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Omaha Steve

(99,054 posts)
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 02:07 PM Mar 2016

He was in a tree by the highway in IA this morning looking for his breakfast in spitting snowfall

Last edited Sat Mar 19, 2016, 05:13 PM - Edit history (1)


We went over to Iowa this morning for breakfast. Marta spotted this hawk sitting in the tree. This is taken with her phone.



Now that we have a microphone aimed at the feeders we can hear the birds calling to be fed before we get out there in the AM. A flicker. A woodpecker yesterday morning. We are adding a web cam this afternoon. So we will see and hear them from the family room.



The new web cam view just went online.

44 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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He was in a tree by the highway in IA this morning looking for his breakfast in spitting snowfall (Original Post) Omaha Steve Mar 2016 OP
Beautiful! femmocrat Mar 2016 #1
Last spring we had WP chicks Runningdawg Mar 2016 #2
This post was alerted on and it made me realize that this wasn't the place for my comment. rhett o rick Mar 2016 #3
It won't be Steve, that's for sure. Steve -- thanks! And please keep posting. pnwmom Mar 2016 #11
This message was self-deleted by its author rhett o rick Mar 2016 #13
bull . stonecutter357 Mar 2016 #12
You just had to bring that to this thread about birds. smh Hekate Mar 2016 #19
You know, it's not nice to pick on Steve. Really. yardwork Mar 2016 #23
I can imagine the beautiful sounds around your yard malaise Mar 2016 #4
Great bird pics, Steve TexasProgresive Mar 2016 #5
How could I go about aiming a mic at our backyard wildlife? eShirl Mar 2016 #6
Here is an option or two Omaha Steve Mar 2016 #9
thank you! eShirl Mar 2016 #10
Eh... ejbr Mar 2016 #7
K&R. Lovely! Overseas Mar 2016 #8
K&R! stonecutter357 Mar 2016 #14
Yes Omaha Steve Mar 2016 #16
flickers are the shit pasto76 Mar 2016 #15
We have red crested woodpeckers around here. I used to hear them 1monster Mar 2016 #29
Hawks are the Messengers. I'm hoping he's bringing you a good message. Dont call me Shirley Mar 2016 #17
We've got one that nests at our local (smallish) aiport, in the vines above an entryway... Hekate Mar 2016 #20
We've had a family which keeps nesting in the same dead tree across the arroyo. They stalk our Dont call me Shirley Mar 2016 #25
I understand about the protections. Jim Beard Mar 2016 #31
Sometimes the Circle of Life stuff just sucks, doesn't it? nt Hekate Mar 2016 #33
Aw... Dont call me Shirley Mar 2016 #35
Great pics OS. SoapBox Mar 2016 #18
Thanks for the pics and stories. I love the idea of using a baby monitor to listen in! Hekate Mar 2016 #21
My husband has taken to feeding nuts to squirrels in our back yard. 1monster Mar 2016 #22
Please feed Trump to the squirrels, and Cruz & Kasich & Palin & . . . . nt Bernardo de La Paz Mar 2016 #26
Those nuts are definitely NOT low calorie! And they are very much 1monster Mar 2016 #28
Good perspective :) Bernardo de La Paz Mar 2016 #34
Thank you for this lovely post. yardwork Mar 2016 #24
if you feed them, they will come demigoddess Mar 2016 #27
Just alittle water will do too.... diverdownjt Mar 2016 #40
Lovely! swilton Mar 2016 #30
My friends and I saw an Osprey hulking in a tree near the slough by the beach. I had a Tanager... Hekate Mar 2016 #32
Nice. Brother_Love Mar 2016 #36
And in their element, completely at home there. bemildred Mar 2016 #37
Fab pics of the woodpecker! CrispyQ Mar 2016 #38
I love your bird posts. panader0 Mar 2016 #39
Thanx Steve for the wonderul post....n/t diverdownjt Mar 2016 #41
Thanks for the pics Omaha Steve. montana_hazeleyes Mar 2016 #42
Beautiful photos, thank you, Steve saidsimplesimon Mar 2016 #43
Delightful! Duval Mar 2016 #44

Runningdawg

(4,494 posts)
2. Last spring we had WP chicks
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 02:18 PM
Mar 2016

in the park across from my house. I spent hours over there watching. The cutest thing ever was to watch the young ones trying to figure out WHAT to peck on...telephone poll, wooden bench, chain link fence pole, plastic playground equipment, brick BBQ. It seems the whole family moved on after the chicks got the pecking thing down.

 

rhett o rick

(55,981 posts)
3. This post was alerted on and it made me realize that this wasn't the place for my comment.
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 02:35 PM
Mar 2016

Last edited Sat Mar 19, 2016, 03:52 PM - Edit history (1)

A pm would have been more appropriate.

