Bird Migration and Misc Birding Thread
- Thread starter Kinch
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My parents owned a meat processing plant and we always had plenty of suet for birds. When Spring came and the suet would melt, the woodpeckers' heads would get all dark and greasy like the Red-bellied in the image. My brother used unctuous Vitalis hair treatment and we called his doo "Vitalis Head." As kids we got a kick out of teasing brother when the oily "suet head" woodpecker would be outside the window. He hated when we said, "that pecker was looking good for his girlfriend."
Went to the park and right where @BoxsterCy said found the Western Tanager. Seems to be a big deal because the dog walkers knew about it and asked if we had seen it. There were other bird watchers that came over early to find it and even the park maintenance guys asked if we had seen it.
Bear with us, daughter took these with an iPhone through binoculars.
Bear with us, daughter took these with an iPhone through binoculars.
Also saw the first Orioles I have seen this season. There were a pair of Baltimores wrestling around in the tree tops in the woods. Not a big deal for most of you, but certainly a sign of the season change up here in Minnesota.
Was out in Colorado a few weeks ago and caught this Woodhouse's Scrub-Jay while at Garden of the Gods. Figured you guys would appreciate it
A friend of our son was a big trapper in High School. He would take his racoon and muskrat carcasses and dump them in the same field all the time. It would not be uncommon the drive by and see 5-15 bald eagles at a time feasting. One time a local hog producer had TGE (which kills all the baby pigs). He had dumped about 150 dead baby pigs in a field and I counted 22 bald eagles there at the same time. At the time I was still running on a bag phone in my work vehicle so no pics.
They are majestic birds but like most wild animals they will not pass up a free lunch.
The birding gods have been kind to me in the last week. Saw and photographed a Western Tanager, not really that common in Minnesota. Saw and photographed a Yellow-crowned Night Heron, last one reported in MN was 2023. Photographed a saw-whet owlet in a cavity, seeing one of these owlets was a bucket lister for me! Tonight on my walkies through the regional park next door I saw SEVEN barred owls. This is going to spoil me for the rest of the summer.
We are having a plethora of orioles at our house/feeder the past two weeks. it's awesome.
This past weekend we had relatives visit from a large metro area in Florida. Living on an acreage with no neighbors within a half mile, we take for granted the serenity this setting provides. We have a view that affords us a look at a water tower in a town 12 miles away. Almost fascinated by the peacefulness our setting provided compared to the "hustle and bustle" of their environment, the only distraction we encountered during our lengthy visit basking in the sun on our patio was a curious cardinal who insisted on joining our conversation, vocalizing nearly the entire time as he bounced from one nearby evergreen to the next. I think he enjoyed an afternoon with guests as much as we did.
We are blessed.
We are blessed.
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Still haven't seen any at our feeder but earlier this week our next door neighbor teased us with a pic of one at her feeder.
I have a friend who did the same with racoon carcasses he'd get from a buddy who trapped. He'd dump them in the field across from his Dad's house and sometimes there would be probably 30 or more eagles and some crows out there.
One day DNR showed up and told him to stop. Some eagles were carrying the carcasses down to the neighbor ladies yard and eating them there. She wasn't happy lol.
And just now had a robin eating at a suet feeder. What the heck!
