My Bird's Blog

Northern Mockingbird

2012-02-01T06:47:00.002-05:00

Coopers Hawk

2012-01-31T19:10:00.002-05:00

980-coopershawk-IMG_6145, a photo by oldmanlincoln2012 on Flickr.

Young Coopers Hawk is threatening a squirrel. It is quite a bluff and the hawk makes it work. The squirrel took a detour on the ground and walked past the hawk on the fence.

Snow Flurries, Ruffled Feathers

2012-01-27T08:49:00.003-05:00

Cold, we got cold, and we got rain, and we got snow, and we ain't got no sunshine. It is enough to ruffle your feathers.

Chipping Sparrow Raising Cowbird

2012-01-26T09:37:00.004-05:00

Chipping Sparrow Raising Cowbird, a photo by oldmanlincoln2012 on Flickr.

Worth a 1000 Words

2012-01-25T06:37:00.008-05:00

Starlings Perched on Thermostat, a photo by oldmanlincoln2012 on Flickr.

It is cold and windy here. Had warmed up a bit today but it is now going back down and the birds are a bit on the frosty side. I took this photo several years ago. It is the only time the birds posed like this on the thermometer just outside the window.

Starlings Perch Close, Snowing

2012-01-23T16:51:00.006-05:00

Four starling perch close together on plant hook during snow storm.

Baltimore Oriole

2012-01-21T13:37:00.005-05:00

Early in the spring, when the leaves are out and there is a warm breeze blowing, I sometimes see these bright birds. The Baltimore Oriole in all his glory and perched on a dowel rod. I cut a fresh orange in half, slip it onto the dowel rod, as shown and the one end of the rod slides into a hole drilled in the post. They love it and eat, and slurp, from both until there is nothing left but some pulp. The squirrels will even take a turn at eating the orange.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

2012-01-19T16:45:00.004-05:00

Sharp-shinned hawk walking around my backyard and happened to see me watching him. He is a small bird but has a hearty appetite. He is beautiful and is immature. His eyes are yellow and he has splotches on this breast feathers instead of a regular pattern. If an adult, the eyes are red. I really like these birds and see them nearly every single day. I live in town and over the past decade have photographed over 5,000 Coopers Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks.

Birdfeeder

2012-01-18T09:25:00.004-05:00

This is the kind of bird feeder that we use.

Bird Houses

2012-01-17T16:57:00.005-05:00

I no longer have any of these bird houses. I did buy one from Audubon and paid a pretty penny for it. It was a put together kit. I opened the box and took out all the parts and used them as a template to trace around and make a lot of new parts to use to build more birdhouses like the one I bought. In the end I had these and painted them in different colors with some old spray paint I had around. There were already getting some age on them and some were showing signs of weathering and wearing out. They finally came down, sadly, one after the other, and were thrown away. I think they made an interesting picture in the winter.

White-crowned Sparrow

2012-01-14T07:26:00.006-05:00

This is a beautiful bird. I like it as well as it's cousin, the White-throated Sparrow. Seeing the two of them in the same backyard is a rare sight around here. While they tend to be a migrant who hangs around a bit to build up some body fat, and find a lady friend, I have never seen them nesting in this area.

The White-crowned Sparrow creates a bulky cup of mixed plant materials and locates it on or neat the ground. Their song is appealing with plaintive whistles and trills, similar to the White-throated Sparrows. It is attracted to many different weed seeds and small seeds in feeders, such as white millet and finely cracked corn.

White-throated Sparrow

2012-01-13T07:28:00.005-05:00

The White-throated Sparrow looks a lot like the White-crowned Sparrow, except for that tuft of yellow. It is a dead giveaway that it is a had a white throat patch of feathers and is a White-throated Sparrow. Most White-throated Sparrows breed in Canada and migrate to the southern United States in the winter. Some think they are beginning to overwinter in the northeastern states.

They are often seen around feeders and it is sometimes felt that an increase in the number of feeding stations has helped these birds survive the hardship of the northern winters. Rusty brown upperparts and grayish underparts. That tuft of yellow and the broad black stripe trough the eye and over the crown is good recognition signs.

It seems to forage for wild seeds and scratches the ground with each foot in turn. It will also eat some insects. You can get them to feed on miller, sunflower seed and cracked grain and other seeds. The females usually built the nest from grass and weeds on the ground, well concealed under the cover of a bush or brush pile, and sometimes it will be found just above the ground built in dense vegetation like a tight boxwood bush,

White-breasted Nuthatch

2012-01-12T17:44:00.006-05:00

The nuthatches and squirrels, and most other birds love natural peanut butter smeared onto tree bark. Try it. Sit back, drink a cup of coffee and watch who your new visitors are.

White-breasted Nuthatches are delightful birds to watch and very acrobatic. They often join flocks of downy woodpeckers and chickadees in the winter. Unlike woodpeckers and creepers, the nuthatches are hoppers down tree trunks and well as going up. They usually feed high in the canopy of trees unless they are attracted to things like peanut butter smeared on the bark.

