The Avairy-- aka Gone to the Birds

[StoneFinn]

'allo All and welcome to the Avairy

Thought that I would start this back up-- For the birds, and those of us who love them.

The songbirds that come and brighten our days in our gardens, the parrots that wake us here at dawn. The crows and blackbirds that we love, and the small finches that we put seed out for...

Who are the birds in your life... who are the rare birds you look for, the ones you watch out for...

This is our place to share our stories, questions, pictures... and overall love of birds...

Welcome!

[StoneFinn]

Just a photo or two to help get things rolling:

Some Emu's-- NOT in a zoo, but just out alongside the road during a drive one weekend... they are amazing (and dangerous) and I got nervous once the male was within a couple of meters of me. (do remember that emu's are a little smaller than an ostrich and have huge talons that are about 6 inches long on the end of very muscular legs)





These last ones are a mating pair of Wedgetail Eagles that we saw on another drive not far from home. They are among the largest birds of prey in the world-- reaching wingspans of 73-89 inches (6'1"- 7'5"), with a very distinctive wedge shaped tail.

[Jess]

When we still lived in Charles City, the annual migration of cedar waxwings was always a great treat to catch. I referred to them as tiny bandits, as they would move from tree to tree stripping any berries or nuts hidden by squirrels and make off with them. Couple interesting notes: They will store food in their throats, like 30 berries at a time to feed young. They will also line up on a branch and pass food from one to the next down the line until one finally eats it.



Neat lil fellers!

Thanks for the thread Finney Han! I'm a big old bird watching dork from way back!

[Andrew, Jr.]

I am another bird watching fan here! I even belong to a club called Birds & Bikes. You follow birds and ride your bike along nature trails. I really enjoy it.

[violaine]

stone finn, i have long loved your bird photography. thank you for starting this thread. here is a link on cranes, please:

http://www.savingcranes.org/


thinking about how connected we are all to birds-

impacts/more thoughts: wind farms and flyways, backyard to remote habitats, oil spill and migration, endangered species, songbirds, raptors, pesticides, representation in history of art, spirituality, poetry/music, ornithologists, et c.

stunning images-

belle

[Kobi]

I put up a couple of pretty handpainted birdhouses on my deck for decoration a couple of years ago. A sparrow couple set up housekeeping and have never left! They are very sexually active and give birth 3-4 separate times each season. Fascinates me when it is time for the little buggers to venture out of the nest.

Thankfully, they are used to my being there now and no longer dive bomb me when I step foot out the door.

We also have a pair of hawks which are awesome to watch until they swoop down on the chipmunks for a snack.

Cardinals, yellow finches, chickadees, titmouses.....sometimes I sit there with the Birds of North America book trying to figure out who is visiting me.

[violaine]

today is already quite warm in indiana. visiting the feeding stations today are the following birds-

sparrows, grackles, red-winged blackbirds, cardinals, jays, and on the ground- mourning doves, american robins, crows [my favourite], & late afternoon/early evening ducks.

the red-winged blackbirds take over the feeding stations, and make a shrill sounding * chreeeeeep- chreeeeeep*

during a walk, i'll see all of the birds listed at the feeders plus- finches, woodpeckers, turkey vultures, red-tailed hawks, cooper's hawks, great blue herons, ducks, geese, crows, and great horned owls.

cornell lab is a wonderful place i am very fond of ornithologist kevin mcgowan, and he's why i became a supporter of the field work/research he's done over the years with florida scrub jays and crows. i've made his acquaintance, and while some people may become star struck over actors, i'd much rather meet ornithologists/primatologists and so on !

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/crows/index.html

http://www.princetonol.com/groups/ia...le/animals.htm

the first link is to kevin/cornell, and the second

has tons of information on history of art/animal symbolism.

