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Abyssal Squid posted:I went to refill the bird feeder so the red breasted nuthatches that've been hanging around would have something to eat, and one of the nerds landed on the feeder while I was still holding it! I sat down nice and close and got some out-of-focus phone pics. Sometimes those guys make some really cute sounds that you can only hear if you are up close.
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Oct 24, 2016 05:28
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If by "sometimes" you mean "always."  Earlier there were three of them at once the feeders and a fourth one up in the tree, and they all started chasing each other making all sorts of sounds I'd never heard before, it was magical.
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Oct 24, 2016 05:36
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Nuthatches are adorable. I continue to love the drama that plays out for you on a daily basis, Moon Potato. It must be fascinating to be immersed in it all.
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Oct 24, 2016 12:51
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I get both Red-breasted and White-breasted nuthatches at my feeder (southern Ontario). I love both species. The Reds make a sound that I describe to my friends as "beeping" as in "Listen! That's a beeper-bird!" and the Whites are willing to fight it out with the House sparrows for access to my feeder (everybody but the gives-no-fucks Mourning dove scatters when the Blue Jays start throwing stuff around). The Reds will sit nearby when the flock of sparrows is monopolizing all 12 ports, but waits with the Black-capped chickadees until the sparrows have had their fill. Both species of nuthatches are strongly anti-gravity and will check the undersides of surfaces (the feeder, the balcony rail, the concrete roof that forms the balcony floor above me) like they expect to find peanuts and sunflower seeds just hanging out there. I've had chickadees land on my head before, and sometimes the nuthatches get pretty close but I've yet to feed any birds on my balcony out of my hand.
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Oct 24, 2016 19:26
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ExecuDork posted:I get both Red-breasted and White-breasted nuthatches at my feeder (southern Ontario). I love both species. The Reds make a sound that I describe to my friends as "beeping" as in "Listen! That's a beeper-bird!" and the Whites are willing to fight it out with the House sparrows for access to my feeder I've made the same observations at my feeder in Edmonton. The sounds the red-breasted guys make remind me a bit of Miniblins from Wind Waker. Incidentally I just got back from two weeks in Hawaii, so expect mass critter postings soon!
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Oct 24, 2016 21:31
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Moon Potato posted:A young Northern Harrier has been chasing flocks of shorebirds and coming up empty. What a lovely image.
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Oct 24, 2016 21:33
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What would be the best way to find out what birds stay in/visit New Mexico in the winter and what seed mixes to feed them? Albuquerque itself, not any of the mountain ranges.
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Oct 25, 2016 03:56
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You could look up your regional Audubon Society, or check out some other online resources. http://www.birdzilla.com/in-the-backyard/state-based-information2/new-mexico.html Audubon groups tend to have Facebook groups/pages, too, so you could try there for more targeted advice.
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Oct 25, 2016 14:06
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Lord Zedd-Repulsa posted:What would be the best way to find out what birds stay in/visit New Mexico in the winter and what seed mixes to feed them? Albuquerque itself, not any of the mountain ranges. You can also check at a pet store or wherever you buy your seed. When I lived in Denver the local place always knew if there was anything seasonal I needed to put out. The amount of seed I went through with my one little feeder was crazy.
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Oct 25, 2016 17:28
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Honestly I don't think there's too much difference in seed requirements region to region. Black oil sunflower for jays, chickadees/titmice/nuthatches and house/purple finches, seed mix for sparrows and doves, and niger/thistle seed for goldfinches. Suet cakes for woodpeckers, wrens, and chickadee/titmouse/nuthatch. Any suburban/urban place in the lower 48 has a chance for any of these as long as it's not a complete concrete wasteland. It looks like there are some Wild Birds Unlimited stores in Albuquerque- I think they'd be the place to go for specialty mixes if you want something more than what you'd get at Target or Petco., and they'll have a good idea of what's likely to show up at feeders where you are. For what birds are around in the winter, you can check out eBird or look for Christmas Bird Count data. For example, here's a list of eBird sightings from Albuquerque from November for the last 10 years.
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Oct 25, 2016 18:03
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Oct 26, 2016 16:27
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More about bird feeders- here's a link from Cornell's Project Feederwatch that lets you see common birds in your area, what types of feeders they are likely to visit, and what they eat. The winter season of their data collection is about to start, so if you have a few dollars to burn and can commit to filling and watching your feeders on a semi-regular basis to report on what's there, here's your chance!
