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Cross-postin' from the critterquesting thread. Pictured in Florida:  Sharp-shinned? Red-shouldered? Having a tough time deciding.
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Jun 13, 2020 00:41
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my cat is norris posted:Cross-postin' from the critterquesting thread. How big was it? Sharpies are the same to slightly bigger than a blue jay, red-shoulders are much bigger. Any reason you’ve ruled out Cooper’s? It looks like a juvenile, which I’m bad at IDing. Edit: My range map says sharp-shinned is only a winter resident of Florida, but I’m not sure how accurate that is. EPICAC fucked around with this message at 01:22 on Jun 13, 2020 |
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Jun 13, 2020 01:20
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EPICAC posted:How big was it? Sharpies are the same to slightly bigger than a blue jay, red-shoulders are much bigger. Any reason you’ve ruled out Cooper’s? It looks like a juvenile, which I’m bad at IDing. No reason for ruling it out except I didn't think the stripes on the breast were the right color? Then again, I don't think I looked at juvenile Cooper's. Hmm... Edit: Asking about size.
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Jun 13, 2020 01:30
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The other species to look at is juvenile Red-shoulder Hawk, which looks fairly similar to juvenile Coopers. Tail looks better for Coopers to me, but I'm very inexperienced with Red-shouldered.
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Jun 13, 2020 02:16
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Friend is saying the hawk was about corvid-sized, definitely bigger than a blue jay. That makes me lean more toward juvie red-shouldered.
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Jun 13, 2020 02:30
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God why is it so hard to tell hawk species apart? I cannot do it.
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Jun 13, 2020 03:25
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Wait, there’s still a critterquest thread? I might go Broad-winged on this hawk but I don’t know why I think that.
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Jun 13, 2020 03:56
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Wait, there’s still a critterquest thread? Yea, Broad-Winged was actually my first thought, but I dismissed it based on location and (presumably recent?) date. It just looks compact. The amount of barring on the tail looks much better for Broad-Winged than Red-Shouldered as well. Looking at where the wingtips end compared to the tail, I don't think there's any way it's an Coopers or Sharp-Shinned.
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Jun 13, 2020 04:34
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my cat is norris posted:Cross-postin' from the critterquesting thread. That's one fierce looking birb.
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Jun 13, 2020 07:37
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Ooh, I can see broad-winged for sure, thank you! I forget how common those can be, where I'm from the red-shouldered and red-tailed are both way, way more common a thing, so my brain just kinda defaults.
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Jun 13, 2020 19:17
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A had a couple of bluetits nesting in my yard and today the birbs decided to leave the nest: (sorry about crap quality, manual crap optics) "This is outside?"  "Wet and cold"  "Mother"  "Smallest of the pack" (he did not make it, a magpie showed up and ate him... now the parents are looking for him  )
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Jun 18, 2020 12:37
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Y'know, I thought downy woodpeckers were small. I saw a juvenile today, and couldn't believe how tiny it was. Wouldn't have noticed it or its parent it was following if a duck nesting in the tree the woodpeckers were hunting on hadn't started making a ruckus.
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Jun 20, 2020 02:14
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ThingOne posted:Does anyone recognize the long call in the background of this clip? Way late on this, but isn't this the "poor Sam Peabody" white-throated sparrow?
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Jun 29, 2020 23:52
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Once pigeons come to your feeders / bird bath, there's pretty much nothing you can do, right? At least the grackles are temporary. 
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Jul 10, 2020 22:27
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Internet Explorer posted:Once pigeons come to your feeders / bird bath, there's pretty much nothing you can do, right? At least the grackles are temporary. Depends. If you can give them something they prefer, they might be happy to leave the feeders alone. Unfortunately that means deliberately sprinkling millet around on the ground or on a table away from the feeders and deliberately feeding them. There are various things you can use like weighted feeders and spikes to deter them otherwise, but if they're tenacious and hungry (always), they'll keep trying on the off chance they knock some seeds out.
