Closeup of a very attractive Mourning Doves relaxing on a fallen tree in heavy brush.
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Showing posts with label Backyard Birding. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Backyard Birding. Show all posts
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Monday, June 9, 2014
Robin Hovers - Like A Hummingbird
An American Robin hovers like a hummingbird? OK - maybe not "hummingbird-like", but this rather rotund Robin has developed a taste for suet and is determined to defy gravity to get it. First trying to hover its not-so-aerodynamic bird frame at great expense of energy and then gradually learning it is to better imitate a woodpecker by using its tail for a brace and flapping wings while holding on and then ultimately learning to properly grasp the suet feeder and consume massive amounts of greasy food almost like a professional woodpecker - which by the way - it has a habit of scaring off now! Rare for Robins to display such personality and pluck among the other birds that rule the trees!
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Sunday, June 8, 2014
Clever Robin - Invents a New Move!
You wont believe the moves this American Robin comes up with to get a free suet meal. Highly original and clever, but a little lacking in grace, it finds just the right way to "shake it" to reach a meal. But soon that meal will be out of reach and it will need a new "move". In the next video it learns to hover "sort of like a hummingbird" !
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Monday, May 5, 2014
Common Grackle Flock Leader Call
Common Grackle Flock Leader makes a striking pose at the highest point on a tree against a clear blue sky. This is the leader and he puts his whole body into motion to make a series of calls you normally don't see Grackles make unless they are in a flock passing through. Grackles are not permanent residents of the backyard they pass through in small flocks from fall to early spring and not seen again until fall.
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Saturday, May 3, 2014
Chuck Will's Widow Call - Nightjar - Goatsucker - Frogmouth
A Chuck Will's Widow call is something you will never forget. One of those rare birds that is named for the sound of its call - like a Whip-Poor-Will, to which it is related. A Nightjar or "Goatsucker" Chuck Will's Widow is noteworthy for its huge gaping mouth, sometimes called a Frogmouth, and is hardly ever seen. Spending its time well concealed on the ground in heavy brush during the day. It is mating season in the woods behind the backyard - and a time for singing - and singing - and singing! It typically calls from tree limbs - sometimes for hours in the pre-dawn and post-dusk hours. This is the most mysterious of the Backyard birds and one I've never personally seen, but have been very close to in the dark. This recording was made at 5:30 in the morning. A graph of the sound recording clearly shows the three "words" of the Chuck Will's Widow call. Typically the "Chuck" is much lower and softer and harder to hear, but if you listen carefully you'll hear it on most calls except when the frogs crank up the volume.
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The images used in this video are in the public domain (source):
A sound graph of the Chuck Will's Widow call showing the regularity of the repeated calls and the three "words" that make up each and every call, although the first word can be hard to hear.
Monday, April 28, 2014
The Greedy Squirrel - Loses Its Nuts !
The Greedy Squirrel Fable - How can you have four of the choicest nuts and end up with only the smallest of the four. I'm sure there is a moral - or several - to this story! The squirrel is really not greedy of course, but the sudden good fortune of finding four nuts has got it excited and no doubt diminished its problem-solving skills. Perhaps taking the largest peanut of all first. Seems like ample opportunity for testing squirrels here. Although a squirrel often stands on two legs it has not learned to walk on two legs and carry nuts - which might be helpful, but quite slow and clumsy. Having put the very smallest nut in its mouth first was the first mistake. I was just testing out a new lens when this little vignette occurred - nature always holds surprises!
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Sunday, April 27, 2014
The last Painted Buntings have left the Backyard and Migrated north for breeding grounds along the Georgia/South Carolina Coast.....
A pair of mature male Painted Buntings at the feeder.
The last Painted Buntings have left the Backyard and heading for breeding grounds along the Georgia/South Carolina Coast this weekend. The first Painted Bunting arrived in early October and as usually they spent almost seven months in the Backyard. Although the first to arrive and last to leave are probably not part of the resident group of 6-8 we had this year, but Buntings passing through on their way south and north. There undoubtedly many birds that use the Backyard as a resting place. The trend of fewer mature males continued this season with only two to three mature males and 5-6 "Greenies" which are females or immature males. The population has been like this for the past three years. These birds are somewhat unique in that they have one of the shortest "migrations" in the bird world. They will travel only 300 miles or so from central Florida to their breeding grounds in coastal Georgia and South Carolina.
Saturday, April 26, 2014
Great Crested Flycatcher Good Morning Call !
The mating Great Crested Flycatchers have a morning ritual. The nest is done and they are mating and every morning they come first to the perch in front of the nest - the female always with a feather or something light to add to the nest and the male always makes a very cheerful call. I set up the camera to catch their first visit of the day. For a bonus the male catches a flying bug before singing out for joy. These birds are not going to go hungry - they are bug killing machines! The reason they are so happy in the backyard is there are no pesticides used - it is left to nature. Also the perch in front of the nest box is a big selling point for birds - the ability to perch before going to the nest gives them added security and a hunting perch as well!
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Thursday, April 24, 2014
Great Crested Flycatcher Catches Wasp - Slow Motion
A Great Crested Flycatcher and a wasp are checking out the same nest box for a new home at the same time - bad timing for the wasp - it is eaten faster than you can blink your eye! Slow motion is a bit blurry, but you get the idea of how fast a flycatcher is. In fact, the action is so fast I couldn't freeze it clearly at 30 frames per second on video so the picture shows the wasp a few milliseconds before being digested. If the wasp had build a nest in the owl nest box first the Flycatcher would avoid it as too dangerous - but they got their at the same time. "Flycatchers" actually eat more wasps and bees than "flies".
