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Bird Watching

Danimal

Danimal

AKA "Dee-Animal"
Albatross 2024 Club
Joined
Oct 24, 2017
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Location
St. Louis
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Is anyone else an avid bird watcher? I am fortunate enough to live in an area with a diverse array of birds and I am always trying to identify birds that I see. I have recently been able to ID a Mississippi Kite family that live in my neighborhood. I thought they were falcons for a while but finally figured it out Saturday.
 
It's been a lifelong hobby for me and keeps you more in tune with your surroundings. Just saw a yellow bellied sapsucker yesterday, a bird I first saw when I was about 11 years old.
 
I enjoy birding in a natural history sense. I am not good at it and only really know the common birds. When I see new birds I do like to try to ID and learn a little. I have friends who are amazing birders. A couple of them can ID many birds by song. The trail system behind my house is a great birding area, and we see bird watching people and groups there all the time. I could see specifically investing more time in birding. Very enjoyable.
 
Spotted a Peregrine Falcon on a walk this morning. B60F35F9-817B-46ED-911D-778839FD8E59.jpeg
 
not necessarily a dedicated bird watcher but i do some bird photography...went out with the local audubon (sp?) chapter a couple of times to find cool bird spots.
 
Peregrine Falcon

8076E0D4-ABDB-4034-B0D2-181C32AB3F18_1_201_a.jpeg
 
I've been birding a long time. My mom got me into it and it was a great way to spend time with her.

I'm a study guy too, so I can identify probably 95% of the birds I see on sight. :oops:

I've been fortunate to live on both coasts and spend a lot of time in each of the varied habitats.

I only recently started trying to take pictures. Not easy...
 
I’m not a dedicated bird watcher but I spend a lot of time in the outdoors and I like to know about all the wildlife I encounter, birds especially. Songbirds are often difficult to observe. Large birds are MUCH easier to see and photograph. These are photos I took while on fishing trips.

This is a sandhill crane
IMG_0872.JPG

A loon in it's winter plumage
OEZYE2224.JPG

A pair of bald eagles.
Eagles.JPG
 
I enjoy birding. We’re lucky up here to live in the migratory path of many species so it’s fun to see who shows up and when.

I like to use the Merlin Bird ID app for those I’m not positive identifying.
 
YukonLiving said:
I enjoy birding. We’re lucky up here to live in the migratory path of many species so it’s fun to see who shows up and when.

I like to use the Merlin Bird ID app for those I’m not positive identifying.
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I live in a migratory path through the Midwest. It is a very active time at the moment. The Ospreys are usually moving through this month and the Bald Eagles really start congregating by the end of the year.
 
YukonLiving said:
I enjoy birding. We’re lucky up here to live in the migratory path of many species so it’s fun to see who shows up and when.

I like to use the Merlin Bird ID app for those I’m not positive identifying.
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I am going to check out that app. Thanks for the info.
 
Danimal said:
I am going to check out that app. Thanks for the info.
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Very useful, in my opinion! And they regularly update with new birds, photos, and calls. And you can download “bird packs” based on where you’re going to be.
 
I was an avid bird photographer a number of years ago. Still find it enjoyable, but need to get the rig out and dust it off (or maybe treat myself to a new system :ROFLMAO:).
Here are a few samples from my library:
Elegant Trogan
trogon_1585_3.jpg

Blue-footed Booby
booby_3537.jpg

Roadrunner
roadrunner_bug_from_jpg_ver4.jpg

Shrike
shrike_5689.jpg

Cardinal
cardinal_3962.jpg
 
MagicSpell said:
I was an avid bird photographer a number of years ago. Still find it enjoyable, but need to get the rig out and dust it off (or maybe treat myself to a new system :ROFLMAO:).
Here are a few samples from my library:
Elegant Trogan
View attachment 9027330

Blue-footed Booby
View attachment 9027331

Roadrunner
View attachment 9027332

Shrike
View attachment 9027333

Cardinal
View attachment 9027334
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my favorite Arizona bird is the Harris Hawk. They hunt in groups. Pretty cool. I love the Roadrunners too!
 
Danimal said:
my favorite Arizona bird is the Harris Hawk. They hunt in groups. Pretty cool. I love the Roadrunners too!
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Ask and you shall receive!
Harris Hawk
hawk_perch_crop.jpg

and a bonus one...
Great Horned Owl
GHO_8034.jpg
 
Like to keep these guys around the bird feeder ... been told they mate for life ..

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Never really thought about it until we moved in Costa Rica, then it became one of my favorite things to do!
 
I spotted my first migrating Osprey today. I couldn’t get a picture but it was a positive ID.
 
I'm not a dedicated birder, but I hunt, fish, and gather mushrooms and other wild edibles, so I'm outdoors quite a bit, and keep my eyes and ears open. Sitting at dawn in my hunting & fishing club, the sheer amount of bird song is just amazing! One morning, with my back against a tree listening for a gobbler, in a thicket to my left I hear a sound that's exactly like a certain cell phone ring tone! I thought great! There's a guy in here with his damn cellphone on! I heard it again a few minutes later and wondered why the guy hadn't turned his phone. The third time I heard, from the exact same place, I realized that it was a bird call! Amazing! 3 or 4 years ago, I spotted my very first Baltimore Oriole at the club. Some of the more unique ones I've seen are Northern Mockingbord, Meadowlark, and Cedar Waxwing.
 
It’s a lot of fun. My wife is really into it and I’ve picked up a decent ability to ID many local birds. I do get encouraged to take snaps of interesting golf course birds and send to her for extra research
 
Not an avid bird watcher but I will bring my binoculars when I walk in a nearby nature preserve. And I do check out the different birds in the neighborhood.
 
I'm not a bird fan. Don't @ me. I have my reasons. :)As long as they stay outside and do their thing, I'm cool with that.
 
Part of my job is being able to identify species of birds. Still crap at it.
 
Mark_UK said:
Part of my job is being able to identify species of birds. Still crap at it.
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What are the most frequent bird strikes at the airfield?
 
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