that's a Lincoln sparrow, except...how did you get a pic of it?? In my book, it doesn't show it near you, Jean! Actually, CT's link shows it migrating in your area. Doh! That's all I've got. LOL

Can't wait to see more pics from you, too, FTM!

Brenda

Here's a couple I took today, great lighting, but couldn't seem to stay clear of branches ...

Fox sparrow

Red bellied woodpecker

Sandy, I am still learning and having the camera has helped me. I can go back to the picture and look at the guides and read the field marks, usually even with a bad picture you can see alot of the marks. Your audubon guide is fine, in the back is a list of the field marks for each bird. Also try Cornells Bird Guide If you go to the detailed account for a species there is a section that lists similar birds which really helps if you get close to the id but need help deciding between several species.

Years ago I did wildflower photography with a cheap 35mm (a Ricoh) and diopters for macro work. I could never get the clarity that I wanted though. But I still enjoyed the walks through the parks with my son and finding new ones. Years ago I scanned in all the pictures and started a website, here it is if you want to see. Unfortunately I never finished the website so you may find some broken links (don't bother with the next arrows) or some of the click-to-enlarge options don't work. It was my first website so please forgive :^).

I apologize for all the band-width-hogging I've been doing ... I'll post links from now on!

There's no way I would have guessed the Lincoln's on my own, since my book doesn't show its crown raised like the one in your pic. That threw me off completely. Way to go, CT!

I'm with Sandy in the awestruck department. I can't wait to delve further into CT's link so that I might some day pretend to be a great photographer of flora and fauna. :D

Brenda

Ladies, we are in trouble. Check your Peterson guide on confusing fall warblers to bone up for the challenge! Actually the guide is pretty good by putting them in sub-sections by field marks and color. You can then proceed by process of elimination until you get down to the correct bird. Then check the Cornell's site for other photographs for further positive ID markers. Local variations and light in the photos make if tougher too but if you find most of key ID points it is probably that bird.

According to my SMAS group the Blue Jay is considered partially leucistic, not albino, and is exhibiting other feather abnormalities related to genetics. In another communication, Arlene Ripley commented that she has seen many albino birds but none have exhibited the fur-like structures of this Jay's feathers. I did some of my own research on fur-like feathers and every site pointed to something called proto-feathers which were exhibited by some early dinosaurs before true feathers emerged. It's exciting to imagine this bird may be exhibiting an ancient genetic throwback to prehistoric times which upholds the common belief that birds evolved from dinosaurs as they first took flight. There has been a call to ask everyone on the local site if there is a scientic name for this feather anomaly and this call comes from a man that works for the Smithsonian Institute and really knows birds. So far, no reponse, so the local bird community here may be stumped.

There was sentiment regarding hope the bird survives. Jean, has this bird been a regular at your feeder for any length of time in which one could make the assumption it has survived nature with this variance? Arlene suggested the photo be posted on websites dedicated to leucistic and albino birds and see if more information could be obtained from readers.

PapaSmurf is a rare Blue Jay indeed. CT

I just couldn't help posting about my (first) sighting this afternoon of a song sparrow! He was hanging out with the houses, looking handsome with his white whiskers, dark eye stripes, and chest spot. But what really drew me to him was his overall streaking, especially his head. He stuck around long enough for me to positively ID him, but photographing through the window screen just didn't work. Jean, do you happen to have a personal pic of this little cutie?

Brenda

Brenda, I hope you get to hear the song sparrow, it's a real treat. I'm not sure if they sing out of mating season but be sure to listen for it in the spring. Last year I had one hang around most of the year but haven't seen one this winter. I'm guessing they will show up when (or maybe I should say IF) we get snow. Actually I find them a hard bird to photograph, not sure why, but heres a couple pics from last winter ...

Song Sparrow
Song Sparrow 2

Speaking of song sparrows, one of my favorites! There was a nesting pair across the street in my neighbor's pyracantha and when the young fledged they came over to the gardens that surround my porch and also spent time in the butterfly gardens. I tossed the babies chopped worms and crickets from the porch and watched them eat. I just love the song of the male, sitting up on the top most branch singing his little heart out. This same breeding pair are year round for me here. I put a bit of seed out on the front porch (all my regular feeders are out back) and they come up to eat while I sit nearby. Funny their field mark is the heart on their breast.

CT

I also got to see my resident female ladder-backed woodpecker partaking of the caged nut block (that sounds like something from One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest! LOL) that I recently put out! She was meandering up and around the tree, then, "Hmmm, what do we have here....?" LOL That's the first bird I've seen go for the block o' nuts.

Brenda