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Jul 10, 2020 23:11
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My parents got one of the weighted ones and tied a dinner plate upside down to the bottom, finally achieving a squirrel and pigeon proof feeder. The smaller birds still make a mess but it isn't nearly as bad as before.
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Jul 13, 2020 19:15
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I've started recording all the birds I manage to ID on my walks in eBird, it's really fun. Have been getting new ones each time so far. It's frustrating when I don't quite get a good enough look to confidently ID one though - I saw a big black bird flying across the bay the other morning, and by the time I'd looked up the difference between a comorant and a shag it was too far away to see properly. I also have a mystery bird from this morning:   After looking at a lot of pictures of Plovers I'm fairly certain this is a Ruddy Turnstone in non breeding plumage (I'm on the coast in Brittany, France). However: * Merlin doesn't have it in its list of likely birds * Does the lack of breeding plumage in the summer mean it's a juvenile? * Why isn't it further north this time of year? * Is that even the correct id? there seem to be a lot of brown shorebirds
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Jul 15, 2020 08:05
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It's definitely a Ruddy Turnstone. Their range is incredibly global so they can show up anywhere.
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Jul 15, 2020 12:30
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Pablo Bluth posted:It's definitely a Ruddy Turnstone. Their range is incredibly global so they can show up anywhere. Thanks. It's the first record at my local "hotspot" on ebird, and even though there have only been like 5 other checklists submitted I still find it very satisfying! I've found that I'm noticing way more birds when I'm purposely looking for them (duh), I had seen the Little Egrets before, but had somehow never noticed the Grey Herons!
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Jul 15, 2020 14:10
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Congrats!! On the bird and finding eBirding. Believe it or not many Arctic shorebirds are already done breeding! In some species one or both parents head south we’ll before the young are ready to make the trip. Not sure if Ruddy Turnstones do this but I think they do. Shorebirds in general are fairly good at turning up in weird places since many of them migrate so far, but in this case I wonder if they normally pass through your area but in a short window that hasn’t been captured much in eBird. The “rare, leave a comment” could be missing data or perceived habitat mismatch and not necessarily “normally found in New Zealand”. Having a photo is great documentation. Don’t be afraid to post those if it seems rare, and equally, don’t get bent out of shape if an eBird reviewer gently corrects an ID now and then (it’s certainly happened to me and I’ve been birding all my life).
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Jul 15, 2020 16:42
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My lunchtime walk down to the lake today turned up a new entry for the log: a black-crowned night heron. They're common birds so seeing one isn't a surprise per se, but seeing one around noon sure is odd. Wouldn't have known it was there if it didn't jump around in tree branches as I walked underneath. The lake area I walk down to is also home to a pair of limpkins now, and piles of snail shells to go with. Edit: Razz, if you're around, there's now a subforum dedicated to outdoors stuff that might have a use for a birding thread. You did a great job with the OP in this one. Cythereal fucked around with this message at 20:53 on Jul 17, 2020 |
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Jul 17, 2020 20:45
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Cythereal posted:My lunchtime walk down to the lake today turned up a new entry for the log: a black-crowned night heron. They're common birds so seeing one isn't a surprise per se, but seeing one around noon sure is odd. Wouldn't have known it was there if it didn't jump around in tree branches as I walked underneath. If she's not, I don't mind starting a new thread over there. No idea if she's still on the forums. e: anyone object to that? I'll start working on it but it might not be up for a few days... e2: Razz hasn't posted since 2014... Unfortunately someone started a non-effortpost bird post but I'll throw some stuff in and maybe the OP will add it to the top. BetterLekNextTime fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Jul 18, 2020 |
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Jul 17, 2020 21:41
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I heard my first fall migrant today! Grey catbird, as usual impossible to find in the bushes but their calls are one of the most regular signs of the changing seasons here in Florida.
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Sep 17, 2020 18:52
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Cythereal posted:I heard my first fall migrant today! Grey catbird, as usual impossible to find in the bushes but their calls are one of the most regular signs of the changing seasons here in Florida. Oh, are they one their way out? They're such funny little birds.
