I like birds

[ironspoke]

At the risk of sounding a bit on the strange side (not that that ever happens in here), I was wondereing if there are other riders out there who have a fascination with birding. I love spotting previously unseen birds and notating them in my "bird book."


OK..I'll just sit back and wait for the insults.

[RepublicanSS]

there's a nesting eagle pair by my home right downtown, they return each winter, they currently have two eaglets in the nest.

you should watch the birds (ducks) on lake davis when the eagles are hunting and fishing the lake. an amazing sight.

in bellview one evening we had a huge barn owl flying beside us for probably about 30 to 45 seconds, it was surreal.

birds are cool, i still prefer labrador retrievers.:D

[mimbresman]

Birds are cool! I like them all; vultures, sparrows, parrots, even pigeons. I enjoy watching them fly.
Here in the tropics are all sorts of cool birds. Sometimes I get lucky and see a scarlet ibis in bushes that surround the little pond next to our building. Mostly its great egrets.
Lots of pelicans, frigate birds, and other water birds here.
In NM I got to see golden eagles in the desert and grasslands and bald eagles along the river. Very cool.

I had a pet parrolet (Aratinga pertinax (http://www.arthurgrosset.com/sabirds/brown-throatedparakeet.html)) for 4 years. He was cool. He was even in my wedding, sitting on my shoulder. ARRRGH MATEY. I loved that bird as much as I loved a dog. He was great! He died of fluorine gas poisoning. I still still feel bad about that.

[ironspoke]

I have only seen pictures of frigate birds. They look wild as hell. Ever get any pics?

We are very fortunate to have a pretty healthy of bald eagles here in PA and I've seen quite a few in the wild.

What I would love to get to know more about are hawks. We have a ton of different varieties around here and you see them all over the place. Tons of Coopers Hawks and Ret Tails and quite a few other kinds but I usually cant pick up the subtle differences to really know what I'm seeing.

Watching an osprey repeatedly dive into the water for a fish is a great site and I have been fortunate to see that happen many times. I could watch them for hours just playing around in the water.

[phlatlander]

I love birds.

I love watching wild turkey creep around like big fleas in the woods behind my fence.

I love hearing the Pileated woodpecker in the summer even though I haven't been able to spot him for a couple years.

I love watching hawks, kites, kestrels, falcons dive for their prey.

I love the sound of twenty pidgeons cooing. Twenty five gets to me too much.

I mostly love the purple martin. I love how it floats swiftly yet turns on a feather — much like flying thorough twisty singletrack on my bike — knowing while I sit on my patio watching an airshow that rivals Oshkosh, that no mosquitoes will be bothering me that night. :)

I love birds.

[mimbresman]

I have only seen pictures of frigate birds. They look wild as hell. Ever get any pics?


Here's one of my only pics of a frigate bird on this harddrive. I had other on my other broken harddrive. The other pics are of frigates doing their mating ritual when they inflate that big red sac on their throats.

Pic 2 is of a local hawk. Not sure what type it is...I havn't dug through my Birds of Venezuela book to ID it.

I took both pics when riding our local hill.

[OTBSkinloss]

I have a pair of Great Horned Owls that nest near my compartment every year. They usually fledge a pair of chicks. Cool as hell. I keep thinking I'll stake out a rat, and watch one of the owls take it out. Would love to get some pics of that.

[Spalls]

I have the good fortune of regularly riding areas populated by Great Blue Herons. Spectacular birds, whether standing still 3 feet tall or taking off with that great wingspan. They make the rides that much better.

[mimbresman]

The day I forget my camera, I see the biggest flock of flamingoes I've ever seen, fly over. They were awesome! Probably over 100 birds.

[50 Mission Cap]

At the risk of sounding a bit on the strange side (not that that ever happens in here), I was wondereing if there are other riders out there who have a fascination with birding. I love spotting previously unseen birds and notating them in my "bird book."


OK..I'll just sit back and wait for the insults.

Not strange at all. I built a bunch of boxes this winter for eastern blue birds. Set one up in my yard, one at school and gave away the others. I totally enjoy watching them. Will try to post pics when / if the birds actually use the box this year.

[myron]

Here is a friend and fellow photographer. He does great work.
http://www.davidseibel.com/browse.php?gallery=birds

[RandomDood]

My compulsion involves sneaking up on these guys with a joint. I will leave no tern unstoned. :D

[jerman]

Loves the birds too. Took this recently at my feeder area.

[Cricket]

You would ch p
22101
dicks......

[monkeyboy]

Nah, not strange at all. Nature is so cool.
My favorite bird is the Peregrine Falcon because it's the fastest animal on earth. I was watching one a while back flying up and down some sea cliffs in around a 30 knot wind. It was passing us at head height about 5 metres away. It was flying like it was not windy at all. Only nature can supply such precision and control. Very cool indeed!

[mimbresman]

My compulsion involves sneaking up on these guys with a joint. I will leave no tern unstoned. :D

Hey Dood,
My favorite bird joke (written on an outhouse stall in Rocky Mountain National Park)

Q: See any ptarmigans lately?

A: ptarm and ptarmigan!

Actually got to use that answer once when a guy asked if I had seen any ptarmigans when telling about a 8-day (5-days above tree line) excursion in the Weminuche Wilderness north of Durango, CO.

MM

[RandomDood]

Q: See any ptarmigans lately?

A: ptarm and ptarmigan!




AAAARRRRRGGGGG!
:D
Old as Moses toes and twice as corny.

[K-Man]

Me like birds too *cough*

[AZRider]

CJ's Desert Dwellers: Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus
Length: 50.8 cm
Wingspan:105 cm

22169

The Harris's Hawk Parabuteo unicinctus is a very social bird that, often, cooperatively hunts in matriarchal family groups. They feed mainly on small mammals caught in brushy woodlands and open desert scapes.

