My Backyard

[Solly Mack]

I'm getting ready for the 2013 Great Backyard Bird Count.

The usual suspects...


Northern Mockingbird



Dark-eyed Junco





House Sparrow






Pine Warbler (female)




Chipping Sparrow



Black Vulture




Tufted Titmouse








Northern Cardinal




Red Breasted Nuthatch




Inca Dove

[CurtEastPoint]

1. Nice! I wish I had your knowledge of the names.

The titmouses (titmice?) I have visiting me, too. Along w/many others, including yellow-bellied sapsuckers!

[Solly Mack]

2. I call the YB Sapsucker "that damn bird" because

I can never get shot I want of one.

I started learning a little about birds when I started photographing them. (which got me into counting them)

[justiceischeap]

3. We have been inundated with crows of late

We also have a hawk snooping about too. We HAD a baby bunny this year but I think the hawk got to him.

Nice photos.

[Solly Mack]

4. Poor bunny. :(

I enjoy watching crows. They're very smart.

[justiceischeap]

7. A co-worker of mine

was telling me this story about being at the park, and there was a hawk there terrorizing the other birds and these crows formed into, like, a bird squadron and forced the hawk out of their "air space." I was impressed that they kinda protected their plot 'o land.

[Solly Mack]

12. If you get the chance watch "A Murder of Crows".

Nature documentary. If you wanna....amazing birds.

http://video.pbs.org/video/1621910826/

[justiceischeap]

15. Just finished watching this

I must say I'm both impressed and paranoid now.

Seeing Hitchcock's "The Birds" as a child had a weird effect on me--I'm not necessarily scared of birds, just the possibility of what they could do. Now, I'm going to be extremely paranoid of crows. They may decide to come down out of the trees and take over.

[Solly Mack]

18. I think of that movie often when out looking for birds.

I have a new found respect for crows too. I pay attention to their calls more when I'm around them. I wonder what they're thinking and if they're teaching the others about me.

[AmBlue]

32. One day, one of my boys left the egg door of our chicken coop open...

...and a crow discovered it and had an egg-smashing party. Needless to say, it left a big mess in one of our egg boxes. My boys don't make that mistake any more, but I caught that darned crow flying straight in through the main door of the coop the very next day, again looking for a free lunch!! (My chickens free-range so the coop door is only closed at night.). So I chased him off and started collecting eggs as early as possible every day, hoping the lack of a prize would discourage the crow. No luck, as it continued to come looking for eggs every day! This crow would actually sit on top of my coop or on the front door of the coop every day and fuss at me for chasing him off! This went on for at least a week before we finally had to shut the coop door and cut a new, small doorway at ground level (and disguise it with bird netting) for our chickens to be able to get in and lay.

This finally did the trick, but still I saw that darned smart crow come by a few more times checking to see if he could get a quick free lunch of scrambled egg. Darned smart crow...

Beautiful bird pics, Solly! Thanks for putting them up.

[Solly Mack]

35. Thanks, AmBlue! Sorry about the crow troubles.

They can be a nuisance - made worse because they are smart. I think they're more than a little mischievous as well.

[AmBlue]

40. We still love crows...

...and have a lot of respect for their obvious intelligence. Even though we don't want them stealing our eggs, we still enjoy having them around.

[formercia]

48. I feed a family of Crows

They are quite entertaining. They keep Seagulls away from the feeder. The smaller birds are left alone.

Their social structure is much like a Wolf Pack, with an Alpha Pair and pecking order within the group. Each has their own personality.

They talk to me, but I can't understand what they are saying except by inference.

[Solly Mack]

49. Neat! The crows around here stay out of my yard.

They are close enough for me to watch their antics though. Mostly they fight with the blue jays over trees.

[formercia]

50. Some of them get very close.

Less than 10 feet. It took a long time to win their trust.

Last Winter there was a funny incident. I came out to feed them and noticed a Seagull on the roof waiting for chow. Normally, the seagulls would intimidate all of the other birds and gobble everything down in less than a minute. If they were well behaved, I wouldn't mind, but they are pigs. I picked up a chunk of ice and threw it all the Gull who flew off, followed by the Crows who were making sure it wouldn't return, The Crows then returned and made a big fuss like they were celebrating with me for the teamwork.
Inter-species cooperation. It was really neat to see.

[NV Whino]

5. Damn, I'm jealous

I couldn't,t get a good bird shot if one perched on the end of my lens.

[Solly Mack]

6. I have to go out camouflaged and sit very still and very quiet.

and even then I seldom get the shot I want.

[NCarolinawoman]

8. That titmouse looking straight-on, is a real cutie.

I love their personalities.

Great photos!

[Solly Mack]

9. It's my favorite bird.

They have great personalities, I agree. Love their faces.

Thanks.

[DemoTex]

10. Couple of nice LGBs there!

(Little Gray Birds)

[Solly Mack]

11. "LGBs" - I like that!

I may just start calling them that.

Thanks!

[Canuckistanian]

21. And don't forget "LBJ"s

Little Brown Jobs

[Mira]

13. These are so very impressive. Wonderful work.

The titmouse is so full of personality,, and you captured it. I can't imagine you in camouflage, but I would suspect it's the only way to get these great photographs.
I once hung a curtain of thin plastic from a sun umbrella and cut holes to look through etc., but I never got such perfect results.
Thumbs up. I can tell you had fun.

[Solly Mack]

14. I thought about rigging a curtain on the deck but went with a over-large black robe I made

one Halloween for our haunted yard. I cover my head with a scarf. Seems to work OK. Mostly, I think they're getting used to me again.

