Watching The Birds

[cold]

The world is truly filled with blessings.

Today a Great Blue Heron reminded of that fact by gracing me with its presence.

 For that I am greatful

[Marblehead]

The last time I had a Blue Heron visit it ate some of my fish.  I didn't feel very blessed or grateful.

.

 

[rainbowvein]

[cold]

15 hours ago, Marblehead said:

The last time I had a Blue Heron visit it ate some of my fish.  I didn't feel very blessed or grateful.

.

 

 

Pick your dinner guests more carefully?

Did you forget to say a blessing before the meal?

Were you left unfulfilled?

If so and you want to experience more feel free to join me over in the is enlightenment really desirable thread ...

[Marblehead]

WoW!  You were full of it this time.

 

[blue eyed snake]

16 hours ago, Marblehead said:

The last time I had a Blue Heron visit it ate some of my fish.  I didn't feel very blessed or grateful.

.

 

 

hah, but the Blue Heron felt blessed, a free lunch!

 

These birds are regulars here, and they tend to think that ponds are free restaurants. I made a very thin line ( the sort used for kites) on the borders of my pond, low, something like an inch. When a Heron lands there, seeing those nice tasty goldfish he feels the thread with his feet and doesn't like the restaurant anymore. 

Also a place for the fish to hide under when those hungry visitors give it a try.

 

But since I installed that thread no Heron has eaten my fish, they do not seem to visit anymore. the population has grown from the 4 that were left after  the Heron had snacked to his hearts content, to about nine or ten fishes, nice!

 

but they are beautiful birds.

[Kara_mia]

On 03.11.2017 at 6:36 PM, blue eyed snake said:

I saw an eurasian wren in my garden, very small quick birdie that usually arrives here in my yard when winter is coming.

It's a beautiful beastie, very quick with its petite tail sticking up.

 

 

But winter does not seem to come here, temperatures should be about 5 degrees, but they are much higher. Some days it's still summery outside. As i'm quick to get colds when winter arrives for me that is good, but strange.

 

Beautiful creature indeed. Thank you for the picture. 

[blue eyed snake]

yesterday a white heron was visiting the meadow

 

[Kara_mia]

What a beauty... Nature is a miracle around us. 

[Marblehead]

I just returned into the house after taking a little break out front.  I saw one butterfly fluttering around the Lantana.  I just it was hiding someplace warm when I had my recent cold spell.

 

[Stosh]

I suppose you get these too ?.. 

[Marblehead]

Nope.  I haven't seen any of those here in my area.  The one I saw this morning was orange with black circular pattern.  Not a Monarch.

 

 

[Pavel Karavaev]

Thanks for the awesome theme. I made a lot of interesting things about birds. Many of your photos with birds are just perfect.

I like the variety of sounds that starlings sing. It's amazing that they can represent any sounds. Many domestic starlings can even understand people and talk to them.

These birds have a lot of qi. On the video, I like how the body (and feathers) of the starling changes while it sings. For example, this can be clearly seen from 4:30

 

 

[Stosh]

Yeah, theyre terriffic birds. There was a flock in the eves of the building next door when I was a kid. The swirling motion of them collectively flying evasively is incredible.

[manitou]

Marbles?

 

I don't have my bird book with me.  Who are the tiny little brown peeps here in Florida that flit from place to place on the ground in a small, loose flock?  They have a gold rump under the tail, their beaks don't appear to be those of a seed-eater - too delicate, more like a flycatcher - but they're going after something on the ground, even the pavement.  Maybe crawling insects?

 

By the way, do you even own a snow shovel?

[Marblehead]

5 hours ago, manitou said:

Marbles?

 

I don't have my bird book with me.  Who are the tiny little brown peeps here in Florida that flit from place to place on the ground in a small, loose flock?  They have a gold rump under the tail, their beaks don't appear to be those of a seed-eater - too delicate, more like a flycatcher - but they're going after something on the ground, even the pavement.  Maybe crawling insects?

 

By the way, do you even own a snow shovel?

Snow shovel?  What's that?

 

The birds might be one of the finches.  The way you explained it they might be eating ants.  (But they're not anteaters.  That's something else.)

 

 

But it does get cold here.  The prediction is for the next three nights to drop below freezing.  And there is a very slight chance I might get a little snow Wednesday night / Thursday morning.

 

 

[manitou]

Definitely not a finch - too small, and doesn't have the thick bill.  This is maybe a 3 1/2" bird.  They're easy to miss.  When I first noticed them, I thought the breeze was kicking up a few leaves around me.  Upon second glance, they were little birdies.   When you're walking, they flit ahead of you by a few yards - almost like you're herding them.  Funny little guys.  And yes, ants was my thought too - ants and small insects on the ground.

[zerostao]

If they are more up close and personable than a finch, it reminds me of a sparrow lark.

[sagebrush]

wren

[zerostao]

6 hours ago, sagebrush said:

wren

I think you're right, I just noticed the beak description.

[Marblehead]

Yeah, I'll go along with wren.

 

[manitou]

I'm guessing a Palm Warbler and it migrates to Florida in the winter.  I've been looking online, and they do walk and hop on the ground foraging for insects.  I noticed this morning that they do pump their tails; they aren't in breeding plumage, as they are rather drab, but do have a little gold under the tail.  The only thing that bothers me is that I don't think they're a 5" bird, they look to me to be about an inch smaller, but I could easily be wrong.  The behavior is the most identifying trait, as I see it.  Although the warbler generally has a nice song, these little guys chip back and forth - and one of the identification sites refers to that as their 'alarm chip' which would make sense because I'm always walking the dogs when I see them.  I wouldn't go with wren, although really similar, because they don't have the cocked position of the tail.

 

Edit:  I just bounced around the wrens.  This is really a close call.  But the wrens, even the ground foragers, don't seem to have the 'chip' back and forth as the warbler does.  Also, no eyestripe that I can see (although I'm not wearing my glasses when I walk, so I suppose there could be a feint one.)  

Edited January 5, 2018 by manitou

[sagebrush]

kestrel- but its in the archives I think

[manitou]

No way it's a kestrel.  These little guys are in a loose flock, on the ground, and aren't solo hunters.

[sagebrush]

well the images is now missing and the tail feathers would be a very easy way to identify....it was also out of focus

 

and why is this important today? part of the psychological drama?

 

almost ready to rant but I realize my feeders are empty and I am busy tending bird sanctuary.

 

 

 

Edited January 6, 2018 by sagebrush
punctuation.....no its an a or an correction