Birders' Nest

[Iota]

Great to see you back, owlice! And I don't know if it's the capricious forum bug at play, but I'm currently denied the added pleasure of seeing the  photos above, I only see their titles. Hope the trip goes well.

[Elgarian Redux]

I've missed so many cute and beautiful birds! So lovely to see them!! I've had just time enough to read this full page and will try to go back to better catch up, but not right now.

Once again, I am not at home (meeting next week; I arrived early), and have been taking a few pictures.

Levaillant's Cuckoo

You see, this is what we've been missing. Look at the colour of that bird. Look at the no-nonsense attitude ("No talking at the back, there.")

Southern Masked Weaver

This bird knows you're taking a photo. Head tilted self-consciously: "I think this is my best side."

Orange-throated Longclaw

Just checking the throat. Yep, that's orange alright.

Crimson-breasted Gonolek (somewhat fuzzy, but the bird is so striking, I had to share)

Stunning bird. What colour co-ordination! Black and red! Yay!

But I've got to say, there are no birds like home birds; I envy Elgarian's bevy of them! And it's great to see that he has gotten very good at getting his camera and has such beautiful results!!! Kudos!!!!

Getting my camera has ceased to be a problem now that I've completed a 'Getting your camera' course, which took me step by step through the following modules:
1. Recognising your camera
2. Looking for your camera
3. Finding your camera
4. Picking up your camera
5. Pointing your camera
6. Pressing the button.

[Iota]

Great to see you back, owlice! And I don't know if it's the capricious forum bug at play, but I'm currently denied the added pleasure of seeing the  photos above, I only see their titles. Hope the trip goes well.

Well I come back a few hours later and all photos are restored large as life! And indeed full of life! (As ever .. )
That Southern Masked Weaver seems to somehow combine the cuteness of an Easter chick and a puppy in a single pose, nice trick if you can do it  (), and the colouring of the Crimson-breasted Gonolek is just gorgeous! And the guy below seems to have borrowed the head of an ostrich, I bet that hotchpotch colouring is excellent camouflage too.

[Kalevala]

This story made me smile:  https://apnews.com/article/owl-sleeping-antique-store-new-york-oddities-b5d1c494d0369fb0e3c5051b835fb3b2

My thoughts of what the bird was thinking:  "Well, I blend in with the vase and there's another bird to my right, so I'm safe here." 

K

[Kalevala]

You see, this is what we've been missing. Look at the colour of that bird. Look at the no-nonsense attitude ("No talking at the back, there.")

This bird knows you're taking a photo. Head tilted self-consciously: "I think this is my best side."

Just checking the throat. Yep, that's orange alright.

Stunning bird. What colour co-ordination! Black and red! Yay!

Getting my camera has ceased to be a problem now that I've completed a 'Getting your camera' course, which took me step by step through the following modules:
1. Recognising your camera
2. Looking for your camera
3. Finding your camera
4. Picking up your camera
5. Pointing your camera
6. Pressing the button.

Thank you for making me laugh! 

K

[Elgarian Redux]

More siskinery. Up flies a male siskin this afternoon, and lights upon the feeder with peanuts. He hangs onto the feeder upside down, cocks his head outwards, and remains motionless for maybe 10 seconds. Then he grabs at a bit of peanut, faster almost than the eye can see, then cocks his head outwards again, and so on. It seems to be some sort of defensive posture: hanging there he can survey the entire garden and then, when he sees it's safe, he quickly jabs at a peanut and immediately goes back on guard.

I've never actually seen this before, so thought it might be of interest.

[JBS]

Not mine. But an uncredited photo posted on Twitter.


A hoopoe on a street in Tel Aviv.

[Elgarian Redux]

Not mine. But an uncredited photo posted on Twitter.

A hoopoe on a street in Tel Aviv.

Now that's the sort of thing I'd like to see on a local street!! Wow.

[Elgarian Redux]

Meanwhile, back in the garden, along came Mr Siskinosaurus again today - popping in for lunch. I have to ask myself how many siskin photos I really want, but whatever number it is I don't seem to have arrived at it, yet.

He is just so gorgeous!

