Foo - Favorite bird

I know we have some bird watchers here. The Woodpecker thread got me thinking....what is your favorite feathered friend. Post a pic if you got one, or can find one.

For me, its the red tailed hawk. Nothing flashy, color wise. They are just simply majestic animals with an incredible aura about them. I see them hunting all the time around my place. They are amazing to watch.

http://www.birdinfo.com/A_Images_R/Red-tailedHawk2004-10-03-001.jpg

I was driving through the middle of nowhere once. Came across a fence that had a Bald Eagle on every post. That was pretty cool.

I like these, though.
http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ConservationAndScience/MigratoryBirds/Featured_photo/Images/Bigpic/cora1.jpg

Hawks/falcons are cool.

Here's a dude that was chilling on top of my apartment building this summer...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/Taerom/P3263278lg.jpg

This was at my parents' house. Dove got owned...

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/Taerom/Winter%202007-2008/IMG_0041.jpg

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a284/Taerom/Winter%202007-2008/IMG_0042.jpg

Kestrel or Red Tailed Hawk. I like them both.

Scott's Oriole

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_HMNjCym9ncY/RdyyTwYS1FI/AAAAAAAAANU/kg61Ev2CJXs/s640/Scott%27s%20Oriole%2C%20A.%20Pipit%20002.jpg

In the apple tree in my back yard two years ago. Caused quite a sensation (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://lh6.google.com/image/featherridge/RdyyTwYS1FI/AAAAAAAAANU/j7eAl7VmhTU/Scott%27s%2520Oriole,%2520A.%2520Pipit%2520002.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.littlebirdiehome.com/A070221_SCOTTS_ORIOLE_MECHANICSBURG_PENNSYLVANIA.HTM&usg=__DO39VAysxLZWL2myFl0So32BbwM=&h=1222&w=1600&sz=265&hl=en&start=1&tbnid=3W7MfOGhmZ9oLM:&tbnh=115&tbnw=150&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dscott%2527s%2Boriole%2Bpennsylvania%26gbv%3D2%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG), as these guys are almost never seen east of the Mississippi.

I was glad our cat is old, since she might well have had it for dinner if she were 5 years younger.

Rufous Hummingbird - I see them rarely - probably when migrating - pretty. Other than that we have a very small dark hummingbird, and of course the ruby throat.

Probably why I have a hummingbird tat :love::love::love::love:

http://www.desertmuseum.org/pollination/images/HumRufous02_small1.jpg

...
Probably why I have a hummingbird tat :love::love::love::love:...

You do? Will have to compare tattoos next time I'm up that way.

I :love: birds !
Cant pick a favorite.
I have a protected habitat right outside my front door and
spend a lot of time looking at them. My observations...
African Gray, the smartest. Watching gangs of rogue crows
converge on an area is entertaining....Watching a 4' tall
Blue Heron take off is the most amazing thing ever ! Its
effortless. It looks like Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon style
Bird-fu. It just sort of gracefully levitates into the air.....
I saw two of these Ruby-Crowned Kinglets on Weds.
Native from north and west states :

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/169/379997925_a6e65311d5.jpg?v=0

But yeah, Woodpeckers rock ! Great colors and very territorial.
I have seen them dive bomb neighborhood cats repeatedly to keep
the cat away for their nests.

I think all birds are interesting. Even in the city I see plenty of Blue Jays, Cardinals, Woodpeckers and Mocking Birds. There are Osprey near the water too. We have tons of Turkey Vultures. Yesterday they were eating a carcass across the street and an hour later it was completely gone. My favorites are Owls, although I don’t see them very often. Not too fond of pigeons (flying rats).

I don't really have a favorite bird. I eyeball big blackbirds to see if they're crows or ravens, below that size they all kinda blur together to me. I did a report on downy woodpecker foraging activity as an undergrad though. My wife eyeballs big soaring raptors to see if they're eagles or vultures, and below that size they all blend in to her.

My 7 yr old's favorite bird is the Steller's Jay (http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Stellers_jay_-_natures_pics.jpg/800px-Stellers_jay_-_natures_pics.jpg), which is a fine lookin' bird.

