I know what species should be in my area. On any given day I'm happy to see half of them. There should be 15 to 20 species in my area. Some species like the cross bills only appear when the cone crop is good. We have lots of cross bills this year. Pine siskins only show up when the right food is available.
So Sunday I had a good day. The temperatures were from minus 15 to minus 5. It was partly cloudy. If it's a good day for me it's also a good day for birds.
So I saw nine species which is about what I usually see.
So I had a great day of bird counting.
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| The pileated woodpecker found me as it flew in to feed beside me. He's easy to photograph as he's large and he stays in one place. I watched him until I got bored and then moved on. |
Nice! We have the bird count up here, too. I don't do it because I cannot identify easily. :-)
ReplyDeleteYou don't have to worry about skills. You can always go with someone. People have more skill to identify birds than they think. Today with your ipad you take a picture and send it to a certain site and they will ID it for you.
DeleteBeautiful bird and beautiful winter scene. Merry Christmas to you and your household.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Have a great Christmas.
Deleteoh, awesome pileated shots! love those big guys!
ReplyDeleteThey're colorful and big and bold.
DeleteNice bird and wonderful mountain landscapes!
ReplyDeleteMarry Christmas!
I love those big old woodpeckers. We don't see them often here near the city. Your cold clear weather looks beautiful, as long as you are dressed for it.
ReplyDeleteOccasionally they've been in my yard and they do go to feeders. You also get used to the cold weather.
DeleteThe woodpecker is a nice bird, always very busy with pecking. He ruined half a tree in our garden.
ReplyDeleteThis guy is crow sized so is a very striking bird.
Deletemakes you wonder if they ever get a headache
ReplyDeleteThey have air around the brain and this cushions the brain.
DeleteI watched a group of robins yesterday. As a kid they always went south, a sighting would have made the news.
ReplyDeleteWell, they always didn't go south. I've seen robins in every month of the year. we usually get them in our christmas bird count.
DeleteLove that shout of bright red color on the woodpecker. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteThey're a very interesting bird. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
DeleteWe have that kind of woodpecker here too. I remember once sitting near one that had knocked into the window. I stayed by it until it regained its senses so that the cats wouldn't bother it.
ReplyDeleteYour a smart guy when it comes to birds hitting a window. Most of them wake up and off they go.
DeleteGreat shots! I love that pileated woodpecker. Such a pretty bird.
ReplyDeleteThey're handsome and have lots of attitude.
DeleteHi Red, Wow, I enjoyed those pictures, especially the woodpecker. You really were close to that bird! Very neat captures. I need to read up on those birds ... they are interesting. Nice coat of snow on the trees. Merry Christmas to you and the Micro Manager!
ReplyDeleteBeauti
ReplyDeleteBeautiful trees and bird Red! Merry christmas!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas to you - and what beautiful Woodpecker shots! We don't see those where I live.
ReplyDeleteThanks. We hAVE MORE TREES HERE AND ARE CLOSER TO THE MOUNTAINS.
DeleteHi Red, I just discovered your wonderful blog through Martha's site, "Plowing Through Life." I will definitely be returning.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have a love for birds, too. We count the birds we see and the birds we hear. He teaches our granddaughters the different songs the local birds sing.
Every year in either January or early February we drive up to Tule Lake (northern California). The Lake freezes over and west coast bald eagles winter their with about 100,000 other birds. Sometimes when the flocks of geese take flight it can sound like a jet taking off. There are times we have photographed up to 13 eagles in one tree.
Have a merry Christmas.
Thanks for visiting. Sound ,color,and movement go along way finding birds. Believe it or not we have a few eagles who stay here all year.
DeleteMerry Christmas to you and your manager:)
ReplyDeletebeautiful birds and gorgeous photos !!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas !!
Thank you and I think you're the first person from Poland to leave a comment.
DeleteMerry Christmas, Red! I was shocked that you were out in -5 degree temperatures until I realized that you meant centigrade. It's more like 23 in Fahrenheit. But that's still cold! You got really gorgeous photos of that beautiful bird. Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteSorry, I should always put both temps. You dress for the cold and you get used to it.
DeleteGood for you! Ours was a bit of a bust! Nothing special!
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas!!!!
Hey, all birds are special!!!
DeleteBeautiful photos! I love Pileated woodpeckers. They are so big!!
ReplyDelete