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Monarch 5's for $239 right now at LL Bean with their SUMMER coupon code if you're interested. (Monarch 7 10x42's for $400 too) https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/80266?feat=512576-CL1&page=nikon-monarch-5-binoculars-8x42-mm&csp=f&attrValue_0=Black&productId=1333574 https://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/80323?feat=512576-CL1&page=nikon-monarch-7-binoculars-10x42-mm&csp=f&attrValue_0=Black&productId=1333483
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May 31, 2017 03:15
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Thanks! Unfortunately I'm in Canada and they are dinging me with import fees so I end up paying more. 
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May 31, 2017 15:41
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Sierra Nevadan posted:Birds are like really hard to tell apart. Like Gulls. A synchronized dive bomb poop raid on my truck would cause me to laugh and clap my hands. You lucky bastard. Identifying them is hard, but not impossible. Just make sure you're looking at a decent-sized flock and set your standard for success at "pretty confident (species) is in there"
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Jun 1, 2017 20:10
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ExecuDork posted:I really like any animal - individual, population, or species - that actually reacts to some aspect of human variation in some way. Dogs, cats, and some species of crows can clearly differentiate between individual humans. My mother-in-law pours some walnuts into a small container in her backyard for the the neighborhood crows once a day. There's a noticeable increase in the number of crows congregating on the street lamps when she's in the backyard.
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Jun 2, 2017 00:00
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This was from a few weeks ago, first GBH sighting of 2k17! Ever since I've been spotting them left and right (and almost always in flight so unfortunately rather difficult to get good shots of unlike the white egrets I run into on almost a daily basis)   Also just discovered that Cornell site with the maps and stuff which is gonna be a game changer for sure...
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Jun 16, 2017 07:24
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As soon as I can get out of this office I'm headed east to Montana for a few days to do some birding. Still missing quite a few of those prairie birds and a few interior west birds that have avoided me thus far like Pinyon Jay. I have directions to at least two known spots for Great-Gray Owl, which I've searched for in vain for many years (although I saw one as a kid), so I'm pretty excited for that.
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Jun 16, 2017 20:13
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there was a crow party in my backyard yesterday. came out and 3 crows were squawkin it up at each other. i tried to crow-squawk at them but they just looked at me like  and went back to talkin it up with each other. thast my crow story
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Jun 16, 2017 20:56
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Lutha Mahtin posted:there was a crow party in my backyard yesterday. came out and 3 crows were squawkin it up at each other. i tried to crow-squawk at them but they just looked at me like cool story, crow I'm going up in the mountains next week for a nature sound recording workshop so I think I'll at least get to hear some cool stuff.
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Jun 16, 2017 23:19
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same thing today but it was only 1 crow. if i see them again i might start putting out nuts or shiny objects to try and make a crow friend 
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Jun 17, 2017 00:09
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I'm not a birder, but I went out today to my local park cause I had it in mind to try and see a pied kingfisher. Since I have neither equipment nor knowledge it was kind of doomed to fail (although I know for certain they're there, from reports and having seen one previously) and fail it did, but on the bright side I saw a bunch of other birds (little egrets, night herons, rose-ringed parakeets and a white-throated kingfisher were the highlights). Anyway I also saw this duck and I can't figure out what it is. I should mention that I am in Israel. Closest I can guess is maybe a random domesticated sort? The red face makes me think of a muscovy duck. I've scoured relevant bird lists and can't find anything similar. Sorry for the garbage picture, as I said I don't actually have any proper equipment. 
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Jun 19, 2017 18:38
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Glare Seethe posted:I'm not a birder, but I went out today to my local park cause I had it in mind to try and see a pied kingfisher. Since I have neither equipment nor knowledge it was kind of doomed to fail (although I know for certain they're there, from reports and having seen one previously) and fail it did, but on the bright side I saw a bunch of other birds (little egrets, night herons, rose-ringed parakeets and a white-throated kingfisher were the highlights). I don't know Israeli birds, but if I were in North America I'd call it domestic/muscovy, especially since you mentioned this was at a park.
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Jun 19, 2017 19:37
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Yeah that must be it then, thanks. Probably also explains why I couldn't find it on any birding website, as I suppose it's not considered proper wildlife.
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Jun 19, 2017 21:17
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Glare Seethe posted:I'm not a birder, but here are two paragraphs about me trying to track down a specific bird and also a picture of a mystery bird congrats, you're a birder
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Jun 20, 2017 01:03
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Lutha Mahtin posted:congrats, you're a birder Well, gently caress. I confess I have been tentatively/cautiously looking at binoculars... I might well take the plunge.
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Jun 20, 2017 07:41
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http://www.grindtv.com/wildlife/far-good-darn-cute-baby-hawk-bald-eagle-nest-video/ My mother lives in Sidney, British Columbia (a suburb of Victoria) she posted some pictures on Facebook the other day about the local bald eagle nest having a baby hawk in it. She doesn't have a big telephoto to get any good pics but that story does have some good video of it
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Jun 20, 2017 21:51
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I saw that story- how cool! I wish someone could put a tracker on that redtail and see whether it does weird stuff when it grows up like eat mostly fish or hang out with bald eagles during the winter.