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Sep 17, 2020 19:50
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Fitzy Fitz posted:Oh, are they one their way out? They're such funny little birds. Where I am in Florida, they're winter residents only. They're almost always the first migrants I notice arriving in the fall, and tend to be among the last migrants to leave in the spring.
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Sep 17, 2020 19:58
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Peak twitcher: a northern waterthrush found it’s way to a small park near my house. The local birders are super psyched because the park straddles two counties so most people are getting a bump on both lists when the bird flies to either side of this tiny trashy little urban creek. I usually miss these things but got it this morning!
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Sep 17, 2020 20:36
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I can think of twice where birders in Washington where birders have escalated questions about county line locations up through various levels of government because various maps didn't actually agree.
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Sep 17, 2020 21:28
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Peak twitcher: a northern waterthrush found it’s way to a small park near my house. The local birders are super psyched because the park straddles two counties so most people are getting a bump on both lists when the bird flies to either side of this tiny trashy little urban creek. I usually miss these things but got it this morning! There's been a brown booby around lake Ontario recently, hanging out around Hamilton. Blown in somehow, got to the end of the lake and decided "welp I guess I'm a freshwater bird now!" It might have got out now with the shifting winds, but that was a pretty huge one for here. All the sandwich munchers would have been out for that one!
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Sep 17, 2020 22:25
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A brown booby ended up in Ireland back in July, but it died after a few days even with intervention from a wildlife rehab
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Sep 17, 2020 22:35
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Peak twitcher: a northern waterthrush found it’s way to a small park near my house. The local birders are super psyched because the park straddles two counties so most people are getting a bump on both lists when the bird flies to either side of this tiny trashy little urban creek. I usually miss these things but got it this morning! I went on a Pelagic out of New Hampshire today, and there was one guy keeping very close track of whether we were in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or Maine waters, and second guessing the Captain’s announcement based on an app on his phone.
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Sep 18, 2020 00:41
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[quote="EPICAC" post="508163789"] I went on a Pelagic out of New Hampshire today, and there was one guy keeping very close track of whether we were in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, or Maine waters, and second guessing the Captain’s announcement based on an app on his phone. [/ Lol I can totally picture that
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Sep 18, 2020 01:42
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Hello bird people! I'm looking for recommendations for binoculars for looking at birds for my mom. She's not into birding as in going ut of her way to discover different types of birds, but she said she'd like a pair of good "bird-watching" binoculars to look at birds when she's out walking. She has always just owned a pair of regular binoculars but she was out walking with a friend who had a good pair of binoculars and was blown away when she used them. So what I'm looking for is the following: - Small and light enough so that there's no hesitation that they will be brought along when going for a walk in the woods, so not one of those telescope-looking things with a tripod  .- I'd like her to go "holy poo poo" the first time she uses them (and preferrably every time thereafter). - She is not really interested in photographing birds I'm thinking $1000 as max price. I'm also looking around and reading reviews. What are the different specs you should look at? Are there some things that area must-have in binoculars? Should you make sure to buy from a specific "birding" site? Or hunting site? Something I should look out for and avoid?
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Nov 14, 2020 15:44
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What exactly does she have at the moment?