Middle finger, no side knuckles to garnish, straight, bare and rude!

Toucans. They look so weird and colorful.

I'm a birder, and I have no faves, per se, but I am definitely partial to ravens and crows. They're so smart and communicative- very, very cool birds. Even though I love warblers and raptors (yeah, weird combo, I know...), ravens and crows never fail to fascinate me.

My fav is not so much a bird as a class of birds. The birds with long, fairly narrow wings, often white or in fairly light colours, like gulls, albatrosses and such.

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/6638/fiskmasan4.jpg

http://afishblog.com/wp-admin/images/albatross.jpg

The sight of a heron in flight is usually magnificent!

http://condaily.com/consworld/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/may0708heron-2.jpg

Among the smaller birds, I'd have to say the blue tit. Cute and smart!

http://www.nh-foto.se/res/Blames/blames.jpg

I'm a birder, and I have no faves, per se, but I am definitely partial to ravens and crows. They're so smart and communicative- very, very cool birds. Even though I love warblers and raptors (yeah, weird combo, I know...), ravens and crows never fail to fascinate me.

always amazes me to see crows chasing raptors. I mean, WTF? The raptor should be able to take a crow or two on no problem. But the crows always seem to chase the raptors off. I find that odd.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/1977-firebird-transam-form.jpg

I've never seen a bird up close that I like more than Bald Eagles. They have this badass character to them.

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/1977-firebird-transam-form.jpg

Damn right friend!

Good call :):thumb:

Pheasant, beautiful and delicious.

http://i402.photobucket.com/albums/pp103/chriscraft27/ring_necked_pheasant_1.jpg

We like American Kestrels

I almost forgot - while I like hummingbirds, I love listening to mockingbirds. Have a few of them nesting around me over in the big dumpy site the railroad is using to dump all their railroad ties and graphiti covered cars.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/images/birds/northern_mockingbird1_small.jpg

I almost forgot - while I like hummingbirds, I love listening to mockingbirds. Have a few of them nesting around me over in the big dumpy site the railroad is using to dump all their railroad ties and graphiti covered cars.

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/images/birds/northern_mockingbird1_small.jpg

badass little critters. When they are defending their nests, it really doesn't matter how big the threat is. Divebomb away.:lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcpClFmOFaA&feature=related

^^^

I get that with the cute little chickadees. Had a couple nesting around my backyard a couple years ago and would constantly dive bomb you. hehe - my Mom ran into the house a few times to get away from them.

Once I am to old to race bikes I am going to take up bird wathcing. I've always loved birds ever since I was a kid. Can't pick a favourite. I have a feeder right outside my window at work that gets a lot of cardinals, downy woodpeckers, red bellied wood peckers, Carolina chickadee etc... Of those I like the wood peckers the most. The Cardinals look beautiful in the snow.

Take a look at my Cardinal shot on the February photo competition vote thread:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=515587

Green Cheek Amazon....Does it count if he owns a cage?

http://www.epic-enabled.com/images/gallery/animals/big/18-Ground-Hornbill.jpg

Ground hornbill. I think it is partly the colour - I like blacks and reds like that. Quite big birds. I remember sitting down at a talk with one walking next to me and shaking it's food in front of me.

http://www.sanparks.org/about/news/2007/best_sightings/dec/hornbill.jpg
Long eyelashes.

:love:

The world's most beautiful bird:

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k317/East_Hill/51905869_051106LewissWoodpecker0862.jpg

East Hill

:love:

The world's most beautiful bird: East Hill


No Maam!

If you live in Carolina, nothing makes you happier than the Carolina Wren. They are almost like family, will nest in your house/porch. Wake you up every morning with "tea kettle, tea kettle."

Carolina Wren (http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Carolina-Wren/detail.aspx)
(listen to the bird song on the bottom left)

Here's a Carolina wren and a morning dove,...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/196/469429013_f7c1ebb800.jpg?v=0

http://grossepointewoods.wbu.com/download/24969

http://www.foodmag.com.au/Uploads/PressReleases/food/Images-20080603/chicken.jpg

I wrote this in June of 2007 over at another site,....

