Bird Migration and Misc Birding Thread
- Thread starter Kinch
- Start date
You are welcome. I enjoy photography and feel blessed to share. This is an awesome thread.
What's your best ever bird sighting?
Can you even pick one or two?
I might need to think about it some. I am sort of a newb, only got interested a bit more seriously six years or so ago seeing different birds around a resort in Mexico. Also will have to think some to distinguish between "best bird" versus "rarest Minnesota bird" versus "best bird photo". Mexico will be easy, same bird, not a rare one just a best one. USA birds, I'll need to mull that over some.
Can you even pick one or two?
I might need to think about it some. I am sort of a newb, only got interested a bit more seriously six years or so ago seeing different birds around a resort in Mexico. Also will have to think some to distinguish between "best bird" versus "rarest Minnesota bird" versus "best bird photo". Mexico will be easy, same bird, not a rare one just a best one. USA birds, I'll need to mull that over some.
That is a tough question. Due to sheer rarity in my area (not quality of pictures) I'd probably say Whooping Crane, European Goldfinch, and Great Tit.
There are only a few hundred Whooping Cranes in the world, so it was very cool having one land a few feet from me.
The Montana State Bird: Western Meadowlark. The photo was taken at The National Bison Reserve here in Montana.
Juvenile Bald Eagle feeling his oates by chasing a mature Bald Eagle off of the dead deer carcass.
Juvenile Bald Eagle feeling his oates by chasing a mature Bald Eagle off of the dead deer carcass.
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I wish the Canada Geese in the pond in our neighborhood would migrate south in the winter. Instead they stay around all year and poop all over the place. They have stayed away from our property but a few birds have wandered down the street and feels like it is inevitable that they get comfortable enough they become a nuisance in my yard too.
People will ice fish on it so it does freeze over but part of it probably stays open of its warm enough
What's your water maintenance routine? I've thought about putting out a water source. I'm only about .25 miles from Beaver Creek, but couldn't hurt.
I rinse and fill them every morning (during the months that stay above freezing at night) and early evening. I scrub the lids down every couple of weeks to help with sanitization. I dug out a 2-3' deep hole and lined the bottom with some rock and then dropped a 6-8" diameter pole in the ground. I like the water feature to be about 3' so I bought 5 or 6' poles at the local Murdoch's Farm and Ranch.
The water feature is a big attraction for the birds. I am home during the daytime (unless I am hiking in Glacier National Park) so I can change over the disgusting water periodically through the day.
The European Starlings leave the water, what is left in the lid, disgustingly dirty.
I'd pay good money for a squad of meat-eating squirrels if they have a taste for moles.
I wish my squirrels would eat rabbits. And eat cats to. Not a fan of the free rooming cats hunting my birdfeeder although with it now empty because of deer they have maybe stopped stalking it.
The neighborhood owls don't seem to do much to the rabbit population, the grown rabbits are maybe a bit too big for them. And the rabbits in my hood are YUGE. Pretty sure they are on steroids, probably get them from the huge bodybuilding raccoons that roam the hood.
The owls also don't do much about the squirrels, think they are generally too wily for them as adults. Did see a Barred Owl mom this spring raid the squirrels nest adjacent to her nest cavity and steal a baby squirrel for her owlets. Man, were the squirrels wound up about that.
I have been fighting them for over 20 years. Green lasers, RC Cars and grocery string 12" off the ground is all that seems to work. It started out as two and it was good for about ten years, now its over a hundred last week on the nice days. What a nuisance. I have bb gun about 50 years old that shoots about 30 yards they dont like that either, but I have to aim about 3' over their head. I dont want to hurt them but I dont want them around either. Its like living by timber and complaining about deer. Its just part of it.
Repost that got no response, thought I'd try again. I'll add a reply with my best Mexico bird.
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What's your best ever bird sighting?
Can you even pick one or two?
I might need to think about it some. I am sort of a newb, only got interested a bit more seriously six years or so ago seeing different birds around a resort in Mexico. Also will have to think some to distinguish between "best bird" versus "rarest Minnesota bird" versus "best bird photo". Mexico will be easy, same bird, not a rare one just a best one. USA birds, I'll need to mull that over some.
************************************************************************************************
What's your best ever bird sighting?
Can you even pick one or two?
I might need to think about it some. I am sort of a newb, only got interested a bit more seriously six years or so ago seeing different birds around a resort in Mexico. Also will have to think some to distinguish between "best bird" versus "rarest Minnesota bird" versus "best bird photo". Mexico will be easy, same bird, not a rare one just a best one. USA birds, I'll need to mull that over some.
