Birders' Nest

Elgarian Redux · April 23, 2026, 07:44:59 AM

[Continued from above]
There's also a fountain with a pool surrounded by azaleas and things. Gorgeous. Swimming in this pool were three green (actually black) irridescent ducks which I think are cayuga ducks - am I identifying these correctly? These are I believe American in origin, and very far from wild!

owlice · April 23, 2026, 10:51:07 AM

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on April 23, 2026, 12:18:34 AMYes of course, I know it's all good. One of the great things about all this is that there's no competition - just appreciation of what we see, collectively. But still, you have to allow me to be inspired by your skill, persistence, and knowledge, O Owl of Owls. That's part of the fun too.

We took our feeders down today. Afterwards we had goldfinches and reed buntings flying in, looking around in dismay, scavenging for old dropped seeds on the ground, and composing letters of complaint to the local council. And we can't explain to them. And they wouldn't understand even if we could.

Apparently it's safe to put out suet balls (I don't know why), and meal worms (ugh!), but that's no use for our finches.

As always, you are too kind, Elgarian! I'll post a pic in a few minutes that demonstrates skill often does not figure into the equation, but sheer stupid luck often does.

Feeders had to come down here last year for the same reason.

I am pretty sure birds here were not clever enough to write letters of complaint, but I understand some cars got pooped on. (More than usual, I mean.)

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on April 23, 2026, 07:41:22 AMWe spent today (gloriously sunny) at Holker Hall, a stately home in Cumbria (one of our favourite haunts). Animal photography was going on, though hardly qualifying as 'wildlife'. Such as, for instance, a herd of deer wandering around the parkland. Also (new) elephant topiary in the garden by the house. These may please or amuse, so I post them here.

They both please and amuse! Elephant topiary! Deer so near! And a sunny day to enjoy both. How glorious!

owlice · April 23, 2026, 10:56:33 AM

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on April 23, 2026, 07:44:59 AM[Continued from above]
There's also a fountain with a pool surrounded by azalias and things. Gorgeous. Swimming in this pool were three green (actually black) irridescent ducks which I think are cayuga ducks - am I identifying these correctly? These are I believe American in origin, and very far from wild!

Cayuga ducks are indeed very far from wild, and yes, they are American in origin. A quick search on the interwebz shows that Cayuga ducks are available for purchase in the UK. You could have your own bopping around in your garden!!

From the look of the leaves, I think the (gorgeous!) flowers around that very peaceful fountain space might be rhododendrons rather than azaleas. Regardless, what a fabulous color they are!! And what a beautiful spot in which to be.

owlice · April 23, 2026, 11:04:15 AM

Even the water is lovely, impressionistic.

owlice · April 23, 2026, 11:05:58 AM

Quote from: Szykneij on April 22, 2026, 03:35:18 PMThe two figures walking down the dirt road in Maine are me and Gilbert, the most awesome dog to ever walk the face of the earth. (Unfortunately, he passed on a little over a year ago.)

I'm sorry about your most awesome pooch.

Elgarian Redux · April 23, 2026, 11:14:11 AM

Quote from: owlice on April 23, 2026, 10:56:33 AMCayuga ducks are indeed very far from wild, and yes, they are American in origin. A quick search on the interwebz shows that Cayuga ducks are available for purchase in the US. You could have your own bopping around in your garden!!

Cool!!!

QuoteFrom the look of the leaves, I think the (gorgeous!) flowers around that very peaceful fountain space might be rhododendrons rather than azaleas. Regardless, what a fabulous color they are!! And what a beautiful spot in which to be.

Alas, I don't know my azaleas from my rhododendrons from my camellias from my magnolias, but I do know that all were in bloom at Holker today, so I had a 25% chance of getting it right. Thanks for the tip-off.

owlice · April 23, 2026, 11:21:14 AM

Rhododendrons usually have big leaves, and azaleas small.
Azaleas can get large; rhododendrons grow tall.

Elgarian Redux · April 23, 2026, 11:26:56 AM

Quote from: owlice on April 23, 2026, 11:04:15 AMEven the water is lovely, impressionistic.

Pure Monet.

Elgarian Redux · April 23, 2026, 11:30:34 AM

Quote from: owlice on April 23, 2026, 11:21:14 AMRhododendrons usually have big leaves, and azaleas small.
Azaleas can get large; rhododendrons grow tall.

Magnolias are ancient. In fact I've been told
They mingled with dinosaurs in days of old.

Iota · April 23, 2026, 11:32:16 AM

A wealth of wonderful images to see as ever, they never cease to enchant! Thank for posting! And, Elgarian, I agree with owlice, that photo of the sheep and lambs must be such a lovely scene to have at the bottom of your garden! As far as the gambolling about goes, I think the young of many species use play as a way of learning essential life skills, but that particular game that you describe sounds utterly delightful!