Response to pnwmom (Reply #11)

yardwork

(61,408 posts)
23. You know, it's not nice to pick on Steve. Really.
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 03:57 PM
Mar 2016

He doesn't need posts or PMs attempting to scare him for no reason. Why would you do that?

TexasProgresive

(12,148 posts)
5. Great bird pics, Steve
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 02:42 PM
Mar 2016

The birds here certainly think it's spring. Mockingbirds claiming everything as usual singing everyone's songs, doves cooing, cardinals fighting and my pride; Mr. and Mrs. bluebird took up residence in the bluebird house I put up. I can see it from my kitchen window.

Our feeders have been taken over by titmice wrens and sparrows. They line up so close no one else can get in.

eShirl

(18,466 posts)
6. How could I go about aiming a mic at our backyard wildlife?
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 02:54 PM
Mar 2016

I just had to close the window because the temp's in the 30s, but there's some beautiful cacophony going on out there!

Reminds me of walking home from grade school in the spring a few years (decades) ago.

PS: will your webcam have sound?

Omaha Steve

(99,054 posts)
9. Here is an option or two
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 03:21 PM
Mar 2016

This is NOT the unit we have. We bought a used bird bug. The company went out of business back about 2010. We were having a new sealed shut window installed Thursday in the laundry room so they caulked the line in with the frame. The (40 foot?) line was perfect for mounting on the deck and reaching the bar in the family room. We do love it.

Back in 2002 or so we had a wireless that used FM. That company went out of business too.

If there is a sheltered area from weather, some people use a plain cheap baby monitor.

Our web cam today will be an inside security cam. It won't have sound. We are considering a ring security camera to cover the bird area. It has infrared (we have plenty of night life in the backyard) & sound: https://ring.com/stickupcam

This unit appears to be made in the USA: http://www.tmbstudios.com/proddetail.asp?prod=Nature%27s+Window+3+Outdoor+Sound+Monitor

That was just a quick search. They may be others or bird bugs on E-bay.

Looks like info for the serious bird listener here: http://www.wildlife-sound.org/equipment/newcomersguide/microphones.html

OS

Omaha Steve

(99,054 posts)
16. Yes
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 03:36 PM
Mar 2016

http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/symbol/alabama/state-bird/yellowhammer-woodpecker

Official State Bird of Alabama

The "yellowhammer" was designated the official state bird of Alabama in 1927. The yellowhammer (correct name: northern flicker) has been a symbol of Alabama since the Civil War (The Yellowhammer State is one of Alabama's nicknames). Alabama is the the only state that chose a woodpecker as their official state bird.

Northern Flicker Facts

Northern flickers (Colaptes auratus) range throughout the USA (red- shafted in the west and yellow-shafted flickers in the east, with interbreeding between these two color variations in between).

The northern flicker is a common species present year-round in Alabama, but bird surveys show that flickers are declining in numbers (particularly the eastern yellow-shafted flicker). Possible reasons: use of pesticides on lawns and other feeding areas, and diminishing eastern forests.

Unlike most woodpeckers, northern flickers forage primarily on the ground, eating ants, termites, caterpillars, grasshoppers (and other insects), spiders, seeds, nuts, and berries (including the berry of the poison ivy plant). The yellowhammer does not have the super- hammering ability of most woodpeckers and seeks out rotten or hollow trees, fence posts, and occasionally earthen banks or nest boxes for nesting. All State Birds

pasto76

(1,589 posts)
15. flickers are the shit
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 03:34 PM
Mar 2016

distinct vocals. my wife hates the holes they have drilled in the front of the house. I cant help but laugh. I like being awoken by their drumming.

1monster

(11,012 posts)
29. We have red crested woodpeckers around here. I used to hear them
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 04:16 PM
Mar 2016

ratatatat-ing on the house (really loud).

But since we replaced the siding on the house with concrete fiberboard, I don't expect they will be doing that anymore...

Hekate

(90,188 posts)
20. We've got one that nests at our local (smallish) aiport, in the vines above an entryway...
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 03:53 PM
Mar 2016

She attacked the top of my head once when I was passing through, just a quick beak strike. Fortunately I had recently read about her, so I was startled but not totally freaked.

Why build a nest there? No one knows.

Dont call me Shirley

(10,998 posts)
25. We've had a family which keeps nesting in the same dead tree across the arroyo. They stalk our
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 04:03 PM
Mar 2016

Desert Tortoises (actually are turtles). So we put a lot of hiding places in the garden for the turtles. They would be a tasty treat for those Hawks.

 

Jim Beard

(2,535 posts)
31. I understand about the protections.
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 04:24 PM
Mar 2016

I hope they have a barrier at the base of the tree to keep cats away. I farm on the Great Plains and there is not an abundance of wildlife. One while plowing I kept noticing a very young Cotton Tail rabbit that was barely staying ahead of me as I plowd. Why it didn't just hop back over to the ground I had plowed, I don't know but there were a couple of rounds of plowing that I waited for it to clear my path. I was enjoying the rabbit but all of a sudden a Hawk swooped down and clutched the rabbit.