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Monday, April 21, 2014
Great Crested Flycatcher Call - Up Close!
I am totally infatuated with a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers building a nest in the owl box in the Backyard. This is going to be fun, they are such outgoing, loud, showy and emotional birds! The
Male Great Crested Flycatcher giving the classic "weeep" call, which in this case is a locator call to keep in contact with the female. They are building a nest in the Screech Owl box and while the female is doing most of the work the male is on guard and fighting mostly his reflection in the sun room windows. He is extremely attentive - accompanying her on ever trip - occasionally bringing a few pieces of material into the nest, but I think he is mostly in the way in there. She seems to have a concept she is working on!
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Friday, April 18, 2014
Great Crested Flycatcher Mating Pair
Pair of Great Crested Flycatchers thinking of nesting in the Backyard. These birds, which are very rare visitors to the Backyard, excite me! They always announce their presence with a loud single whistle and I start looking for them. These two mated as I watched - I did not get that on video :-( But they hung around quite awhile after I got the camera. There is a vacancy in the Woodpecker nest box and they are looking hard. Notice how they use their tail as a brace just like a Woodpecker. I can only hope they move in.
Update: They have committed to making a nest in one of the owl boxes - more to come!
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Catbird and Blue Jay Friends
My efforts to befriend a Gray Catbird had it at arm's length, but my old Blue Jay Buddy would have none of that. These two birds really show their emotions in their eyes and are obviously extremely intelligent!
For background on my Blue Jay friend see:
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Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Cedar Waxwings Feasting on Loquats
Cedar Waxwings feasting on Loquat fruit. As they migrate north the Backyard fruit trees makes for a nice rest stop. And just when I thought they could not get more ravenous - one manages to make a fruit juice mess on its beautiful velvety feathers while chasing away all others!
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Sunday, April 13, 2014
Cedar Waxwings Feasting on Loquat Fruit
Lovely Cedar Waxwings feasting on Loquat fruit, not the best table manners, but they do love to eat! A flock of about 30 of them descended on the Backyard Loquat trees to feed on their way north for the summer. These birds do not stay in our area of Florida they just pass through. Always exciting when they do stop by as their migration coincides with Loquat ripening. A great backyard bird tree!
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Saturday, April 12, 2014
Red Shouldered Hawk
Red Shouldered Hawk looking for a meal in the backyard. This is why mother Screech Owl never leaves the nest box in daylight! The hawk seems totally unconcerned that I'm staring at it, although I'm no doubt cramping its style. A little shaky do to capture with a handheld point and shoot camera.
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Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Eastern Screech Owl Abandons Nest Box With Three Eggs
Mother Screech Owl looks sad and tired as I take her last picture before she abandoned the nest box. You can hear her beautiful and soulful voice at:
Not exactly sure what happened, but the male stopped bringing food and as a result she left the eggs alone for well over three hours after dusk in 50 degree temperatures for two nights - after that she ceased incubating. She stayed in the nest box during the day for another week and then left overnight on April 6th.
I look forward to seeing her next year and hearing the amazing sounds of the Eastern Screech Owl in the woods.
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Monday, April 7, 2014
Great Crested Flycatcher Calls
The Great Crested Flycatcher distinctive call lets you know its making a very rare appearance in the Backyard - just once a year for a few days in April as it is migrating northward for the summer and then is gone. You can hear it's unique call, but its hard to find - and harder to film as it usually stays high in the trees as in this case! There are light calls of a single "weep" three times - one is real weak, but you can see the beak move and then a harsher fives repetitions of "breep". These are about the same as the recordings on the Cornell site: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/great_crested_flycatcher/sounds
What usually catches my attention is a louder whistle "weep" and then I start looking around, I only got a brief glimpse of a Great Crested Flycatcher last year around this same time.
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Friday, March 28, 2014
Cedar Waxwings Visit the Backyard
Cedar Waxwing pair take a short break high over the backyard on their way back north. Even at long range their unique color and profile sticks out! These birds have not been seen in the backyard for more than a few minutes - a chance sighting.
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Northern Parula in Winter
Northern Parula - a unique type of Warbler and a bird I confess I had never heard of nor seen before. However, I caught a glimpse of this very small over-active bird working dense brush in the Backyard - notable for its blue, yellow and greenish coloring - and managed to get some video and closeup photos. You get more of a sense of its winter habitat than seeing the bird itself. This bird was probably beginning to work it's way back north after spending the deep winter in south Florida and the tropical islands south of Florida. I'm sure its been around in years past, but the odds of being in the right place and time to see and capture them on video are pretty small!
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Thursday, February 27, 2014
Woodpecker Couple House Hunting Fail
A Red Bellied Woodpecker couple are house hunting and checking out our Woodpecker Nest Box. The male seems keen on looking inside and checking it out further, but the female is checking out the outside and the neighborhood and is seemingly unimpressed and abruptly takes off with Mr. Woodpecker in close pursuit. A number of Red-Bellied woodpeckers have been checking out the house which sports a built-in video camera so they can stream their family life on the web, but no serious offers yet!
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