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Is there a good way to keep suet cool in summer? I was thinking to refrigerate it overnight every night and put it in a shaded area, but 90 degree days might quickly dispose of it?
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Jun 7, 2021 13:03
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fawning deference posted:Is there a good way to keep suet cool in summer? I was thinking to refrigerate it overnight every night and put it in a shaded area, but 90 degree days might quickly dispose of it? I don't really know, but I don't see why you couldn't freeze it and/or rotate through a couple of allotments that you change out mid-day (assuming you are home to do that). I don't know where you are but if you are northern hemisphere then you could probably forget the suet entirely this time of year. If it's that warm there should be plenty of insects around.
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Jun 7, 2021 20:16
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BetterLekNextTime posted:I don't really know, but I don't see why you couldn't freeze it and/or rotate through a couple of allotments that you change out mid-day (assuming you are home to do that). I'm in Connecticut. Changing it out mid-day seems like too much work for very little necessity, since I can feed birds various other things they'd enjoy without needing to do that, or without having it melt and drip. I think I might do suet only when the weather gets colder.
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Jun 7, 2021 20:38
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For North American folks, MerlinID apparently added a new feature to try to ID birds by sound recordings. I know there's been more limited tests of stuff like this (e.g. for flight calls of night-migrating birds, or for smaller regions when a known set of species can be assembled beforehand), but it would be cool if this would work for birds in general. My guess is it will probably be like the photo version – crappy at first for some species but as more people try to use it it may actually become helpful.
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Jun 24, 2021 07:27
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I tried it out when I was in a little prairie in a park on Sunday. We saw a sparrow that was sitting on a flower and singing. It seemed to think it was a song sparrow, but it seemed a bit more gray than the pictures of song sparrows it showed so  I can't tell any of them apart yet anyway. It does give you the sonogram of the recording and saves it to the app, which is nice.The park also had a lot of tree swallows in the prairie, there was like a dozen flying around the grass/flowers and picking off all the bugs.
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Jun 30, 2021 03:17
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BetterLekNextTime posted:For North American folks, MerlinID apparently added a new feature to try to ID birds by sound recordings. I know there's been more limited tests of stuff like this (e.g. for flight calls of night-migrating birds, or for smaller regions when a known set of species can be assembled beforehand), but it would be cool if this would work for birds in general. My guess is it will probably be like the photo version – crappy at first for some species but as more people try to use it it may actually become helpful. Cornell has had an app called BirdNet for this and it works pretty well - I'm guessing they just rolled that functionality into Merlin.
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Jun 30, 2021 03:30
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I was just reading stuff from a couple people in my state who were trying out the new sound ID functionality. Apparently it was correctly identifying the vast majority of things they threw at it, across lots of different species. Even stuff like a yellow-throated vireo that was over 100 yards away, so not very loud. I’m sure it’s not perfect but it seems like people are surprised by how accurate it already is. Pretty sweet, I’m looking forward to trying it.
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Jun 30, 2021 03:54
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My partner has been getting into birding, and their birthday is coming up. What would a decent pair of binoculars be for a beginning birder be, somewhere sub $300ish. Also, any recommendations on bird journals? I know there's probably phone apps for that, but my partner likes writing things down on paper. We're in New England if there's a recommendation for a regionally specific book.
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Aug 25, 2021 23:20
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https://www.audubon.org/gear/binocular-guide
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Aug 25, 2021 23:46
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I think the Vortex Diamondback is a really solid set of binoculars, I've had mine for nearly a decade and they've done a marvelous job.
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Aug 26, 2021 00:08
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Most brands have great options in your price range, so if you have the opportunity to go somewhere that has different brands to try out, you could see which feel best in hand. REI has some brands, or your local Wild Birds Unlimited, or check out a large outdoor store like Cabela's / Bass Pro Shop (if you don't have a dedicated optics store near you). Nikon Monarchs are often mentioned for people new to the hobby. Regarding the journal, I'm not exactly sure what you are asking for. There are field guides to help with ID, and they can be used as a checklist either in the index or just making notes in the margin, but they aren't really for journalling. Good options are the Sibley guides, National Geographic, or Audubon. The regional Sibley's are my favorite - small enough to bring around. (you aren't restricted to one and a lot of people end up getting multiple guides). For outdoor notes in the field you might just find a general nature sketch book or something with Rite-in-the-Rain paper (weatherproof). Your local or state audubon societies may have printed bird checklists for your state (and most parks and refuges have their own checklists). But for journalling, I'm not sure what a "birding' journal would look like that you couldn't do with just a regular journal.
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Aug 26, 2021 00:21
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I got my partner some Nikon Prostaff 7S 10x42 for her birthday this year and they are excellent, and in your budget. Highly recommended.