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Oct 26, 2016 18:17
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I need to find a way to attach a bird feeder to my balcony, but I'm not sure how. Also while I love the squirrels we are very strongly encouraged not to feed them by the landlord because they do overrun the area, so I'd need to try to find one of those squirrel-proof ones.
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Oct 26, 2016 19:14
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Asiina posted:I need to find a way to attach a bird feeder to my balcony, but I'm not sure how. Also while I love the squirrels we are very strongly encouraged not to feed them by the landlord because they do overrun the area, so I'd need to try to find one of those squirrel-proof ones. We've got something like this and it's worked great.
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Oct 26, 2016 19:29
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Mine is similar to what Chinston Wurchill posted. I bought it at the Wild Birds Unlimited in the next town over (Kitchener-Waterloo doesn't have one, Guelph does). It's basically a big wrought-iron hook, about 4 feet long, with a clamp at the bottom I attached to my balcony railing, I think it cost like $35 or something. The feeder I hang on it has no special defenses against squirrels and I fill it with Blue Jay and Cardinal Mix (disclaimer: the president and CEO of Essex Topcrop Ltd. is my cousin. I'm posting Walmart links because that's the closest place to me that carries this stuff). That food contains peanuts, sunflower seeds, millet, and a bunch of other stuff that seems to keep the dozen or so regularly visiting species happy here. Including jays and cardinals, like it says on the bag. I'm in an apartment one level above ground level. The outside of the building is brick, and the abundant grey* squirrels around here have no trouble climbing up and down the vertical sides of the building, from ground level to the roof. But, for whatever reason I never see squirrels on my balcony, but they often scavenge what the sparrows and blue jays toss around (both are messy, messy feeders) at ground level. If your landlord is really unhappy about squirrels get one of these. * Grey squirrels come in two flavours around here, roughly 50:50 in the local population; black and grey. They're all still Eastern Grey Squirrels, Sciurus carolinensis EDIT: when I first got my big balcony hook I didn't tighten down the clamp enough and a few days later we had a very windy storm blow through in the evening. I was sitting at my computer near the balcony and I heard what sounded like the SS Chickadee being driven onto the rocks of Cape Concrete - imagine the cheesy movie sound effect for a metal ship hitting rocks and sinking in a violent, lightning-wracked storm. That was 3 feet away from me. ExecuDork fucked around with this message at 22:27 on Oct 26, 2016 |
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Oct 26, 2016 22:24
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We have squirrels climbing the walls all the time. I used to have an open container on my balcony I was storing some outdoors things in and then I went outside one day to find a squirrel hanging out in it. I'm not sure the clamp will work because of the way my balcony railing is (it's a giant wooden block block, not a small railing) but I'll try to find something. There's a Canadian Tire nearby so I can look in there first to see what they have.
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Oct 27, 2016 05:07
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A big-rear end wooden balcony railing is even better - you can screw right into it and properly secure your feeder stand. Get some deck screws and go to town with a cordless drill (borrow one from a friend if you don't have one, or, better, buy one because a cordless drill is one of the most useful household tools imaginable.) Your landlord won't freak out if you do it well and you can pull the screws and fill the holes very easily when you move out. You could also put a hook or loop into the ceiling of your balcony if that ceiling is the wood floor of the balcony above you - I had an apartment like that a few years ago and the ceiling had about half a dozen hooks in it from previous tennants; these are good places for hanging plants as well.
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Oct 27, 2016 15:53
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https://www.amazon.com/Brome-Squirr...l+buster+feeder this is what i use, i am constantly under assault by squirrels but they cannot get into this one at all
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Oct 27, 2016 16:13
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Squirrels don't like safflower seed supposedly, it's a bit more expensive but if it lasts 3x as long because the squirrels won't eat it that's a good deal. I don't have squirrels but grackles don't like it either and for that it's a godsend because a flock of those rear end in a top hat can empty my big 3 cylinder feeder in a day Mice+rats don't give a gently caress and will still eat it however
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Oct 27, 2016 17:50
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I had a cute hitchhiker today! Click for zoom. Pretty impressed with phone camera IMG_20161027_135944073 by Boogalo, on Flickr  IMG_20161027_135905308 by Boogalo, on Flickr
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Oct 27, 2016 19:42
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Boogalo posted:I had a cute hitchhiker today! Click for zoom. Pretty impressed with phone camera You found the SA Critterquest mascot, P. audax, the Bold Jumping Spider! Cutie is about as smart as a relatively dumb dog.