Carolina Wren

There is a Carolina wren nest in my kitchen. Our kitchen is void of any sibilance of a normal kitchen and is essentially an empty shell of a room. All appliances, plates, anything not nailed to the wall was taken by my wife and her repossession/moving company five years ago.

On the highest cabinet sits a tiny wicker basket that was forgotten and thus is our only kitchen possession and our pride and joy. Mama wren chose our little basket for her nest and a few weeks ago gave us the honor of sharing her family. Mornings are a joy filled with feeding, song, and happiness.

Mama wren darts in and out of our house through two back windows that never close. ( a left over habit from the days of George in case he took a notion to come in while we were gone, in storms, or late at night)

Yesterday, we had a breach in terrier security which simply means I decided to put the house on high alert. I closed the windows, locked the house, and left the terriers enjoying a nice hot afternoon napping on the bed.

Thunderstorms and heavy rain ripped through Greenville last night. Trees fell and streets were flooded. I arrived home late last night and immediately realized I had pulled an Opie when I saw the closed windows.

Poor Mama wren; poor babies! A frantic look with the cell phone light revealed that mama was not in the nest. The babies appeared to be so tiny and helpless and it was unseasonably cold after the violent storm. Had mama flown into the glass of the closed window? Sleep comes hard with a guilty conscious.

Outside birds began their singing before dawn. An eerie silence was the only thing coming from the kitchen. Rain had stopped and there was nothing to do but lay in the bed and listen to the happy birds outside our bedroom window.

At dawn, faint peeps came from the kitchen. I contemplated their odds of survival but not for long. I heard a familiar chirp and hugged a sleeping Airwick hoping for the best. The sounds were muted so I couldn't be sure that this was my boisterous happy mama bird. Curiosity finally ate me alive and I walked into the kitchen and was given an evil eye by a very unhappy but relieved Carolina wren.

I fell to sleep listening to the increasingly loud happy song of my birds. Life sometimes gives you a mulligan for your mistakes and our hour power catnap was guilt free. Arizona and I woke before the terriers and listened to what seemed to be a party going on in the kitchen. My wrens are always loud but this sounded like the orchestra section of a Chuck Mangione concert.

I wonder what's up, I said to no one in particular and the dogs walked into the kitchen as I put on my shoes for breakfast. No time, there was a sickening noise that made my heart stop. Shoeless, I raced in to find Airwick carrying one of the baby wrens in his mouth. I snatched the lifeless bird from his teeth and glanced up to see the horrified look from Mama wren sitting on the window ledge.

The nest is now empty. The extra noise and commotion was apparently Mama wren deciding that today was learn to fly day probably in an effort to make sure her children were safe from my stupidity. Mama wren and one of her fortunate children chided me for a moment and then flew off to the safety of the overgrown sanctuary of our backyard.

Now our kitchen is lonely again and seems like just another empty room. Life does give you a mulligan sometimes but it will always remain very short.

I am very sorry mama wren.

(the nest as it was in 2007)
http://www.bikeforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=96493&d=1236043442

True love came with the Lewis's Woodpecker--there will never be a more beautiful bird, nor one which brings greater joy.


No Maam!

If you live in Carolina, nothing makes you happier than the Carolina Wren. They are almost like family, will nest in your house/porch. Wake you up every morning with "tea kettle, tea kettle."

Carolina Wren (http://www.birdsandblooms.com/Carolina-Wren/detail.aspx)
(listen to the bird song on the bottom left)

Here's a Carolina wren and a morning dove,...

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/196/469429013_f7c1ebb800.jpg?v=0

http://grossepointewoods.wbu.com/download/24969

http://www.birdingmaine.com/images/goldfinch_male2.jpg

We have a flock of Goldfinches that live in the trees in our backyard.

:love:

The world's most beautiful bird:

True love came with the Lewis's Woodpecker--there will never be a more beautiful bird, nor one which brings greater joy.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k317/East_Hill/51905869_051106LewissWoodpecker0862.jpg

East Hill


He is beautiful, EH, but I haven't heard the story! Tell me, tell me.....

FreeBird!

He is beautiful, EH, but I haven't heard the story! Tell me, tell me.....