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Aug 26, 2021 03:58
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I have attracted a (pileated I think) woodpecker to my yard  I've never seen a woodpecker in person before this one.e: actually it's probably more likely that it is a Hairy woodpecker idk the thing scares easily Shifty Nipples fucked around with this message at 01:23 on Oct 4, 2021 |
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Oct 4, 2021 01:20
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Pileated are about crow sized with a big crest and honkin' beak. Hairy are I guess about robin-sized. Any woodpecker is cool so congrats! I've been helping some folks plan out a new Christmas Bird Count circle in my area. Unfortunately it got rejected by the National Audubon organization because it's too close to existing count circles but the plans are to run it as if it's official and then there will be that many more years of data if they change their mind in the future (plus whatever local use we might get out of the counts). Still it's a fun and interesting process, and I can't wait until January.
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Oct 4, 2021 02:11
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Pileated are big birds and prefer forest. The most common backyard woodpecker is a downy woodpecker, which can be hard to tell from a hairy woodpecker (bigger bird with bigger beak) but it's certainly possible that's what you've got! If you want woodpeckers, they love suet feeders. We went out to a localish mountain in MA to catch migrating broad-winged hawks and we had a nice hour of just seeing raptor after raptor. Bald eagle, merlins, a peregrine falcon, and a lot of close buzzes from red-tailed hawks and turkey vultures.
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Oct 5, 2021 04:32
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Red-bellied woodpeckers are also very common in suburban areas, they're noticeably bigger than downies. Pileateds are the size of crows and sound like an axe wailing on a tree when they go to town, not the usual drill noise of smaller woodpeckers. Edit: For comparison, here's a photo I took of a red-bellied at a bird feeder. 
Cythereal fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Oct 7, 2021 |
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Oct 5, 2021 13:52
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Yeah when it occurred to me how large a Pileated woodpecker is I figured that probably was not what I saw, it was about the size of a scrub jay and I did indeed see it on my suet feeder. The juncos are back too . This is in a suburb of Portland OR btw.
Shifty Nipples fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Oct 7, 2021 |
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Oct 7, 2021 19:01
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Shifty Nipples posted:Yeah when it occurred to me how large a Pileated woodpecker is I figured that probably was not what I saw, it was about the size of a scrub jay and I did indeed see it on my suet feeder. The juncos are back too It was almost certainly a hairy woodpecker, then, if your scrub jays are the size of Florida's. Downy woodpeckers are tiny.
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Oct 7, 2021 20:50
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There is a bird in my neighborhood that I really need to take a picture of because I have absolutely no idea what it is but I rarely see it in my yard and it is very skittish. I think it is some kind of dove/pigeon but .
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Oct 9, 2021 21:37
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So a couple of weeks ago a Varied Trush, turned up in the Orkeys – only the second time the bird has been found in the UK (the first was in '82). Today the fifth Belted Kingfisher has been found.
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Nov 9, 2021 00:43
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Shifty Nipples posted:I have attracted a (pileated I think) woodpecker to my yard my folks have a pileated that hides somewhere around their corner of the countryside. The one time I saw it, it was just destroying this tiny stump remnant in the garden right by the house. The size totally blew me away after just seeing downies and hairies for forever.
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Nov 14, 2021 22:34
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Downy woodpecker Hairy woodpecker  Pileated woodpecker 
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Nov 14, 2021 23:39
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Baby pileated at a vet. https://i.imgur.com/CPpDgHD.mp4
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Nov 15, 2021 02:31
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Hello there gentlepersons, I'm not sure if this is the right thread for it but it seems like a good place to ask: I'm looking to purchase a pair of binoculars as a gift to a friend who has a large variety of birds who regularly visit her large backyard. I know nothing about binocs or optical glass in general but I'd imagine that for the ranges we're looking at (<100m) the pair wouldn't have to be too large or bulky? Anyone have experience with the things? Just for peering peacefully at the Pukekos. Cheers
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Nov 26, 2021 00:16
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Serephina posted:Hello there gentlepersons, I'm not sure if this is the right thread for it but it seems like a good place to ask: You could get mini ones (8x25) but honestly if they're for a yard and you aren't carrying them I'd get 8x35 or something
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Dec 12, 2021 13:32
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 These are juvenile flamingos right? You can just make out the beak shape on the one on the far right. SW France in a big lake, I can't find much information about their distribution in France.
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Dec 12, 2021 13:34
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Serephina posted:Hello there gentlepersons, I'm not sure if this is the right thread for it but it seems like a good place to ask:
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Dec 12, 2021 13:59
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pointsofdata posted:
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Dec 12, 2021 14:09
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Pablo Bluth posted:ebird has them along the mediterranean coast with the camargue region the hotspot, plus vagrants elsewhere inland. Thanks, looking at their map it's definitely Flamingos. I was really thrown by the beak shape and lack of coloration, but it makes sense for juveniles. eBird also has a photo of one with the exact coloration I saw
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Dec 12, 2021 14:18
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Shifty Nipples posted:There is a bird in my neighborhood that I really need to take a picture of because I have absolutely no idea what it is but I rarely see it in my yard and it is very skittish. I think it is some kind of dove/pigeon but After many months I think I figured out the answer to this mystery, I think the bird I keep seeing is a Northern Flicker - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker/id
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Dec 15, 2021 21:45
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Flickers are super cool, and definitely a tricky one to ID since their plumage and habits are a little different than the other North American woodpeckers. Yesterday a super crazy bird, a Ross's Gull, showed up nearby. It's a weird pinkish gull from the arctic. The place it was seen is actually in the territory I'll be counting for the local Audubon Christmas Bird Count on Sunday. It would be super cool if it stuck around, but it hasn't been seen today so it was probably a one-day wonder. Probably just as well because there would be hundreds of birders there if it does come back. Out-of-range Ross's gulls are notorious for getting eaten by peregrines and there are almost always falcons there so it's probably good it moved along. I'm doing 3 CBC's this year including a brand new one. I get to co-lead a group in my local park.