I love titmice!

Thanks, Mira.

[Celebration]

16. Awesome titmouse photos!

Junco, too.

Some birds are just too disagreeable to photo--think bluejay!

So funny I was surrounded by mockingbirds yesterday for some transgression of mine and it started me thinking about "The Birds". Anyone here who has not seen it, well, you will be a changed person afterwards if you do.

[Solly Mack]

17. lol! I know that feeling!

I laugh at myself afterward but in that moment it is a very creepy feeling. Thanks, AH!

Thank you, Celebration.

[OnionPatch]

19. I love the GBBC.

But haven't participated for years. Thanks for the reminder. I counted about ten species in my yard alone the other day.

Love your pics!

[Solly Mack]

20. It's going to be world-wide this year.

http://www.birdsource.org/gbbc


Thanks, OnionPatch!

[locks]

22. Wonderful pictures

Thanks for seeing and identifying our friends

[Solly Mack]

27. Thanks, locks. My pleasure!

[Blue_In_AK]

23. Of all of those,

I only see the red-breasted nuthatches around here. These are some great shots.

The birds that visit our feeders in the winter are the nuthatches, black-capped chickadees and redpolls. Last year we had a robin who decided to winter over, and for one day only a bunch of pine grosbeaks that were absolutely beautiful.

[Solly Mack]

26. Thanks, Blue.

I'd love to see a redpoll or grosbeak up close.

[Blue_In_AK]

28. I saw some redpolls last week

but they haven't showed up en masse yet. I'll post some pics when they do.

[Skittles]

24. they all look kinda FAT, Solly

are you doing more than observing them?

[Solly Mack]

25. lol. Yes, I am. I feed those little birdies anything they want.

Course, they also puff up in the cold.

[Skittles]

29. I've been leaving peanuts out for my sparrows, cardinals and blue jays

I loooove bird watching and wish I could get variety but - eh, city living

[peacebird]

30. Hey Solly Mack, I have a chunky raptor with a buffy-light colored belly and legs, dark above

that has thick feather covered legs which are very pronounced when it is perched. I cannot find anything in my Peterson guide that is a match, but its shape and perching position are close to a peregrine falcon.... Any ideas what it might be? Or clues as to what I should look for when I see it next? Tips on online bird id resources?
I'm less than ten miles from Afton, Virginia and the skyline drive..... Thanks so much! I'm relatively new to birding.....

On edit: what camera and lens do you use for those photos? They are fabulous!

[Solly Mack]

31. Hi peacebird! Thanks!

Last edited Mon Dec 31, 2012, 08:09 PM - Edit history (1)

Is it this?

http://identify.whatbird.com/obj/42/_/Rough-legged_Hawk.aspx


or this? (ETA: I meant to paste 2 different links to 2 different birds. Sorry!)

I'm removing this link since it was the same as above and because you think that it might be your bird.


Try here for identifying birds: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/Page.aspx?pid=1189 or here: http://www.whatbird.com/ (click on "Expert" just under page title)

I used both a Nikon D3100 & D3200, using a 55-200 mm lens.

Thanks, again! Hope the links help.

[peacebird]

34. Wow! I think you nailed it, and I have heard that call too!!!

I have a panosonic lumix DMC-G1 that I am learning to use.

[Solly Mack]

36. I've a Lumix ZS7 that I love.

I always carry it with me, just in case. I use it for wide angle macros.

This a great group of people for helping each other. I've learned a lot from everyone here.

Welcome to the group!

[peacebird]

37. Thank you! I am hoping to get a good zoom lens for Mothers day/my bday/wedding anniversary... All

are within two weeks of each other, and now that I am employed again it is possible!

: )

[locks]

33. Audubon magazine

Just recd Audubon Magazine's 2012 photo awards. The photos are even better online audubonmagazine.org. Sure appreciate the time and work nature photographers, especially the amateurs, take to bring our beautiful natural world to us when we can't always get out to see it.

[SouthernDonkey]

38. Great shots Solly!!

Beautiful! I love birds. Usually about the time I'm ready to snap my shutter I hear my wife somewhere behind me doing the Elmer Fudd laugh! ;- [

She loves to mess with me like that!
What camera and lens did you take these with?

[Solly Mack]

41. Thanks, SouthernDonkey

I used a Nikon 3100 & 3200 and a 55mm-200mm lens.

[MrMickeysMom]

39. Those were great, Solly Mack...

I love being informed on birds, as I often wonder and notice them more and more each year. I can understand getting into this, but I'd need a great camera to get the shots you did!

[Solly Mack]

42. Hi MMM!

Thanks!

I'm still learning about birds. I've got a lot to learn...lot of birds out there.

[Blue_In_AK]

43. Solly, I had a pair of Steller jays stop by the feeder this morning.

They were gorgeous, but unfortunately it was still a little dark to get their photos.

[Solly Mack]

44. I've never seen one in real life. I'm jealous!

Too bad on the dark.

[Blue_In_AK]

45. They're so beautiful,

I think somewhat larger than your ordinary bluejays, and the black tufted head is striking.

[The Wizard]

46. Similar here

but we get morning doves, turkey vultures, assorted hawks, blue jays, rose breasted grosbeak, assorted finches, robins, rufus towhee, starlings, wild turkeys, red breasted woodpecker, palliated woodpecker, house wrens, Carolina wrens, gold finches, Baltimore orioles, downy woodpecker, ladderback woodpecker, grackles, crows, ravens, humming birds, and once an indigo bunting that lit up the yard.
That's all I can think of off hand.

[Solly Mack]

47. Sounds wonderful!

So many birds!