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Change of (Bird) Seasons

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The Instigator
With a series of birdfeeders, I've got a regular crew of avian diners the cat and I enjoy watching at close quarters.

Just now saw something new, ID'd as Downy Woodpecker, female. Black and white beauty, looks like a checkered racing flag, stripes on head.

This morning, another new bird: Carolina Wren.

Add in the buttafouoco hawk (misspelled) and a photo of hummingbirds I noticed from Sept. 14 of last year and it all adds up to: migration starting!

Birders: seen anything new?

AA
 

Alacrity59

Wanting for wisdom
I saw the first Blue Jay of Sept. in the mirror while shaving. Wood peckers at our neighbour's feeder. Strangely a humming bird . . . seems late in the season for that.
 

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The Instigator
I saw the first Blue Jay of Sept. in the mirror while shaving. Wood peckers at our neighbour's feeder. Strangely a humming bird . . . seems late in the season for that.

For us on the Gulf Coast, hummer migration is just about to begin.

Blue Jays are pretty much all summer, I think. They puzzle over my feeder but don't eat.


AA
 
I’ve noticed the Geese are forming up and doing their practice runs. Our bird feeder birds that show up when winter gets close are the black capped chickadees and the juncos. Neither of which have made an appearance. We are seeing more monarchs moving through.
 

JCarr

More Deep Thoughts than Jack Handy
I refilled the hummingbird feeder today. We've had several regulars throughout the summer. Expecting their departure for the season any day now. Sad to see them go. So much fun to watch them at the feeder. We have two Adirondack chairs on the porch about five feet from the feeder. It's great to sit on the porch and watch them come and go and come back. Really great.
 

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The Instigator
I’ve noticed the Geese are forming up and doing their practice runs. Our bird feeder birds that show up when winter gets close are the black capped chickadees and the juncos. Neither of which have made an appearance. We are seeing more monarchs moving through.

Yes, the butterflies will be soon, early October I think.

Planted passionflower vine this year, and it always has gulf coast fritillary butterflies on it. They look similar to the monarch, but smaller.

AA
 

Ad Astra

The Instigator
I refilled the hummingbird feeder today. We've had several regulars throughout the summer. Expecting their departure for the season any day now. Sad to see them go. So much fun to watch them at the feeder. We have two Adirondack chairs on the porch about five feet from the feeder. It's great to sit on the porch and watch them come and go and come back. Really great.
you're just sending them our way, we'll feed them!

AA
 
A rare occurrence yesterday. We had a visit from a woodpecker. The first one I have seen since moving to AZ.

woodpecker.jpg
 

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The Instigator
A rare occurrence yesterday. We had a visit from a woodpecker. The first one I have seen since moving to AZ.

View attachment 1175182

Looks like a Downy variant of some sort.

Experienced birders know this, but I didn't: when you switch types of feeders, you lose and gain birds.

Went to a tray-type to avoid so much waste and the woodpeckers couldn't figure it out. Gone.

Also. Nobody eats the round birdseed (millet?) in the blend. All they want is sunflower seeds and mealworms.

Really enjoy the titmouses and nuthatchers. The flying mice (house wrens) less so. Hogs and bullies.


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BigFoot

I wanna be sedated!
Staff member
Up in Iowa at my inlaws I love watching the Orioles. That is just not a common bird you see sitting on a post somewhere.
 
On a real windy day around the end of september, we had a mass of bugs blow through. Gnats, midges, crane flies maybe.

I saw three red tail hawks, two monk parakeets, two nighthawks, two peregrins, three gulls together, a golden eagle, all flying ahead of the front, presumably catching bugs. The nighthawks and peregrines, also seen zipping at dive speeds just twenty feet off the patio, and right over my roof, where I could see bugs pouring over the peak, on the wind.

I love to hear nighthawk’s feathers when they pull out of dives, after hearing their chirps gain higher and higher altitude as they climb over a street lamp.

It wasn’t so odd to see any of them except maybe the parakeets, but that I saw all in a short period one evening was what impressed me.
 

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The Instigator
Saw a ruby crowned kinglet today! Thought it was a Goldfinch, as there was no red tuft on its head (female likely) . Very cool, this is totally migratory from way up north.

I keep a suet block out all the time, nuthatchers and chickadees like it. I only put out a handful of sunflower seeds daily, as rodentia are a factor. Rather have the restaurant sell out than attract an unsavory crowd after dark.

AA
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
My in laws live at the mouth of the Green Harbor River in Marshfield, MA. They report that the common eider, loons, mergansers, and all sorts of bay ducks have arrived for winter.
 

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The Instigator
Pack of hungry kinglets, apparently all female, displacing the usual diners. As with the house finches, males more rare. As, not seeing that ruby crown yet!

AA
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
My friend Ray Brown has his "Talkin' Birds" radio program and podcast available online. Although based on the southeast Massachusetts coast he discusses birding and environmental issues with guests and callers the world over.
 

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The Instigator
Pine warbler is most likely what my newcomers are... There are subtle distinctions. Fun to see them displacing the usual bully house finches.

"Yes, yes; this is my feeder... Now go away."

"Really? I don't see your NAME on it. Besides, the human and cat are tired of watching you. And we have spiffy golden-green plumage, so there's that too. Scat!"

There are birding apps that help; I'm using GoBird.

AA
 

Owen Bawn

Garden party cupcake scented
The tufted titmouses (titmice?) are due any day to eat all the rotting berries left on our shrubbery. One year they all ended up drunk.
 
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