Any interesting birds by your pond?

[CometKeith]

By popular demand I am starting a bird thread. As we all know our ponds attract all sorts of interesting wildlife good and bad and especially a lot of different birds. Last week there was a bird that traveled 7000 miles to Chicago from Southern Chile/Argentina that caused a news sensation. Over the weekend I had two mallard ducks that visited my small pond that I was able to snap a few pictures of. Yesterday I saw a peregrine falcon in our neighborhood and today I saw a baby yellow finch at my pond's waterfall. If anyone else has seen an interesting bird feel free to "chirp" in!

 

[Waterbug]

Green parrot. Came to drink the night I filled my first pond in San Jose. I assumed I'd see him again...never did.

 

[addy1]

Rose breasted Grosbeak

Feeding at our feeder

Unknown white bird bathing in our bog

 

[addy1]

Predators!

 

[addy1]

Arizona pond

 

[CliffandJoann]

Great shots Addy.


Bad Hair Day!

 

[Rivermist]

OMG what great pictures !!!!!

Where the predator pics taken in your pond addy ?
If yes I'm jealous... you pond plants are beautiful !


I love birds... but squirrels kind of make a big mess... and then they get chased by the dogs = dead squirrels.

I don't think the white one is a specie in itself... a leucistic individual... I don't know all the species of the area yet... but really cute !

 

[addy1]

Yes rivermist, the predators are all taken in my back yard around my maryland pond. The falcon and hawk do their best to catch birds so far have not had success.
The other two try to get fish, so far no luck.

In arizona, the owl bathed in the stream every night, it would come just at dusk. I would sit very quiet in the yard with my camera until it landed, then snap the shots.
The quail came all the time, brought their kids into the yard to eat.

 

[Rivermist]

Ho wowwww that's amazing...

The only ones I get here are hawks (I think that's what he is)... he tried a frog once and missed it... also the frog did not survive.

I feel like my dogs are keeping most of the predators away... we used to have raccoons ... they don't even try anymore lol

The owl is just magnificent... it must be something to see that !

 

[addy1]

The hawk just came, was sitting on the fence, tried to grab the camera but it saw me move and gone.............beautiful bird.

I spent hours in the back yard sitting in the dark watching the owl, it was one beautiful bird.

 

[HARO]

Addy; Without a way to gauge it's size, it's hard to say, but I think your white bird is a robin. Would he/she have been about that size? We see one around here every once in a while that has a light orange or sandy breast, while the back is a slightly darker tan colour. We also get albino Slate-coloured Juncos, including some that are part normal and part white. One winter we got an Oregon Junco, about 2,000 miles from his home grounds!
John

 

[addy1]

I was thinking an albino robin, just was not sure. It came the one time, never saw it again. Sure was a neat bird. And yes the same size and body shape of a robin.

 

[fishin4cars]

Very pretty pics. It's not a albino though. Albino would have pink eyes and not black coloration what so ever. That would be called a leucistic, If it was half black and half white then it would be called a piebald. Albino's are extremely rare in the wild, they have poorer eye sight as the light can really bother them, this puts them at a great disadvantage of survival in the wild. Leucistic and piebald animals are a little bit more common because they can see correctly and they stand a better chance of survival although not a lot better due to the fact that they are easily spotted by predators and are usually attacked at very young ages. Still not common to see and to get pics to share is a rare thing to see indeed. Not bird related but one of my co workers took these shots when they were in colorado at his dad's place a few years ago. These are true albino Twins, one buck and one doe. Just though some of you would enjoy seeing these even though they are a little off topic.

 

[HARO]

Nice photos, Larkin. Couldn't help but notice the Browning 'buck mark'. Should the little darlings be worried?
John

 

[addy1]

Thanks for the info fishin never saw the bird again, was so neat It was here for a while bathing and eating. Cute lil white deer, how neat