They probe bark and tree cavities for insects. In the fall, tree seeds and feeders are their main food source. Shelled peanuts, sunflower seeds and pieces and suet are popular with the Red and White-breasted Nuthatches.

The nests are usually made of feathers and wool and are made in the hollow or hole of a tree. Nuthatches rarely excavate their own holds. Covering a nest box with strips of bark makes them more acceptable to nuthatches.

The Rose-breasted Grosbeak Family

2012-01-09T08:35:00.004-05:00

The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak sports bright red breast feathers and wears it like a vest. He is attired in a tuxedo, and white shirt. I think he really knows how to dress up for the ladies.

The female Rose-breasted Grosbeak, minus any red lipstick and not a bikini in sight, is satisfied with a camouflage suit that enables her to hide in plain sight. Remarkable birds.

Yellow-belly Sapsucker

2012-01-07T07:13:00.004-05:00

This photo was taken on February 2, 2008. And it is the only time I have ever seen a Yellow-belly Sapsucker here. I managed to take a number of photos of it as it worked its way around my white oak tree, tapping holes here and there and then licking-up the sap that ran out. On a warm day, in the winter, when the sap rises in trees, you might be lucky enough to see a sapsucker at work.

Yellow-rumped Warbler

2012-01-06T06:47:00.003-05:00

This bird came for the seed in the pods below it. Tall-growing clumps of decorative grass puts out some seed stalks that are loaded with seeds like this. The seeds attract all sorts of birds and if you are lucky, you may see a Yellow-rumped Warbler like this one.

Carolina Wren

2012-01-05T08:11:00.003-05:00

They wrens do eat suet as they normally eat insects and spiders. In the dead of winter, in Ohio, the insects are already dead or hibernating and the wrens need some fat to feed on in order to survive.

House Wren

2012-01-04T18:41:00.002-05:00

House Wren on fence. They love to chatter, scold and pick up spiders and other insects from under shrubs and bushes.

Northern Flicker

2012-01-03T10:56:00.004-05:00

This is a beautiful bird and it loves ants. It came to my house today, May 31, 2010, and ate many ants but there are a million more to eat. It has a black necklace, over a white or buff-colored breast with random black spots. The Flickers nest in tree cavities that they peck out. The nest it makes this season will be used by another species next year. They really are at home in parks and backyards if there is some privacy. They hunt for ant nests under flat stones and in rotting wood. We have two ant nests here, and leave them for the birds to eat. The birds prefer dry and dusty ground to hunt and will walk right over mulch and other materials to get to just plain dirt and they know where to look to find ants. They will eat suet and sometimes hulled sunflower seeds. The males, like this one, is the yellow-shafted forms (Eastern variety - Western is red-shafted) have tan faces and gray crowns, and a red crescent on the nape. Males have a black mustache stripe. Believe it or not, this is the very first Northern Flicker to land in my backyard in the 50 years we have lived here. This bird really made my day.

Brown Tree Creeper

2012-01-02T10:45:00.002-05:00

One of the continent's most inconspicuous songbirds, the Brown Creeper is the only treecreeper in North America. Its cryptic coloration and high-pitched vocalizations make it difficult to detect, yet its distribution is widespread in coniferous and coniferous-deciduous forests throughout North America from Alaska and Canada south to northern Nicaragua. In its endless pursuit of bark-dwelling invertebrates, it begins at the base of a tree trunk, climbs upward, sometimes spiraling around the trunk until it nears the top, then flies to the base of a nearby tree to begin the process again. This creeper uses its slender, decurved bill to glean invertebrates—mainly insects, spiders, and pseudo scorpions—from furrows in the bark. It was not until 1879 that naturalists discovered its unique habit of building its hammock-like nest behind a loosened flap of bark on a dead or dying tree.

This is our most inconspicuous songbirds and it is the only treecreeper in North America, so ladies and gents, take a good luck. I feel almost blessed that my white oak tree was chosen by this small bird as a place to creep up from the bottom to the top, spiraling around the trunk, searching for invertebrates. While it has wide distribution in coniferous-deciduous forests throughout North American and from Alaska all the way to northern Nicaragua. It never seems to rest in its pursuit of bark-dwelling invertebrates. And yet it is seldom seen. I would have thought in the 50 years of maintaining my backyard as a wildlife sanctuary that I would have seen one of them and I did today. It uses it's decurved bill to glean insects — mainly spiders, and pseudo scorpions — from furrows in the bark. It builds a nest strung like a hammock behind a loosened flap of bark on a dead or dying tree.

Gray Catbird

2012-01-01T10:22:00.003-05:00

Catbirds have a red spot under their tail which can be see in this picture but it is not as bright as it looks when you are looking at the bird. I am very happy with this Gray Catbird photograph. He was still here and seemed to be enjoying the place and all the snacks. I have had so many opportunities to take his picture that I am suddenly having problems finding one that I like. I like this one because it shows a lot of details — used the Canon f4 70-200mm zoom lens and shot all of the pictures through the office windows. Not the best place to take pictures but I can’t get out so I make do with what I got.

