| Jul 22, 2008 @ 12:09 AM |
Bird watching
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signme
Posts: 12,588
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Have any of you ever done any bird watching? I have a birds of Texas book that was my mom's and I was wondering how many of the birds I could see. I also bought myself a cheap pair of binoculars. If I get into this, then I'll go for some more expensive ones.
Over spring break in March, I got my birdwatching supplies together. In the early evening I would sit out on my porch and check out the birds. I had hummingbird feeders and regular bird seed feeders. I saw a bunch of different birds, but most of them I knew: hummingbirds, cardinals (male and female), sparrows, doves,mockingbirds, the crested caracara (which I've heard called the red headed Mexican hawk), wild turkeys (but not in my yard), buzzards, robins, occasional parrots,---have not seen the owl but have heard one---titmouse, not sure which one, saw a tiny yellow songbird, maybe avireo, some warblers, and today saw the most gorgeous little bird called the painted bunting. Beautiiful bird, full of color.
Does anyone else have any interest in this hobby? 
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| Jul 22, 2008 @ 1:35 AM |
Bird watching |
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kattsmeow
Posts: 22,629
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It was one of my favorite past times when I lived back in Michigan. We had 5 big bird feeders and the array of birds was great! In the winter, the Blue jays and Cardinals, were beautiful against the snow!
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| Jul 22, 2008 @ 1:43 AM |
Bird watching
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signme
Posts: 12,588
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I'd never seen the painted bunting before--his head was blue, nearly purple, orange breast and bright green back. He was absolutely beautiful! Funny how much fun you can have doing this for relatively cheap supplies. Basically all you need is binoculars and a bird book from your area.
I need to get an Indiana bird book and take it and binocs next May for the camping trip.
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| Jul 22, 2008 @ 1:44 AM |
Bird watching |
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beckyiv42000
Posts: 14,576
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I have always feed the birds.. when I lived in the dessert I fed the roadrunners and partridges and the small birds I guess sparrows had one of the road runners would come to my door and knock on the security screen door till i brought him out something .. he and his mate nested on my roof ... now here I feed them in my side yard so i can watch them while i do dishes... sparrows and finches  a few others a hummingbird will buzz time and again...and we have a red tailed hawk that visits I have two different pics of him  I love watching them take dirt baths and fight over like left over spaghetti I put out  but there is definitely something soothing about watching them I like watching the birds where ever I am
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| Jul 22, 2008 @ 2:52 AM |
Bird watching
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Always_Striving
Posts: 8,794
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I get to watch the crows eat cherries off my tree and make aweful noises while they poop on my car and chase squirrels away.
Other than that Robins tend to jump across my lawn and dig for earth worms.
Blue Jays and Sparrows can be seen too.
< During my picture here taken here I was in the mountains surrounded by family of birds Gray Jays? like that one sat on my hand and ate grapes and saltine crackers every year during my climb there.
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| Jul 22, 2008 @ 2:55 AM |
Bird watching |
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RainbowSharpie
Posts: 1,010
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I like to watch birds...especially humming birds. When I was in 10th grade my ecology teacher was obsessed with birds and she had our class do a bird book with all the different birds we had discovered in the area. It was really interesting and I learned a lot. But enough about that, I love to watch birds.
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| Jul 22, 2008 @ 6:39 PM |
Bird watching
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Loreli
Posts: 25,417
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I like to watch hummingbirds....
but we get more cardinals, bluejays and robins 
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| Jul 22, 2008 @ 6:41 PM |
Bird watching |
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drs297
Posts: 4,862
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I have a birdfeeder out back and every now and then catch them there and at the birdbath,, pisses my dogs off since they jump around trying to get them.. besides that I do get to see a lot of these birds  ,,, I don't think those people are bird watchers
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| Jul 22, 2008 @ 9:39 PM |
Bird watching
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signme
Posts: 12,588
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Always, I love th at pic, but don't know what kind of bird it is. Have you tried to look it up?
I watched my female cat try to catch one of the birds today--but she wasn't trying really hard. My outdoor cats are well fed, so they don't need to hunt. But Jewel is definitely a huntress.