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Nov 14, 2020 19:40
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Claeaus posted:Hello bird people! I'm looking for recommendations for binoculars for looking at birds for my mom. She's not into birding as in going ut of her way to discover different types of birds, but she said she'd like a pair of good "bird-watching" binoculars to look at birds when she's out walking. She has always just owned a pair of regular binoculars but she was out walking with a friend who had a good pair of binoculars and was blown away when she used them. Lot of questions here! The main optical specs are Magnifcation (the "x" like 8x or 10x) which obviously are how big the far away bird is going to look, and objective (effectively the wide-ness of the view). So an 8x32 will show a narrower slice of the view and maybe let in a little less light than an 8x42. Not as important for birds but more important for things like butterflies would be the minimum focal distance, or how close you can get and still focus in on something. If your mom wears glasses you'll want something with adjustable eye cups or eye relief too. There are now some image stabilization binoculars but I'm not sure how the weight checks out on them. $1000 a *huge* budget. You can definitely jump in with high quality stuff at 1/3 the price. It's not that a $1000 pair of binoculars isn't better than a $250 pair, but the marginal gains are pretty modest. If you are not used to using binoculars or have crummy mid-century or Fisher Price plastic ones I think anything with decent optics will probably look stunning. Binoculars and photography are pretty orthogonal. There are a couple of brands that have built in picture taking ability but I don't know anyone who's actually used them. Your described use case is kind of between a couple of types of binoculars. There are compact binoculars that are much smaller and lighter. However, they also tend to be more around 7 or 8x30 so a little narrower field of view and this can make it a little harder to find birds. Then there are the more standard 7x35 or 7x40 or 8x40 or 8x42s which are little bigger but usually offer a much wider and brighter view. These are what many birders use, and there's a ton of options for price and manufacturer. As someone who's used "regular" binoculars my whole life I've not been a fan of the compact/travel bins but you may get other opinions here, and if weight is a really big concern then maybe that is the way to go. Where to buy from. It's always good if you can support something local (nature center, Wild Birds Unlimited franchise, etc) but at the same time you may be able to get better prices from an online retailer. Besides the obvious (Amazon), there's optics stores like B&H, plus some of the outdoor retailers (Cabela's/Bass Pro Shop). Here's a link from Audubon with some ratings. A common recommend here is the Nikon Monarchs 8x40s. For what it's worth, I have the Zeiss Conquest which are closer to your price point.
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Nov 14, 2020 19:54
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Not as important for birds but more important for things like butterflies would be the minimum focal distance, or how close you can get and still focus in on something. I have a pair of binoculars with a minimum focal distance of like 10+ metres and they're _useless_ in a forest. Turns out a lot of the time birds are very close. So it is worth keeping in mind
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Nov 14, 2020 20:04
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Ras Het posted:I have a pair of binoculars with a minimum focal distance of like 10+ metres and they're _useless_ in a forest. Turns out a lot of the time birds are very close. So it is worth keeping in mind That’s a crazy minimum focus distance! I was thinking more the difference between like 4m and <2m.
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Nov 14, 2020 20:54
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I've ended up in a Swarovski family. My dad's full size ones are amazing but also insanely expensive. I carry some 10x25 CL pockets whose tiny size goes well with my heavy camera gear. Those are below $1k but while the quality is great you are inherently giving up a lot for their small size so you really need to value the bulk reduction ("the best binoculars are the ones you have on you"). In-between they do have CL 8x30 Companions, which my sister has. They're much less of a compromise size-wise and the quality is great. That said, they're still outside your budget but they seem to be $1200 at the moment so maybe stretchable? Unfortunately I don't have experience with other brands...
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Nov 14, 2020 20:59
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There are loads of good quality 8x25 and 8x30 binoculars in the sub 400$ range - Nikon Monarch 7 are €350 but you'll have a perfectly good experience with cheaper ones from a respectable brand.
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Nov 14, 2020 21:16
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It'd be useful to know what "a pair of regular binoculars" translates to and what the recommendation needs to improve upon. The friend's "good pair" brand would help too.
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Nov 14, 2020 21:27
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| # ? May 15, 2024 07:26 |
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I just had a big effort post written up and accidently reloaded the page and lost it You can get "holy poo poo" views for $500 or less (sometimes a lot less). In that range I'd recommend looking into: Nikon Monarch 7 8x30 (eye relief may be a little tight if she wears glasses) Nikon Monarch 7 8x42 (bigger and heavier than the above) Vortex Viper 8x42 (sadly, they no longer make an 8x32). You can drive yourself a bit insane trying to find the "best" binoculars at any given price point, but those are all very common models from companies with very good track records.
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Nov 15, 2020 05:50
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