birds

Thanks, John!
 
I would love to see a woodpecker up close.  Or nearby!
 
Years ago I saw one near the Venice Canals... in Venice, CA.  The tap-tap-tapping caught my attention.  He/She was sort of green.
 
I saw a brownish colored woodpecker when in Denison, TX.  That time it caught my eye because it was hanging on to the side of a tree.

I seem to be seeing new birds every time I go to the marsh.
 
  Here is a list of all the birds seen so far at Ballona Marsh in case any of you are in the area and love birds:  PDF file

http://www.ballonafriends.org/docs/2011FebruaryBirdList.pdf
    
Yesterday overhead I saw a bird of prey soaring that with the naked eye looked like a cross between a hawk and a seagull.  With my binoculars I could see that it was slighter than the typical red tail hawk and the coloring was like a seagull.
 
I saw my very first osprey.  I didn't have my camera with me.

John,
  Funny you should mention shutting down the feeders for the season. This is our second year of using only the Black Sunflower Seeds in the feeders. At first the Finches departed for other food sources...but we had sworn not to buy the Thistle seeds they love so much (but it sells for over a Dollar a Lb.) Well, they returned and seem to like the Sunflower Seeds now.  This past Fall we bought Eight 40 bags of the Sunflower Seeds while they were on sale at Tractor Supply. The last of that 320 lbs of seeds went into the feeders last week. This morning we bought a couple more bags to provide a 'Food-Bank' for the resident birds. ($15/40lbs) They were not on sale, and Jan has decided to wean the feeders by filling them on an irregular schedule.  we'll see who goes and who stays !
 
Mr & Mrs Rose-Breasted Grossbeak keep a close eye on the level of seeds in the feeders !!!

My goodness! Another Tractor Supply fan.

Mar, if you want to see woodpeckers, I have hairy ones, downy ones, red bellied ones, pileated ones, red-headed ones, flickers -- you name it, other than ivory-billed ones.

I keep the feeders and suet holders full during the winter but once it's warm enough for birds to find food elsewhere I'll let them go for a couple of days if they get empty.  I remember reading somewhere that if a feeder sits empty for 4 days or longer the birds will drop it from their list of regular stops.
 
I usually buy equal quantities of regular seed mix and black oil sunflower seed, plus smaller bags of sunflower hearts, safflower seed, and thistle seed.  It all gets mixed into a plastic garbage can that I keep in the basement and refill about twice a year or so.
 
Brad

If you have Netflix be sure and get the movie, The Life Of Birds.  3 discs of phenomenal stuff about all kinds of birds narrated and hosted by David Attenborough. 

An article in today's Middletown, NY, Record says that Peregrine Falcons are nesting on every bridge across the Hudson from Manhattan to Troy - about 150 miles and 10 bridges.  Forty-three falcons have fledged from the bridge at Poughkeepsie  over the past 15 years. We also have 3 pairs nesting in the Shawangunk Mountains just outside New Paltz. 
 
Cheers, John 

A bird just flew into my restaurant thru an open door, a Catbird, ...thanks bird!

For those of you that enjoy birding, I bought IBIRD for my smart phone.  It is available in 3-4 grades.  I bought the professional and it was only $10.00.  It is the equivalent of owning every bird book in the USA plus 3-110 calls for each bird.  Lighter than a bird book and you always have it.
 
http://www.ibirdexplorer.com/
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Paul, that's a great idea. That has to be handy.

Here's a bird I saw for the first time a few days ago at the marina, not the marsh.  It was just sitting on a wire over a boat.  Very black on top and very orange underneath.  Looked like a blackbird but...
 
Wish my phone was smart.
 

Can't be sure but it looks like a swallow to me... the bird books almost never show their subjects from the ass end.
Cheers, John 

Thank you.  I couldn't get it to turn around no matter how much I tweeted.

Not usually a bird watcher, but this one caught my eye on a recent visit to the zoo...
 

Beautiful!

mar52


Here's a bird I saw for the first time a few days ago at the marina, not the marsh.  It was just sitting on a wire over a boat.  Very black on top and very orange underneath.  Looked like a blackbird but...

Wish my phone was smart.

 
I have barn swallows here in Knoxville and I run them off from my dock all the time.  They can really crap all over your boat.  It appears like a barn swallow to me.
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

 Thanks!

I have seen towhees for the first time in many years down my way as well.

Saw these egrets when I was walking on the Venice Beach pier, yesterday.
 
She wanted nothing to do with him and it was quite comical to watch.
 

Super photo, Marlene.