Some bird photos from the Great Backyard Bird Count (pic heavy)

[Solly Mack]

I saw this thread in GD and decided to participate.

I spent 4 days counting the birds I could see and posting the results at the GBBC website.

I didn't record every bird I saw because I wasn't exactly sure what kind of bird it was. I also didn't take photos of every bird I saw because I was busy counting the smaller birds.

However, I did take some shots after I was finished with my count. I submitted my last report this morning.


American Robin




Blue-Jay






Dark-eyed Junco (we also have the Slate-colored Junco)




Chipping Sparrow (I was shooting through the fence)




Northern Cardinal








Northern Mockingbird










and....of course

That evil bird


Yellow-bellied Sapsucker (a keystone species, btw)


Which I've renamed 'ULittle' for, 'You little @#$%!'.



I had a great time counting birds.

[Skinner]

1. Those are great.

[Solly Mack]

2. Thanks!

[benld74]

3. Those were the 1st Cardinal and BlueJay I've seen all year.

[Solly Mack]

4. Gosh. Where do you live?

I hope you have enjoyed them!

[benld74]

18. Home of Cardinal Nation!!!!

[Solly Mack]

19. I should have known. (your avatar) lol

[madrchsod]

5. nice pictures!

i`m the go to house in my neighborhood for the birds,rabbits,and squirrels. i have indoor birds and i always throw out the seeds they don`t eat. i also buy additional seed when i don`t have enough. the rabbits sit a couple of feet from the door and the birds a few feet more. the only thing i have`t seen are the geese that fly overhead or the hawks.

last summer and fall summer i had bluejays,cardinals, and a couple other unknown birds. maybe i should start taking pictures..

[Solly Mack]

6. You should! Species are migrating into new places and some are reducing in number.

Some are dying off... (habitat destruction being the biggie)

Also, the American crow was badly affected by the bird flu and only recently has it been making a comeback. Far less now than there used to be. (but they're increasing again, it seems)

It's fun...and helpful.

And...you can post them here so we can all enjoy your photos.

[dmr]

7. I really enjoyed these.

I've participated in the Great Count before, but this year I'm not well & couldn't.

Your pictures are wonderful, & I'm happy you posted them.

What's the story with the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker?

This is from a few years ago (Northern Michigan):

[Solly Mack]

8. Thanks, dmr. That eagle is great!

I've been trying to get a clean shot of the woodpecker and posted a rant (of sorts) about it.

Evil Bird rant
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10362181

It is as if the bird is playing with me, taunting me.

I was sitting under the tree on Sunday (without my camera...just observing the bird) when the evil thing settled not 4 feet from me and began pecking. I just had to laugh at myself.

I'll eventually get the shot I'm looking for though.

Maybe. lol

I'm sorry you are unwell. I hope things get better.

Thank you, again.

[dmr]

11. What a day you had!!

What fun! Well, you know, Woody Woodpecker was pretty insane ...

[TBF]

9. I don't think I've ever seen such a fat cardinal :)

those are great shots! I love watching the blue jays in my backyard ... they seem to fight quite a bit and can get in some epic battles.

[Solly Mack]

10. lol He's just putting on a display.

He was being greedy though. A couple of females were hiding deep in the shrubs and they do chase each other quite a bit.

Blue Jays do like to battle. The ones in my yard are constantly fighting the crows for this one certain tree. The crows fight back. The score is even right now.

Thanks, TBF.

[SunSeeker]

12. Beautiful! Thanks. n/t

[Solly Mack]

14. Thank you, SunSeeker.

[Celebration]

13. oh, cool!

The EVIL bird That one is ubiquitous!

[Solly Mack]

15. That bird has even appeared in one of my dreams.

In my dream, a stranger came to the door and he looked just like the woodpecker. The head, face and hair coloring anyway. He was in overalls. Wanted directions.

I'm going to have to make peace with that bird. lol

[OnyxCollie]

16. Very nice pictures.

Especially the cardinal.

I've seen all of them around my house in Ohio, except for the Northern Mockingbird.

[Solly Mack]

17. Thanks, OnyxCollie

The Mockingbird is a favorite of mine. I enjoy their song. I was listening to one today sing its little heart out.

[Curmudgeoness]

20. Great pictures. As an obsessive-compulsive type,

I have nearly 20 years of daily bird sightings logged into my "bird diaries". I feed daily and have 15-20 species show up every day. Unfortunately, on days that I work, I miss all the action.

And dang it, I never thought of trying to take pictures of them. I will try getting some.

[Solly Mack]

21. Please do! Next year you can do the GBBC as well. They'd love to hear from you.

Thanks, Curmudgeoness.

[Curmudgeoness]

22. I have always wondered, do you have to participate all 4 days

when you do the bird count? Or can it be only over the weekend?

All I am likely to see on weekdays are Mourning Doves and Northern Cardinals, since they are the earliest birds to arrive. It is only on the weekends that I see my other visitors---at this time of year, of course lots of House Sparrows and European Starlings, goldfinches, chickadees, House Finches (but not nearly as many as I used to see), Blue Jays, crows, titmouses, nuthatches, juncos, Downy Woodpeckers, and my favorite is a Northern Flicker who loves my seeds---and I never expected to come to a feeder.

I will try to get pictures.

[Solly Mack]

23. You don't have to do all 4 days. Just whatever portion you choose to do.

They want people to count for at least 15 minutes, so it doesn't even really take much time. Some do it for longer.

[nadinbrzezinski]

24. Great photos