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Dec 16, 2021 00:30
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Shifty Nipples posted:After many months I think I figured out the answer to this mystery, I think the bird I keep seeing is a Northern Flicker - https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Flicker/id For a few years we lived in the breeding territory of a very defensive Flicker. He would try to fight his reflection in car side mirrors. He also aggressively pooped on those enemy birds. It was pretty funny when it wasn’t my car.
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Dec 16, 2021 00:50
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BetterLekNextTime posted:Flickers are super cool, and definitely a tricky one to ID since their plumage and habits are a little different than the other North American woodpeckers. Update: Ross's gull did not stick around beyond the initial 30 minutes it was observed that day. No surprise there. Two of my Christmas Bird Counts are done now. The weather was nice for both of them, a little cold but no rain so we'll call that a win. On one of them we had our first burrowing owl in about 30 years so that was exciting. On the other, first Brant in this territory as far as we know, and a black-throated gray warbler that is kind of unusual this time of year. 3 peregrines too! This year everyone seems to be all in on the eBird data collection for the CBCs. In some ways it's kind of a pain in the rear end, but once it's all in the Trip Report function is pretty cool. Now it's easier to summarize all your lists from the day, and when you share with the count circle master account and the compiler runs the trip report, you get not only a species tally but you can see how many and which checklists saw each bird.
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Dec 22, 2021 02:04
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 Saw a bunch of Griffin Vultures today. I felt like they came to check us out as we walked by but that might just have been the thermals moving. Very big birds!
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Dec 22, 2021 16:52
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I'm resurrecting this thread to ask some ID questions. All from western Washington, the first three from Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR if that helps.  This guy was quite small, is it a Cooper's or Sharp-shinned?  I'm thinking goldfinches, but the black eyestripe in the lower middle is throwing me.  Sorry for the crappy photo, but could it be a Eurasian Wigeon?  Seemed too big for a Bushtit. Any pointers would be much appreciated!
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Jan 10, 2023 06:04
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My Shark Waifuu posted:
I looked at loads of pictures of all sorts of finches until I looked more closely at the original one - that black eyestripe is actually a bud on a twig, not part of the bird. So American Goldfinch seems safe.
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Jan 10, 2023 15:20
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My Shark Waifuu posted:I'm resurrecting this thread to ask some ID questions. All from western Washington, the first three from Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually NWR if that helps. I’d guess coops but that wouldn’t stand up in court. But male coops/female sharpie can be tough quote:
American Goldfinches quote:
Gadwall? Eurasian wigeons are no-doubters, at least the males. The head is really bright. Gadwalls are really plain from a distance except the black butt quote:
Townsend’s Solitare, a member of the thrush family. Size between bluebird and mockingbird with the little eye ring. Don’t know if you are in range year round but they sometimes get pushed out of their normal spots in the winter.
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Jan 10, 2023 15:56
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BetterLekNextTime posted:I’d guess coops but that wouldn’t stand up in court. But male coops/female sharpie can be tough Agree with all of these. Townsend's Solitare is actually a pretty good bird for the western Washington lowlands, especially in winter. They're not quite rare, but definitely pretty uncommon. Eurasian Wigeon will almost always be in the presence of lots of American Wigeons. Generally if you find a group of 50+ Wigeon in this area you can usually find a Eurasian in the mix.
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Jan 10, 2023 17:12
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Thanks for the IDs!  distortion park posted:I looked at loads of pictures of all sorts of finches until I looked more closely at the original one - that black eyestripe is actually a bud on a twig, not part of the bird. So American Goldfinch seems safe.  BeastOfExmoor posted:Eurasian Wigeon will almost always be in the presence of lots of American Wigeons. Generally if you find a group of 50+ Wigeon in this area you can usually find a Eurasian in the mix. BetterLekNextTime posted:Townsend’s Solitare, a member of the thrush family. Size between bluebird and mockingbird with the little eye ring. Don’t know if you are in range year round but they sometimes get pushed out of their normal spots in the winter.
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Jan 11, 2023 05:49
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Can’t quite id this guy who has been hanging around the neighborhood and causing much strife amongst the jays. I’m thinking Prairie Hawk, but I’ve seen him on the ground with dark gray plumage. Maybe peregrine falcon? Midwest USA
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Jun 22, 2023 15:34
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