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Oct 28, 2016 09:28
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Thought I saw a yellow jacket, but when I went to pet it I realized it was a fly! Sneaky fly. Spilomyia sp. There's been European hornets (Vespa crabro) around too, very friendly critters despite their size. Well, friendly to humans, they were catching flies and fighting with each other.   These are small yellow jackets, but those hornets are still absolutely huge.
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Oct 28, 2016 23:17
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Abyssal Squid posted:
Are they grazing on some kind of fungus, there?
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Oct 29, 2016 02:10
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Slurping hard cider out of a fallen apple.
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Oct 29, 2016 02:17
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Boogalo posted:I had a cute hitchhiker today! Click for zoom. Pretty impressed with phone camera WHY YOU DO 'DIS?
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Oct 29, 2016 02:27
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Hawaii pt. 1: Spiders! Spotted orb weaver having a snack.   Hawaiian garden spider (F). These were huge and terrifying, but thankfully quite sedentary (and poorly lit).  And M. The only time they moved was when I got too close, when they spun around quickly, presumably as some sort of threat display.  Grey wall jumper (F).  And M. If you can zoom in you can tell he's checking me out.  Perhaps my most exciting spider-spotting, what our guide referred to as a no-eyes big-eyes cave spider, which I noticed while exploring a lava cave.   Some kind of spiny-backed orb weaver which I thought was super cool until I looked up "spiny backed orb weaver" and saw all the other more elaborate ones. Exceptionally placid, I bumped my camera into its web several times as it was windy and it didn't seem at all perturbed.
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Nov 4, 2016 04:29
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Looks like Majora's mask
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Nov 4, 2016 21:38
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It's time for a shorebird hunt! Long-billed Dowitchers, Marbled Godwits and Long-billed Curlews explode into the air when a Northern Harrier crests a nearby levee. An adult male harrier separates a group of dowitchers from the rest of the flocks.  A juvenile Northern Harrier joins in the hunt and dives after a flock of dowitchers.  A Peregrine Falcon that had been perching on a nearby electrical tower joins the chase.  The male harrier gives up and perches on some salt marsh plants empty-handed.  The Peregrine Falcon snags a dowitcher and returns to its perch. 
Moon Potato fucked around with this message at 09:04 on Nov 12, 2016 |
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Nov 6, 2016 09:24
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Tonight, much to my surprise, I banged out edits for the photos I took on a Sunday Drive back in the summer. I went to a poorly-described conservation area not too far away named Osprey Wetlands - I thought perhaps the name might be accurate and I could find some birds. I found one.  SD 166 4 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr AND A FESTIVAL OF FROGS  SD 166 5 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 6 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 7 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 52 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 53 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 55 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 56 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 58 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 59 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 60 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 61 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 62 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 73 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 74 by Martin Brummell, on FlickrPlus some cool insects.  SD 166 10 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 12 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 13 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 14 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 22 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 26 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 39 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr SD 166 79 by Martin Brummell, on FlickrButterflies are harder to shoot than most pollinators. Bees notice me but don't mind my presence too much. Wasps ignore me. But butterflies have the uncanny ability to piss right off just as I'm lining up a shot. So I was pretty impressed with myself for getting a good shot of a big butterfly on a colourful flower.  SD 166 50 by Martin Brummell, on FlickrI snapped a few like that and moved on. It wasn't until I got home and started going through my pictures in Lightroom that I noticed something... odd. ZOOM. ENHANCE!  SD 166 51 by Martin Brummell, on FlickrCrab spiders are spooky and good.  SD 166 68 by Martin Brummell, on Flickr
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Nov 29, 2016 04:39
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2am urban garbage raccoons making goblin noises and banging things together, photo via potato 
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Nov 29, 2016 08:05
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ExecuDork posted:
Ctenucha virginica, one of my favorite North American moths. The wings have a wonderful velvet texture, and the contrast with the orange and blue is just beautiful.