22168

wowarizona.com

[K-Man]

Great shots CJ.

I've got a question for you. Back in the day, I was trout fishing in a lake in northern AZ, can't remember the name, but it was very near Bill Williams Mountain. Anyhooo, there were birds of prey diving into the lake and snatching trout, with considerable flair. Any idea what type of birds might have been outfishing me like that?

[AZRider]

Great shots CJ.

I've got a question for you. Back in the day, I was trout fishing in a lake in northern AZ, can't remember the name, but it was very near Bill Williams Mountain. Anyhooo, there were birds of prey diving into the lake and snatching trout, with considerable flair. Any idea what type of birds might have been outfishing me like that?

Most likely, osprey


The Harris's Hawks (pictured in my first post) are trying to assert control of the hood, now. There has been considerable aerial battling between them and a couple of red-tailedhawks. Our resident Cooper's Hawks have been pushed off the property a few hundred yards,because the Harris's are attempting to nest in our pine trees (too close to the nest of the Cooper's in a neighboring mesquite).



Here's Louis and MaryEllen sitting in front of the bike shop, from this morning. We were working on the 'yard trail' and then had tea and fed the roadrunner. Louis is pointing to him in the picture, here.

22171
He was cold and opening the feathers on his back to reveal a dark downy layer that serves to 'jumpstart' his body temp and metabolism.

22172


The hummingbird migration is just starting. That should be cxool! (cxool-the new Xtreme cool…)

[mimbresman]

Roadrunners are cool! State bird of New Mexico. I still get a kick when I see one. My dad didn't like them because they ate baby quail and he wanted the quail for himself. :rolleyes:

[K-Man]

CJ, thanks for the reply, and the additional cxool pxotos. :D


Sometimes I miss the desert....

[monkeyboy]

it had to be done

[tryandgetme]

damn goose, stay still so I can zoom/manual focus/set the polarizer

[Moe\/elo]

Sometimes while night riding I will spook an owl and watch it fly ahead following the trail....cool

[mimbresman]

Had some scarlet ibis mingling with the great egrets on the little lagoon near our place this morning. Could see them from our window. Very cool. :cool:

Note: I didn't take the photos...Internet stock.

[ironspoke]

That scarlet Ibis is very cool. That is definitely a south of the border bird, right? I'll have to do some looking around the net on that bird. Beautiful.

[mimbresman]

That scarlet Ibis is very cool. That is definitely a south of the border bird, right? I'll have to do some looking around the net on that bird. Beautiful.

The scarlet ibis is definately one of the most colorful birds here. I think they are the national bird of Trinidad & Tobago. I once saw a flock fly over in a V-formation. Spectacular against the blue sky.

[Zinger]

I have a friend who is hot on the track of the ivorybill. It's a lot of fun hearing about his search, figuratively watching over his shoulder on all of this, looking at the raw video he gets. He's damn close to getting the definitive picture, but these birds are wary as they come, and live in about the most inaccessable swamp in Mississippi. He's just one guy with occasional help from a handfull of friends, but he's stealthy and persistant.

Here's his log from this winter's searching http://www.fishcrow.com/winter08.html , and here are his latest best pictures: http://www.fishcrow.com/flyunder29mar08.jpg (The arrows start at the bird's head and show the direction of the bird's travel.)

[mimbresman]

I have a friend who is hot on the track of the ivorybill. It's a lot of fun hearing about his search, figuratively watching over his shoulder on all of this, looking at the raw video he gets. He's damn close to getting the definitive picture, but these birds are wary as they come, and live in about the most inaccessable swamp in Mississippi. He's just one guy with occasional help from a handfull of friends, but he's stealthy and persistant.

Here's his log from this winter's searching http://www.fishcrow.com/winter08.html , and here are his latest best pictures: http://www.fishcrow.com/flyunder29mar08.jpg (The arrows start at the bird's head and show the direction of the bird's travel.)

That's great! Gives me a glimmer of hope on a species thought to be extinct.
I had a great uncle who would spend months trapping in the swamps of SE Arkansas. I think he died a few years ago, but I bet he had seen one. My favorite uncle, who lives in Hotsprings, AR, sayed Uncle Clem was born 150 years too late.

[ironspoke]

Zing,

Thats pretty cool. I have a few older books somewhere where they talk of how that bird is extinct. :eek:

[OTBSkinloss]

Oh yeah. I like birds too. :D

[ironspoke]

Last fall I had fresh Canada goose on the grill. Holy shnikies!!! :D

And nothing beats recently shot, never frozen wild turkey. Just make sure you dont overcook it and watch out for BBs.

[RandomDood]

I loves me some goose. Greasy and fatty. Gotta get me a few Canadians again this fall. Good eats!

[OTBSkinloss]

I loves me some goose. Greasy and fatty. Gotta get me a few Canadians again this fall. Good eats!

Dood, we's gotta do us some huntin' this year. Check your PM.

[phlatlander]

just got home from Home Depot
lock the front door, oh no
look at all the happy creatures
dancin' on the lawn :D
22774
applecore...
22773

[jerman]

just got home from Home Depot
lock the front door, oh no
look at all the happy creatures
dancin' on the lawn :D
22774
applecore...
22773

What kind of bird is that? Very cool lookin critter.

[phlatlander]

What kind of bird is that? Very cool lookin critter.

Male Baltimore Orioles fighting over sugarwater... :)

[phlatlander]

Then there's the Cardinal with a self image problem. 22775
His suicide attempt failed.

[phlatlander]

Budgie has returned and he's making little white pancakes on my patio...
22817
rule of thirds...
22818

[ironspoke]

I love goldfinches. We have tons in my backyard coming to the feeder. One of these days a hawk is going to come down and have a meal right in front of the family.