[Kalevala]

I realized that I had not yet checked in on the red-tailed hawks at Cornell this year.  Sure enough, Big Red laid an egg on the 23rd!  She and her mate Arthur have been looking after it.  Will there be any more?  BR is getting up there in age (though you wouldn't know it by looking at her).

If interested in looking at the nest, the chick(s), and their comings and goings [and there are two cameras on the nest and moderators running them], go to:  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/red-tailed-hawks/

K

[Elgarian Redux]

I realized that I had not yet checked in on the red-tailed hawks at Cornell this year.  Sure enough, Big Red laid an egg on the 23rd!  She and her mate Arthur have been looking after it.  Will there be any more?  BR is getting up there in age (though you wouldn't know it by looking at her).

If interested in looking at the nest, the chick(s), and their comings and goings [and there are two cameras on the nest and moderators running them], go to:  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/red-tailed-hawks/

K

Thanks K - fantastic view of the nest.

[Elgarian Redux]

Shock!! Today we had three siskins in the garden. I'd thought there were only two. You can just make out all three in one of the photos. There's a pair on the upper peanut feeder, and another down on the lower feeder.

Also we had a visit from a female reed bunting with a tag on her right leg. I've no idea about the significance of the tag.

[Kalevala]

Thanks K - fantastic view of the nest.

Glad that you are enjoying it.  One of the cameras is fixed.  The other one, the mods can focus on different views (like of other buildings on the campus or zoom in on the hawks' talons or railings and perches that the chicks like to practice their "flapperizing" and eventually fly off of).  The nest is on a three-tier platform for lights for one of the athletic fields at Cornell.  You can see the back of one of the light boxes right by the nest.  It's angled down towards the field.

In the past, Big Red laid eggs about every second day.  I think that BR had the most that she had ever laid (3).  Arthur is a great provider and regularly brings her and the chicks food...also, sticks for the nest--which BR always rearranges. 

K

[Kalevala]

Shock!! Today we had three siskins in the garden. I'd thought there were only two. You can just make out all three in one of the photos. There's a pair on the upper peanut feeder, and another down on the lower feeder.

Also we had a visit from a female reed bunting with a tag on her right leg. I've no idea about the significance of the tag.

Great photos!  I suspect that the female reed bunting is part of some study.  You might try doing some googling of bird studies in your area; I have no idea though of how far they migrate/travel.

K

p.s.  I wish that I had all of your lovely feeders; however, there are already too many grey squirrels in my area.  Do you ever put up hummingbird feeders?

[Elgarian Redux]

p.s.  I wish that I had all of your lovely feeders; however, there are already too many grey squirrels in my area.  Do you ever put up hummingbird feeders?

We do see the occasional grey squirrel, but not often, so we're ok so far.

There are no hummingbirds in the uk, sadly. (At least, not in the wild.)

[Kalevala]

We do see the occasional grey squirrel, but not often, so we're ok so far.

There are no hummingbirds in the uk, sadly. (At least, not in the wild.)

That's interesting!

K

[owlice]

Hummingbirds are New World.
Sunbirds are Old World.
Honeyeaters are Australian.

The sunbirds have counterparts in two very distantly related groups: the hummingbirds of the Americas and the honeyeaters of Australia. The resemblances are due to convergent evolution brought about by a similar nectar-feeding lifestyle.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunbird


Variable Sunbird


Malachite Sunbird


Anna's Hummingbird


Talamanca Hummingbird

[owlice]

Loving the siskins and buntings, and hoopoes are always fabulous!

[owlice]

Finally, a few minutes between sessions! Lunchtime, but I had leftovers from dinner so ate in my lair.

Here are a few birds I saw after breakfast this morning:

White-browed Sparrow Weaver


Cut-throat Finch (female)


Cut-throat Finch (male)


(Yes, yes, I carry my camera to and from the conference venue. I, too, have taken the "Getting your camera" course Elgarian has completed!)

The conference offered a late afternoon boat ride yesterday; here are a few photos from that, where everything was far away and photographed from a moving boat:

European Bee-eaters


African Darters


Red-billed Oxpeckers on a Kudu


And finally, a Hippo-bird

[owlice]

That Southern Masked Weaver seems to somehow combine the cuteness of an Easter chick and a puppy in a single pose, nice trick if you can do it  ()

hahahaha!! That made me lol; such a perfect description!!