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Nov 29, 2016 08:44
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And of course it's on a late-flowering thoroughwort. I love that flower so much for all the critters it reliably attracts, including ambush bugs and those moths. It smells nice too. Between the red-breasted nuthatches and the young squirrels stuffing their faces with peanut suet, I've started working on taming the local critters. One of these days I'll finally boop one of the squirrels.  (don't ask about the bags of rocks at my feet)Downy woodpecker moved in while the squirrels were distressed.   Phone camera, no zoom, she really was only arm's length away. Hoping to tame them further, especially the birds that go after the suet crumbs at the base of the tree. Also hoping to get some halfway decent audio of the coyotes yipping and yodeling, instead of just 4 seconds of barking.
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Nov 29, 2016 09:08
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axolotl farmer posted:Ctenucha virginica, one of my favorite North American moths. The wings have a wonderful velvet texture, and the contrast with the orange and blue is just beautiful. Abyssal Squid posted:And of course it's on a late-flowering thoroughwort. I love that flower so much for all the critters it reliably attracts, including ambush bugs and those moths. It smells nice too. Thanks to both of you! IDs are always appreciated.
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Nov 29, 2016 17:10
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While I'm offering ID's, this:ExecuDork posted:I thought perhaps the name might be accurate and I could find some birds. Looks like it might be an immature swamp sparrow, though that's a particularly tricky species to ID and I've never seen one for sure myself. Definitely one of swamp, Lincoln's, or song sparrow, with song sparrow being the booby prize but I'm pretty sure it's not that.
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Nov 29, 2016 17:54
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Hawaii 2016 pt. 2 - Insects  This tiny little mantis initially tried to run away, but eventually went on the offensive and jumped on my phone after I lingered too long.   Some kind of giant katydid?  Leaf-legged bug, I think.   Big ol' carpenter bee.  A tiny cricket, perhaps?   Nectar-eating earwigs.  Unwelcome guest in our rental.  A rather large moth.  I meant to take a picture of the weird fruit and ended up with two critters!
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Dec 5, 2016 03:22
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Chinston Wurchill posted:
First one is some sort of coneheaded katydid, judging by the cone on the tip of its head.  They're best identified by their (deafeningly loud) song, or else looking at the pattern on the underside of the cone, so it'll probably remain a mystery forever. Still a handsome critter!quote:
Looks like a female black witch, which somehow manages to be native to Hawaii as well as Mexico and the Caribbean.
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Dec 5, 2016 03:52
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I don't know if they giving fewer fucks because of the cold or they're actually getting used to me, but this is what a red-breasted nuthatch looks like from three inches away:  
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Dec 10, 2016 00:09
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Abyssal Squid posted:I don't know if they giving fewer fucks because of the cold or they're actually getting used to me, but this is what a red-breasted nuthatch looks like from three inches away: Man I love those guys. Hawaii 2016 pt. 3 - Amphibians and turtles I guess  A little toad - there were a ton of them near one of the beaches we visited, to the point that I had to watch my step to avoid squishing them.    I thought this was a coqui frog because there were clearly a ton of around them based on the nightly chorus, but I guess it wasn't. In any case, some sort of tiny frog which employs the always mystifying freeze defence. Note how it's in the exact same position on my hand and on the leaf I put it down on. (Upon searching it may be a greenhouse frog, though it doesn't look much like one of those either - there are apparently very view frog species in Hawaii, though).  The most common view of a honu (hawksbill sea turtle).  The second most common view.  What are you looking at?!      Sleepy turtle time!
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Dec 12, 2016 05:04
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You have the infamous cane toad, as well as an Eleutherodactylus - I don't know how to tell the difference between Coquis and greenhouse frogs. Amazing turtle pictures, though! I am so jealous!
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Dec 12, 2016 05:31
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OneTwentySix posted:You have the infamous cane toad, as well as an Eleutherodactylus - I don't know how to tell the difference between Coquis and greenhouse frogs. Amazing turtle pictures, though! I am so jealous! Huh, I expected cane toads to be much bigger, but I guess they all could have been toadlets. The turtles were pretty great! Very easy to see at the black sand beach on the southwest of the Big Island if you ever get there. I wish we'd been bolder with snorkeling as it would have been neat to see them underwater too. Hawaii 2016 pt. 4 - other invertebrates of land (aka: doots ahoy!)     These little red millipedes were quite striking, especially on the black sand beach. I'm a millipede fan so they were almost as exciting as the turtles.   Some slightly less striking but nevertheless enjoyable millipedes.  Sow bugs, I believe.     Tropical doots!
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Dec 18, 2016 01:10
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