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| Jul 23, 2008 @ 11:26 AM |
Bird watching |
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keeno
Posts: 2,363
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always, yes that is a gray jay. sometimes they are called canadian jay. funny i just took some pics up at washington pass of one on my hand. ann and i went up the other day but didn't see any of them, but then i forgot to bring crackers.
i have been watching birds and feeding them since i got back from vietnam and lived up in the boundry waters of northern minnesota. i have hummers coming everyday to my feeders. there are thrushes and wrens that live down by the river. juncos, chickadees, nuthatches, pine siskins, gross bills and stellar jays coming to the seed feeders.
on the river i frequently see eagles, herons and merganzers. the other day ann and i saw and heard an osprey circling over the river.
birds are good neighbors.
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| Jul 23, 2008 @ 1:05 PM |
Bird watching
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signme
Posts: 12,588
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I need to start a list of all the birds I've seen. I love watching birds and other critters too. I've always enjoyed the hummingbirds, esp when they fight off each other from the feeder! Big bullies!! LOL
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| Jul 23, 2008 @ 7:24 PM |
Bird watching |
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redhairNfreckles
Posts: 4,698
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Speaking of bird watching......I'm now sitting here across my living room watching my peachy-faced love bird that my son returned to me today. They got a new dog and have decided having a bird too was just too much for them. I gave "Kissy" to them 2 years ago while I was traveling so much between NC and FL, but now he is back here with me. Oh well, we'll all just squish a little closer and be one, big, happy furry and feather babies, family.
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| Jul 23, 2008 @ 8:45 PM |
Bird watching
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grumblebear
Posts: 10,559
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when I would get a rare daylight run along the Mississippi River, The conductor and I would have a contest to see who could spot the most eagles, from St Paul to LaCrosse was 115 miles, and we would usually see 50 eagles each...
banning DDT brought the eagles back, lets keep it banned
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| Jul 23, 2008 @ 8:45 PM |
Bird watching |
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grumblebear
Posts: 10,559
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doubled.... oops
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| Jul 23, 2008 @ 8:54 PM |
Bird watching
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signme
Posts: 12,588
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I'm not 100% sure because I didn't have the binoculars at the time, but I think on the way to school one morning I saw a bald eagle. Lots of different kinds of hawks around here too.
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| Jul 23, 2008 @ 9:07 PM |
Bird watching |
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missliss78
Posts: 5,213
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I am impressed..... maybe it's jealous!
I did not even realize parrots were native anywhere in this country. I thought they were more tropical birds. Seeing parrots, eagles, herrons & the like....WOW! I would love to be able to spend time birdwatching, but here where I live right now, I don't have much vegetation, etc to attract them.
Having always been a city girl, moving out here to the country was sort of culture shock for me. At night, I sit here at the computer usually with silence surrounding me.  I noticed when we first came here, that I'd hear chirps & "squawking" noises outside in the evenings. I couldn't figure it out. There are no trees anywhere nearby the house. Finally I learned of the killdeer bird & that this is what I heard keeping the racket all hours of the night. I've had several build their nests & lay their eggs in the rocks in my driveway. It's always interesting to watch them.
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| Jul 23, 2008 @ 9:22 PM |
Bird watching
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signme
Posts: 12,588
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Parrots are more native to Mexico but I think we have a few in Texas whose "directionals" were a little off! LOL
My neighbors have peacocks--many people down here keep them as "watchdogs" as they are very territorial.
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| Jul 23, 2008 @ 9:43 PM |
Bird watching |
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keeno
Posts: 2,363
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ann and i saw a bear today, how cool is that? no feathers and not in my bird book but still very cool.
neener neener 
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| Jul 23, 2008 @ 10:17 PM |
Bird watching
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signme
Posts: 12,588
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I saw a mama bear and baby once while I was up in Minn. It was very cool, Keeno. Like I said, I like all critters, not just birds.
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| Jul 24, 2008 @ 1:27 AM |
Bird watching |
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Always_Striving
Posts: 8,794
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Bald Eagles are in good numbers from VanCouver, Canada and through western Washington. Just north of Seattle I saw a mating pair doing a mid-flight dance once.
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