Elgarian Redux · April 23, 2026, 11:38:50 AM

Quote from: Iota on April 23, 2026, 11:32:16 AMA wealth of wonderful images to see as ever, they never cease to enchant! Thank for posting! And, Elgarian, I agree with owlice, that photo of the sheep and lambs must be such a lovely scene to have at the bottom of your garden! As far as the gambolling about goes, I think the young of many species use play as a way of learning essential life skills, but that particular game that you describe sounds utterly delightful!

It is! It is!

But at some point the lambs will get really clever, and we'll wake up one morning to find them in our garden!! And we'll shoo them out, and block up the hole they made, and we'll think, 'There, they can't possibly get in now'. And they probably won't.

But next year's lambs will.

Iota · April 23, 2026, 11:56:15 AM

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on April 23, 2026, 11:38:50 AMIt is! It is!

But at some point the lambs will get really clever, and we'll wake up one morning to find them in our garden!! And we'll shoo them out, and block up the hole they made, and we'll think, 'There, they can't possibly get in now'. And they probably won't.

But next year's lambs will.

Haha! Getting into Elgarian's back garden is clearly high on a lamb's list of life skills.

owlice · April 23, 2026, 11:57:23 AM

omg, all these pics from 2022 that I never IDed...

I was taking photos last Sunday and detected movement in a mess of vegetation. Something -- not sure what -- made me think the movement might be a Bushtit, a bird Merlin and I had both heard occasionally over the previous week or so, but that I had not yet seen in my time in California. And yes! A little bird was moving around, but... I could not focus on it, nor even really see it. Darn it!

But it then popped out, so I took this photo:

Can you find a bird anywhere in that mess?! If so, please let me know where, because I cannot!

And though I had no idea where the [redacted] bird was and didn't see it, I took another shot:

When I got back to my hotel and was going through photos... well, there it was, in the second photo. A Bushtit! I had not seen it at all. Here's a cropped version of that second photo:

Here's another, my best photo of a White-eyed Vireo; the photo is cropped so you can see the bird. It's way on the edge of the one -- exactly one -- photo I took of the vegetation, as I was unable to find the bird through the camera.

So sometimes, it's just sheer stupid luck. I sometimes can't find the bird at all, but take a photo of where it might possibly be anyway, and yeah, sometimes, occasionally, every once in a while, that pays off, hurrah!

owlice · April 23, 2026, 12:01:07 PM

Quote from: Elgarian Redux on April 23, 2026, 11:14:11 AMCool!!!

I meant UK, not US (sorry!), so yes, you, YOU!, could have your very own Cayuga ducks! Should I put you down for a dozen?

Elgarian Redux · April 23, 2026, 12:21:58 PM

Quote from: owlice on April 23, 2026, 11:57:23 AMomg, all these pics from 2022 that I never IDed...

I was taking photos last Sunday and detected movement in a mess of vegetation. Something -- not sure what -- made me think the movement might be a Bushtit, a bird Merlin and I had both heard occasionally over the previous week or so, but that I had not yet seen in my time in California. And yes! A little bird was moving around, but... I could not focus on it, nor even really see it. Darn it!

But it then popped out, so I took this photo:

Can you find a bird anywhere in that mess?! If so, please let me know where, because I cannot!

And though I had no idea where the [redacted] bird was and didn't see it, I took another shot:

When I got back to my hotel and was going through photos... well, there it was, in the second photo. A Bushtit! I had not seen it at all. Here's a cropped version of that second photo:

So sometimes, it's just sheer stupid luck. I sometimes can't find the bird at all, but take a photo of where it might possibly be anyway, and yeah, sometimes, occasionally, every once in a while, that pays off, hurrah!

How fascinating. Indeed, I was so fascinated that I fiddled about with photo 1 until I could see exactly which leaves matched up with photo 2, and then cropped each image accordingly. Here they are, below. And the bird truly was not there in photo 1.

Elgarian Redux · April 23, 2026, 12:24:38 PM

Quote from: owlice on April 23, 2026, 12:01:07 PMI meant UK, not US (sorry!), so yes, you, YOU!, could have your very own Cayuga ducks! Should I put you down for a dozen?

Just send me the eggs and I'll grow my own!!

Kalevala · April 23, 2026, 08:38:21 PM

It's amazing how good birds (and other animals) are at "practicing" camouflage. For example, I always see various sparrows hiding amongst shrubs (hard for me to tell whether they are tree or song sparrows). One can hear them and get peeks of them, but they will stay in the thicket.

K

Iota · Reply #1757 - Re: Birders' Nest

Quote from: owlice on April 23, 2026, 11:57:23 AMAnd though I had no idea where the [redacted] bird was and didn't see it, I took another shot:

When I got back to my hotel and was going through photos... well, there it was, in the second photo. A Bushtit! I had not seen it at all.

I had to look for over a minute to find the bird in that shot, and once I did it seemed so obvious that I was amazed I'd found it so hard to find in the first place. But I looked away for a moment and when I turned back I was right back to square one, and had to go back and scan all over again to find it again!
I must say when I did find it both times, I got a nice kind of rush, a bit like how people describe the feeling of seeing the object in a Magic Eye picture. An achievement which much to my chagrin I have always thus far miserably failed at.