Red-wing Blackbird, female

2011-12-29T18:58:00.007-05:00

The female red-wing blackbird is camouflaged so she can better hide on the nest with her babies. The male red-wing blackbird is not camouflaged but he doesn't stay around the nest very long. His chevrons on his wings are the only red color on him.

Red Wing Blackbird

2011-12-29T18:42:00.005-05:00

The female is nothing like the male. He sports his red chevron on his wing. I like them and I like their songs. They are familiar sounds to any boy who has walked along a country road.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

2011-12-29T18:38:00.005-05:00

A female filling up on sweet nectar. When they wake up after a night on a perch, they are almost unable to move. They wait for a little warmth to come over them and then fly straight to something sweet. In our case it was flowers and also the feeder above. After that initial fill-up they will have to return about every 5 minutes for another full-up. So you can time your shots if you know when they are coming back.

Blue Jay

2011-12-29T18:32:00.006-05:00

The blue jays will eat almost anything in the way of seeds, and will shell a peanut and eat that. They also hide peanuts under leaves. They will crack another bird's skull with one sharp rap with that impressive beak. And the bird would be luck if it ever recovered. Most times the brains are eaten by the bird who does the skull cracking.

Eastern Towhee

2011-12-29T18:30:00.007-05:00

A very pretty bird: the Eastern Towhee. I see them in bird books all the time and the shots are of such poor quality that I would be ashamed to have my name on the book. These little ones are friendly while they are here. I suppose the photos in the books were taken when the birds were on their migrations and didn't look all that great.

Coopers Hawk

2011-12-29T13:47:00.005-05:00

The hawk has made is looking for something to eat. They usually fly in and catch the surprised bird on the wing, but this one seems to be out of luck and is on the ground. An adult with the red eyes.

Sharp-shinned Hawk

2011-12-29T13:45:00.007-05:00

About as amazing as hawks get: the sharp shinned hawk is a lot sleeker in appearance and considerably smaller than the coopers hawk. They have thinner legs that remind me of pencils. But they are killers. And they kill to eat.

Eastern Towhee

2011-12-29T13:04:00.006-05:00

This is one of my favorite birds and it too, like many others, only shows up while it is on migration in the spring. There are usually more than one here at the same time.

Cardinals

2011-12-29T12:59:00.005-05:00

A beautiful male cardinal with a single kernel in his beak. Perhaps for his female friend or for a youngster. A striking photograph. Not uncommon—birds do feed their baby birds and they often feed each other as this photograph clearly shows.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

2011-12-29T12:57:00.005-05:00

The male, red-bellied woodpecker, has a red head and the female's head is gray on top.

Female Red-bellied Woodpecker on the ground with cracked corn. Notice the gray head color. This is the female and the male's head is all red.

Blue Jay's Breath

2011-12-29T12:38:00.006-05:00

This is one of those amazing shots that I waited on. It took a long time. I was worried that the bird would fly away before I got the shot I wanted. It hung around and I took a lot of pictures and this is the one I saved.

Mourning Dove

2011-12-29T12:16:00.003-05:00

Mourning Dove, a photo by Honest Abe Lincoln on Flickr.

A beautiful mourning dove watching me from the strombrella roof. I used a Sigma 100-400mm lens and a Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi to take the picture.

Sharped Shinned Hawk

2011-12-25T12:05:00.008-05:00

980-sharpshinnedhawk-crossedlegs-0043, a photo by Honest Abe Lincoln on Flickr.

A young male sharp-shinned hawk crosses legs to step down off the stepping stones so he could see into the boxwood bush where the birds were hiding. He didn't get one out of this bush but he did get one out of another bush about ten minutes later.

Red Breasted Nuthatch

2011-12-22T17:01:00.012-05:00

The red breasted nuthatch is a lovely bird, not seen as often as the white breasted nuthatch but still we do get them in our backyard. The white breasted is a slightly larger bird but seems to display all the characteristics of the red breasted nuthatch.

House Finch

2011-12-20T07:53:00.003-05:00

The female house finch is pretty plain when compared to the male. I think this is true in all species where the female has to tend babies in a hostile environment. Still, she is an attractive bird that has a pretty song and she has an elegance about her that is admired by all the male House Finches.

A male house finch always sports a bright coat of red feathers. The red color is warmer than the cooler red color found on the Purple Finch. I can be confused and often have to wait until I can see the top of the male finch head and if I see a brownish patch on top then I know for sure it is a house finch and not a purple finch.

Ruby-throated Hummingbird

2011-12-19T09:38:00.006-05:00

Male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, a photo by Honest Abe Lincoln on Flickr.

This is the male of the species. He can flash those feathers on and off but they are usually on when he is drinking or chasing away other males. They chirp a lot and you can often hear them without ever seeing them.

Brown Thrasher

2011-12-18T11:29:00.005-05:00

brown-thrasher_5393, a photo by Honest Abe Lincoln on Flickr.

Field Sparrow

2011-12-17T08:27:00.003-05:00

Field Sparrow, a photo by Honest Abe Lincoln on Flickr.

Distinguishing this from other sparrows is the pink beak. The overall lighter color. Rare here where I live. This photo and the rest like it were taken several years ago.