So much for being compassionate.

Dont call me Shirley

(10,998 posts)
35. Aw...
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 04:42 PM
Mar 2016


The turtles actually catch birds to eat. They have enclosed tunnels to get from their enclosed burrow to the covered pond, lots of foliage to hide among, and quick escape areas. We have a 6" high cinder block wall around our yard, keeps out the skunks and coyotes. We do have bunnies though, how they get in I'll never know!

1monster

(11,012 posts)
22. My husband has taken to feeding nuts to squirrels in our back yard.
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 03:55 PM
Mar 2016

One of the squirrels sits on a fence post and watches through the French doors till he sees DH. The squirrel starts chittering, chattering, and dancing around until DH goes out with some peanuts (or whatever nut is available). Then s/he makes short work of them.

A few days ago, my son looked out the window and saw that squirrel patiently watching. His exclamation: "MY WORD!!! What a FAT squirrel!"

I guess we should invest in lower calorie nuts?


PS: Love the photos. We always know when hawks turn up in the spring here. All the other birds set out an alarm and the cacophony is deafening.

1monster

(11,012 posts)
28. Those nuts are definitely NOT low calorie! And they are very much
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 04:11 PM
Mar 2016

lacking in nutritional value!

Besides, I deeply disapprove of poisoning animals, wild and domestic, of any kind. Those nuts are seriously poisonous.

demigoddess

(6,640 posts)
27. if you feed them, they will come
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 04:07 PM
Mar 2016

we used to have flickers, downies, pielated, and all kinds of birds in our yard. I loved seeing two pairs of Robins taking a bath in our bird bath and then a sun bath in the warm rocks below. The males stood watch while the females had their baths and then the males did theirs when the females were safely on high limbs of trees. I also got to see crows bring their babies to the feeder and saw all sorts of great behavior from the birds. Even had a crow purr at me once when I was in the yard, sounded like a thank you from him.

diverdownjt

(699 posts)
40. Just alittle water will do too....
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 11:53 AM
Mar 2016

Every year we have adult woodpeckers,camp robbers,stellar jays, bringing their babies to the
watering hole(bird bath). You can see the pecking order as they all line up according to size
and species. The woodpeckers are kings then the stellar jays, on down to the little guys
whom I'm not that familiar with. They wait their turn mostly until the big guys show up
and then all bets are off. When they are gone everyone resumes the the passion play as before. I'll try and get some photo's to show you the big drama...

Hekate

(90,188 posts)
32. My friends and I saw an Osprey hulking in a tree near the slough by the beach. I had a Tanager...
Sat Mar 19, 2016, 04:28 PM
Mar 2016

...in my back yard. Trying to identify them made me get my California bird books out again, especially the very local "Birds of Lake Los Carneros." The Mockingbird is back, and one morning while he was entertaining us from the tip-top of the (then bare, now leafed-out) apricot tree across the fence, I caught the incredible ruby flash of an Anna's Hummingbird, twice.

The best time for me to see the birds in my backyard is before the trees leaf out, because after that I can't tell the birds from the leaves no matter how many times my farsighted husband points just there.

The crows mobbed a pair of hawks -- really, I was rooting for the hawks. I hope they got away. Other times mockingbirds will chase crows away, though admittedly not an entire mob of crows at once.

Anyhow, I got my first two bird books when I worked at the University 30 years ago. Part of it is on the bluffs overlooking the ocean, and part is at sea level with a big lagoon that attracts myriads of birds. I used to walk around the lagoon at lunchtime and spot pelicans, herons, egrets....

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring!

bemildred

(90,061 posts)
37. And in their element, completely at home there.
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 10:14 AM
Mar 2016

It must be pretty safe for them that time of year, as long as they can find enough to eat. And we can see there is plenty for them there.

"Hey Buddy. Get out here. People are hungry. People have a long way to go."

montana_hazeleyes

(3,424 posts)
42. Thanks for the pics Omaha Steve.
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 12:08 PM
Mar 2016

I just love birds. I've never seen a Flicker... Beautiful. Where I live we don't have the range of colorful birds other parts of the country do. I would love to see Cardinals in person. I've read that they are the state bird of seven states. They are such gorgeous, darling songbirds.

saidsimplesimon

(7,888 posts)
43. Beautiful photos, thank you, Steve
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 12:09 PM
Mar 2016

I opened this thread while listening to the birds in my courtyard. A wonderful way to start the morning, sunrise, a cup of coffee and warm, desert weather here.

 

Duval

(4,280 posts)
44. Delightful!
Sun Mar 20, 2016, 12:54 PM
Mar 2016

I saw a Robin yesterday, and the geese in our lakeside townhouse have begun pairing up, looking for places to build their nests, and honking their hearts off! Happy First Day of Spring!


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