Falcon / Hawk byk - The sacred bird of the falcon-headed solar god Horus, it was also regarded as his Ba. The falcon was a bird that had protective powers, and was frequently linked with royalty, where it was depicted as hovering over the head of the pharaoh, with outstretched wings. The falcon was also sacred to Montu, god of war, and Sokar, god of the Memphite necropolis. The bird of prey was sometimes associated with Hathor, 'The House of Horus'. The son of Horus, Qebehsenuef who guarded the canopic jar of the intestines, was a falcon-headed god. The human headed ba-bird was sometimes given the body of a falcon.

Heron bnw - The bnw-bird was represented as a heron, and was thought to be the original phoenix - it was a bird of the sun and rebirth, the sacred bird of Heliopolis, closely linked to the primeval mound. It was also thought to be the Ba of both Ra and Osiris.

Ibis hb - Regarded as the reincarnation of Thoth, the sacred ibis was sacred to the god of knowledge, who had the form of an ibis-headed man. The Akhu, part of the soul, was written with the sign of a crested ibis, known as the Akhu-bird.

Ostrich nyw - Ma'at, the personification of order, was shown as a seated woman wearing an ostrich feather as her headdress or as the feather itself.

Vulture nrt - sacred to Nekhbet, goddess of Upper Egypt and Mut, mother goddess. The vulture often holds the shn symbol of eternity in its talons, offering eternal protection to the pharaoh. As such, the vulture is closely linked to rulership.

happy day birding to you all-

belle

[lionpaw]

Originally Posted by Jess

When we still lived in Charles City, the annual migration of cedar waxwings was always a great treat to catch. I referred to them as tiny bandits, as they would move from tree to tree stripping any berries or nuts hidden by squirrels and make off with them. Couple interesting notes: They will store food in their throats, like 30 berries at a time to feed young. They will also line up on a branch and pass food from one to the next down the line until one finally eats it.



Neat lil fellers!

Thanks for the thread Finney Han! I'm a big old bird watching dork from way back!

Oh, this is such a beautiful bird!...We love birdwatching!.....I was told about this thread the other day, but I never saw it....I couldn't find it.....So, thank you for whomever added to the thread.....Now, my honey and I can enjoy the birds too!

[StillettoDoll]

saw these nesting near me !

[FireSignFemme]

Originally Posted by StillettoDoll

saw these nesting near me !

Oh wow that is amazing, such a great photo. Nice pick!

[Kätzchen]

Notes from the video: Did you know they make these haunting sounds through their nostrils? A gulp of air a big chest expansion and it comes out their nose. One of my favorite sounds in the Backyard this fellow gives us a rare closeup performance!


Personal note: We have Mourning Doves that roost near my work campus and when I'm on a lunch break, walking around the neighborhood, you can hear the Mourning Doves cooing, nearly all hours of the day or night.

[nhplowboi]

So it was an interesting week at the feeder. Maybe it is migration but we had an abundance of birds outside our window. The colorful cardinals, goldfinch, blue jays, and Baltimore orioles (not a normal sighting). Woodpeckers galore: hairy, downey and red bellied (not a normal sighting). The usual suspects: black capped chickadees, house sparrows, cat birds, tufted titmice, nut hatches and brown headed cowbirds. On one of the days I was looking out the window and having my coffee, I noticed our juvenile rooster "Goose"(and that is a whole other story) was having a wild turkey encounter. He was all puffed up and being a bit aggressive but the female turkey was not impressed. After a couple minutes of his bad behavior I thought maybe a bit of bread was called for. When I went out onto the deck the turkey headed for the woods, until she saw me throwing bread and she came running back. I have to say in 22 years here I have never had the chance to feed a wild turkey first hand. After the bread was gone I tried throwing down an ear of corn to keep her in the area but she seemed uninterested and wandered off. A keen eyed crow spotted that ear of corn and flew down into the yard (also not normal though they are all about) and began to give the corn a tasting. In our barn we have a pair of swallows back again and they are playing house down there. Lastly, on my way to the house after work, there was a scarlet tanager sitting along side the roadway. It was a great week for bird watching in New Hampshire.

[Kätzchen]

I like how the starlings take on the shadow form of an Eagle in flight.
Pretty amazing, the shapes and forms Starlings take when in flight.