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Jun 20, 2017 22:19
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BetterLekNextTime posted:I saw that story- how cool! I wish someone could put a tracker on that redtail and see whether it does weird stuff when it grows up like eat mostly fish or hang out with bald eagles during the winter. Definitely. She sent me a link to one of her photographer friend's blogs that has a bunch of nest activity photos. Sounds like the RTH is about to start flying http://www.naturalimagescanada.ca/blog/archives/06-2017
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Jun 21, 2017 13:36
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Glare Seethe posted:I'm not a birder, but I went out today to my local park cause I had it in mind to try and see a pied kingfisher. Since I have neither equipment nor knowledge it was kind of doomed to fail (although I know for certain they're there, from reports and having seen one previously) and fail it did, but on the bright side I saw a bunch of other birds (little egrets, night herons, rose-ringed parakeets and a white-throated kingfisher were the highlights). I also think it's a Muscovy or Muscovy mix. Where in Israel was this?
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Jun 21, 2017 16:27
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WrenP-Complete posted:I also think it's a Muscovy or Muscovy mix. Where in Israel was this? I'm in Tel Aviv, and it was in the Yarkon Park. There are a few well-trodden areas/ponds there with lots of ducks, but this one was actually off on its own further downstream. Here's a brief new trip report: yesterday I watched barn swallows swooping around in one of the urban gardens here and a couple of them kept bringing food back to some juveniles and feeding them midair. Very cool to see especially from literally meters away. Sway Grunt fucked around with this message at 20:35 on Jun 21, 2017 |
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Jun 21, 2017 19:30
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Some of the rarer birds I've seen around my house are: Pileated Woodpecker. Usually just once and in the spring. Male is a really handsome fellow. https://thebirdpoint.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/pileated-woodpecker-male_1421_web1.jpg Scarlet Tanager. The bright red almost hurts your eyes when the sun shines on him. Only see him at the tops of trees in mid summer http://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/scarlet-tanager Indigo Bunting. Looks black until the sun hits him and then he turns an impossible bark blue. https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTnmfg41GjDPrXuQyQgwZKspIhSD7_UOMH9FWlQhGmEzr0UOn83 Lapua fucked around with this message at 13:30 on Jun 23, 2017 |
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Jun 23, 2017 13:27
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I saw 3 great horned owls today on mt Douglas in Victoria BC! At least one was a juvenile, and I think he was being kicked out by his parents for being a mooching layabout who they figured should leave and get a job and catch his own rabbits. I watched them for a long while, they sunbathed a bit, squabbled a bit on the ground and then went back to the tree they were in. My partner got some good photos of them but they were gorgeous!
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Jun 24, 2017 06:24
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There is a pair of crows with a pair of offspring that's been hanging around my office the last week or two. The 'babies' still have a bit of red around their beaks and are not good at landing, and they are adorable pissy about everything. Flying is fun? YELL ABOUT IT. Parent/sibling has food? YELL ABOUT IT. Wind is blowing up your feathers? YELL ABOUT IT. It's extra funny because their calls are still noticeably higher-pitched so they sound even more petulant.
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Jun 25, 2017 03:02
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Humming Birds. Don't know if you have feeders out but one thing that annoys me are all the ants that get inside and drown. Well I finally found a way to stop then. I got my feeder hanging from a length of black pipe, one end attached to the fascia on the house and the other end to a support post on the deck. Ants always managed to either come up to support post or onto the pipe via the house. So this year I got some sticky fly strips, cut some pieces and wrapped the tape around either end of the pipe. Works like a charm. Just make sure you get some goo b gone to clean your fingers after handling it.
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Jul 5, 2017 15:46
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One of the crow babies has a hurt foot. Seems bigger than it's more aggressive younger sibling so I bet I can guess the culprit.
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Jul 9, 2017 03:57
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"what bird tweets at night"
pidan fucked around with this message at 12:07 on Jul 21, 2017 |
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Jul 12, 2017 02:56
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Birder out of Cape Town, South Africa. And a twitcher too... I've driven over 5000km in the past month chasing rare birds, the highlight of which was a Madagascan Pond Heron, the first confirmed record for the country. The bloody thing was 1900km away from where I stay, but a group of us piled into a van and made the trip. A lot of driving, and a very little sleep later, we found the bird. They look a lot like Juvenile Squacco Herons, but certainly have their tells in identification.  In the past I have been involved with the research of an unknown raptor species in South Africa called the "Mystery Buzzard", to which there is much debate, but no answer as of yet. I also write articles on birding, bird identification in the field as well as thoroughly blog my trip reports in Southern Africa.
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Jul 14, 2017 13:09
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meso posted:Birder out of Cape Town, South Africa. And a twitcher too... Cool, I'll check that out. I'll be in Kruger the beginning of August and just picked up a bird guide - holy poo poo so many new birds! I'd like to check out Cape Town, maybe do that and Namibia next year.