My father was dying of cancer. I had met a very kind, gentle man at work during the time my father was ill. It turned out that we shared a love of birdwatching. When my father died on July 28, 1993, I was devastated.

My friend suggested that we go to a place called Fort Simcoe. Lewis's Woodpeckers were almost guaranteed to be seen there. We both had the same days off, so we went to Fort Simcoe on August 3, 1993.

We did, in fact, see Lewis's Woodpeckers there at Fort Simcoe. Every year since then my friend and I have gone to Fort Simcoe to see the world's most beautiful birds.

My friend has been Mr. East Hill for 15 years now.

:love:

National Bird of Foo

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/willow/quail-info0.gif

My father was dying of cancer. I had met a very kind, gentle man at work during the time my father was ill. It turned out that we shared a love of birdwatching. When my father died on July 28, 1993, I was devastated.

My friend suggested that we go to a place called Fort Simcoe. Lewis's Woodpeckers were almost guaranteed to be seen there. We both had the same days off, so we went to Fort Simcoe on August 3, 1993.

We did, in fact, see Lewis's Woodpeckers there at Fort Simcoe. Every year since then my friend and I have gone to Fort Simcoe to see the world's most beautiful birds.

My friend has been Mr. East Hill for 15 years now.

:love:

Beautiful story, beautiful bird! You're awesome, Mr. East Hill because Margaret is simply the best.

Thanks for sharing that with us East Hill.

chicken. preferably roasted with bbq sauce

apparently numbers of robins are in decline here, but i regularly get several of these visitors hang out in the garden
http://www.birdfood.co.uk/common_images/image_store/14122006111754Robin%20snow%202.JPG

I don't really have a favorite, but I do enjoy watching the redtails, swainsons, kestrels and eagles prowl the fields outside our office everyday. Snapped a shot of this guy/gal perched in a nearby tree a few weeks ago.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/bb256/asrick/baldeagle.jpg

Had some of these visitors a few years back, they were all over for a month or two. Haven't seen any since.

http://jonathananddana.com/danajournal/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/indigobunting431.jpg

Indigo Buntings.

http://www.backyardbirdingblog.com/wp-content/uploads/swallow.jpg

I love this thread

FreeBird!

{waves lighter....and sets off smoke alarm**

http://www.foodmag.com.au/Uploads/PressReleases/food/Images-20080603/chicken.jpg

Ez there animal hater. This is a G rated thread.



I'll vote for the hummingbird.

The sight of a heron in flight is usually magnificent!

http://condaily.com/consworld/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/may0708heron-2.jpg

I love these birds. I see them occasionally on my commute to work and I always marvel at them. Once I had one fly along the river right beside me as I was riding on the MUP. Just another reason I'd hate to give bike commuting.


http://www.birdingmaine.com/images/goldfinch_male2.jpg

We have a flock of Goldfinches that live in the trees in our backyard.
I see quite a few of those (at least I think they're goldfinches) in a field on my way to work in the summer. They are such a lovely color and have cute little voices.

I don't know much about birds, but I really do enjoy seeing them. Riding to work allows me to see all kinds of birds I would never notice if I drove. In fact, just the other day I saw a turkey running through the woods. She looked like a little dinosaur. :D

we used to have a ornithological paradise in our back yard. Wildflowers, hanging feeders, suet cages, water baths etc etc. we loved watching all of the boids that stopped by but I think my favorites were the cardinals. beautiful color, pretty (http://clomedia.ornith.cornell.edu/free/eastern/35.wav) songs (http://clomedia.ornith.cornell.edu/free/eastern/36.wav).

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Cardinal-singing.jpg

also very cute how they usually showed up in mated pairs....the males actually feed the females.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Northern_Cardinal_Pair-27527.jpg

Oh yeah, I love Cardinals, too! Here's a heron I see sometimes:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/lamplightsg/DSCN0309small.jpg

And one I definitely don't see on my commute:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/lamplightsg/154330762XzJeGu_fssmall.jpg

And I thought this was pretty awesome:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v214/lamplightsg/IMG_4273-small.jpg

I love watching ducks! :D