Off topic but.. what the heck?

[tugboat-2]

Some pretty beautiful shots of lovely birds there guys and gals!

Jimmyj : I didn't notice a Blue Heron on your list,..was that an oversight or do you not have them over there a few miles east of me? (Although I'm sure I recall herons and cranes around Lake Scugog in my time there.) I have grown a serious dislike of them here as they eat my fish when they have a perfectly good fish filled (Eramosa) River just a quarter mile away!!

I love wildlife and we have plenty of everything here but the coons and Heron are just itchin fer trouble let me tell ya!!!

Just wondered about the heron jimmy?
. . tug

 

[tugboat-2]

I don't mean to be a niusance, but just looking through the various photos and blowing them up to see the colours,.......as an artist, I couldn't help but think of those folk who doubt the idea of our maker.

Who else has such a wondrous pallet and who else could have such a steady hand and such magnificently wild design ideas? Such exquisite beauty, pure and natural on the wing, . . . how can we take so much for granted?

Thanks "all" for sharing your photos and thoughts.
CHEERS,
. . tug

 

[jimmyj]

Hi Tug

Actually I missed 2 types of Heron and also Mourning doves. We get the blue and green herons. Oh yes, and the snipes too.

 

[jinman]

Here are a couple of other pictures that I took the same morning my wife took the pictures of the painted buntings. These show a house finch pair and a sparrow. The second shows a size comparison between a cardinal and the house finch. The final two pictures are probably a bird you don't see too often in Canada. . . "Me-Meep!"

BTW: Bird, you mentioned that you don't recall ever seeing a painted bunting. I don't think we would see them if we didn't live on the edge of a wooded area. They seem to hang out along the edges of woods and don't venture far from those areas either to go deeper into the woods or out into the open. They are a very shy little bird. Our birds sit on limbs along the edge of the woods and fly over to the feeder or the ground below it for a few seconds to pick up a sunflower seed. Then, they head back to the edge of the woods to sit and eat their prize. We watch this routine over and over. They also will swoop down and grab a juicy grasshopper from time-to-time too.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Everyone has showed some nice pictures!

I had a bird come in 2 times this year at one of my feeders, and I've never seen that type of bird before.... I wish I had pictures so I could show and maybe someone could tell me a name.

But this is what it looked like.... It looked like a cardinal, But it was blood-red with jet-black color on the wings.... Has anyone seen one like that or know a name ?

 

[cowboy357]

Everyone has showed some nice pictures!

I had a bird come in 2 times this year at one of my feeders, and I've never seen that type of bird before.... I wish I had pictures so I could show and maybe someone could tell me a name.

But this is what it looked like.... It looked like a cardinal, But it was blood-red with jet-black color on the wings.... Has anyone seen one like that or know a name ?

I,ve seen the cardinals around here as You describe , Most dont have as Much black as others on the wings but some do . So I,d say it was a cardinal. Just My opinion . Bob

 

[DocHeb]

But this is what it looked like.... It looked like a cardinal, But it was blood-red with jet-black color on the wings.... Has anyone seen one like that or know a name ?

Scarlet Tanager?

 

[jinman]

I've found that no matter how pretty the bird, they all poop in similar colors. Sometimes the shot works best with a little cropping.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

Scarlet Tanager?

Yea Doc....That's it.

Both times that I seen it I never had a camera.

Thanks for the picture!

 

[NSBound]

I've found that no matter how pretty the bird, they all poop in similar colors. Sometimes the shot works best with a little cropping.

Agreed! And sometimes a little touch-up!

 

[milkman]

Everyone has showed some nice pictures!

I had a bird come in 2 times this year at one of my feeders, and I've never seen that type of bird before.... I wish I had pictures so I could show and maybe someone could tell me a name.

But this is what it looked like.... It looked like a cardinal, But it was blood-red with jet-black color on the wings.... Has anyone seen one like that or know a name ?

We had these a couple of years ago, just here for a few days. Any chance they're what you saw?

 

[JohnDeere4300]

We had these a couple of years ago, just here for a few days. Any chance they're what you saw?

It was the same color bird that DocHeb showed.

 

[DocHeb]

Those two birds are Rose Crested Grosbecks:

 

[Alan L.]

Not a great picture taken through the window screen from the kitchen, but this one was on the bird bath July of '08. Only one I have ever seen.

 

[tugboat-2]

Ah yes, Scarlet Tanager, . . beautiful bird! . . . . and to think I was going to suggest it might be a , . . wait for it: "a black wing red bird", . . ha, ha! Oh for pete sake lighten up, . . I'm just trying to inject a little humour here,......no?

Oh well,...CHEERS, anyway,
. . tug

 

[jinman]

Not a great picture taken through the window screen from the kitchen, but this one was on the bird bath July of '08. Only one I have ever seen.

Alan, I'd say the same thing if I weren't here in the morning since I retired. Sitting under my deck and watching the feeder and birdbath has been an education for me about the types of birds and how often they show up. Every day this week I have sat under the deck and watched a painted bunting come and go regularly. It's a good excuse to be sittin' on my duff and doing nothing.

 

[DocHeb]

Those two birds are Rose Crested Grosbecks:

Actually Rose Breasted Grosbecks - that's what happens when I try to do something from memory.

 

[NSBound]

Actually Rose Breasted Grosbecks - that's what happens when I try to do something from memory.

LOL it's OK, we knew what you meant!! Actually we knew you REALLY meant Rose Breasted Grosbeaks

 

[jimmyj]

Yesterday evening was special. I can't really get good pics to show you but each year in late summer we get a few special days when flocks of tree swallows, combined with large numbers of green darter dragonflies swoop and dive all around over our field. It's just wonderful to watch. If I try and take a picture or film it, it's just specks or too small to see. Just wonderful though to watch.

Makes me think of fall though.......

 

[riptides]

I posted this a while back, but seing this bird watching show, ya just gatta have a bird of prey in the mix.