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Jul 14, 2017 18:55
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Finger Prince posted:Cool, I'll check that out. I'll be in Kruger the beginning of August and just picked up a bird guide - holy poo poo so many new birds! I'd like to check out Cape Town, maybe do that and Namibia next year. Kruger is great, especially if you enjoy your raptors. Hit me up if you head towards Cape Town way though, can help you with the local endemics here. Things like the Cape Rockjumper are reliable just 30 km from my residency. We get some pretty good rarities this side too. Cape Town is the rarity capital of Southern Africa. Just today, I managed to connect with a Eurasian Blackcap, the first ever record for the province and one of less than 30 for Southern Africa, in a suburban garden out of all places as well. Had to work like hell for it though, dipped 3 days in a row.
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Jul 20, 2017 20:29
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Driving through the middle of Florida is incredibly boring, but the last couple of times I've made the trip I've spotted crested caracaras which are apparently not migrants or just a lost population but have been in south-central Florida since the last ice age. Pretty distinctive birds - only other bird we have that looks like them from a distance are bald eagles, and caracaras have a black cap on top.
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Jul 20, 2017 21:37
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pidan posted:"what bird tweets at night" I'm not sure if this is a birding question or a joke that I'm not getting...  If a birding question, could you say your geographical location and give an approximation of what the "tweets" sound like?
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Jul 24, 2017 13:14
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my guess: Trump joke
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Jul 24, 2017 19:15
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I just figured it was some assassin's activation phrase.
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Jul 25, 2017 13:27
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WrenP-Complete posted:I'm not sure if this is a birding question or a joke that I'm not getting... I had some more details but the discussion moved on so I felt that it probably didn't fit the thread and removed the details. Also works as a trump joke though.
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Jul 26, 2017 09:14
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been getting progressively more into spotting vs. photographing and have been making trips out 1-2 a week w/ a fresh set of amazon binoculars and a smartphone to practice, observe, and learn more which seems to occur naturally while ur looking for certain other birds - like the chickadees and plovers that buzz around me while looking for herons, raptors, and other favs I took this yesterday, excuse the quality as insta certainly didnt make it any better but it looks like a school of fish or maybe eels took a wrong turn (as it just cleared and the sun had come out) which resulted in an unexpected feast - pitting the flying egrets up against the diving comorants (?) for first dibs...with all the other shorebirds and waterfowl joining in on the spontaneous parade https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFgjgMgq1bo
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Jul 30, 2017 17:50
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That's an awesome video. Definitely sucks to be a little fish sometimes.
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Jul 30, 2017 23:37
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BetterLekNextTime posted:That's an awesome video. Definitely sucks to be a little fish sometimes. I went back there tonite right before dusk and arrived just in time to see easily 100+ egrets and herons arriving directly overhead (one even dropped a feather too...thats mine now  ) and swooping all around me with the sunset as backdrop looking like a WW2 air battle was going on around me - im sure most of the 200 or so photos or vids still wont do the scene justice but ill come back and update if i come across anything worthy. right time at the right place i suppose...one of the highlights was after they had all settled in together on a sandbar u could hear them all making their noises and it sounded exactly like the raptors in jurassic park!
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Jul 31, 2017 03:49
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Taken from a trail cam on a farm in eastern NC - cool shot of a red-shouldered hawk which was a welcome change of pace from the red-tails we usually see. Only other bird we consistently get on the trail cam is as you might expect - Wild Turkey, I could show you pictures of turkeys and poults all day long. Lord Wexia fucked around with this message at 19:01 on Jul 31, 2017 |
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Jul 31, 2017 18:51
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the wild turkeys around here are like 4 or 5 feet tall when they stand up all the way. sometimes when i encounter a bunch of them hanging out on a street, im slightly afraid to honk my car horn at them because it wouldn't surprise me if they can break the window glass of my car with their beaks or feet
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Aug 1, 2017 01:07
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Lutha Mahtin posted:the wild turkeys around here are like 4 or 5 feet tall when they stand up all the way. sometimes when i encounter a bunch of them hanging out on a street, im slightly afraid to honk my car horn at them because it wouldn't surprise me if they can break the window glass of my car with their beaks or feet You'll probably get them to "shock gobble". I doubt they'd do more than scratch your paint a little so probably just ease your way through the flock and you'll be fine. It's the collisions when the car and turkey are both at speed that do real damage- people have died from auto accidents caused by a turkey collision. Getting out of your car to chase them away is probably the wrong thing to do. At least if you don't want to end up on youtube. Turkeys are awesome though and it's cool that you get to see them up close.
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Aug 1, 2017 16:58
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i usually just slow down and approach the group, and they all mosey out of the way eventually. turkeys are native to the twin cities area and there's been a conservation effort to foster their numbers, so they're all over the place. there's at least one "what to do about wild turkeys" news article every year: http://www.twincities.com/2017/05/18/wild-turkey-encounter-heres-what-you-should-do/
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Aug 3, 2017 18:37
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