Any fellow bird nerds here?

[KubotaHawg]

I’ve been an outdoorsman all my life but as I get older I guess I have become more observant, and I have always loved birds. I always wanted to know what bird that is making that sound Ive not heard before.

We live on 7 wooded acres and have all kinds of birds nesting around the house but had never heard this one. It has a nest right off the patio in a redbud tree.

An Acadian Flycatcher

 

[Trustable]

Thats awesome! Also, is that a BBQ bird feeder?

 

[jimh406]

We like our birds. I don't think I qualify as a nerd. I might be, but the grandkids keep "borrowing" every bird book I buy. .

I do have approximately 40 Bluebird houses. I can't say I keep a good count and the grandkids keep buying them for me. We have hummingbirds of a few types that like our feeders.

We have several types of birds that use the Bluebird houses including Western Blue Birds, Mountain Blue Birds, House Finches, Tree Swallows, Pine Siskins, Wrens (not sure what kind), House Finches, and occasionally House Sparrows that I try to keep away. One of the Say's Phoebe successfully raised a clutch this year. They nest in our porch roofs that are open,

I've done a bit of property improvement to add more types of grasses and provide a bit more openings in the sagebrush, and we also have American Kestrels, Owls a couple of types, Hungarian Partridges, California Valley Quail, and Redtail Hawks.

Sometimes, we have Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, and a few other hawks that I can't really name.

Fwiw, when we first moved here we only had one Mountain Bluebird pair. It was a big difference adding the bird houses. I get that most people can't add that many houses.

If it isn't obvious, the birds keep flying insects and grass born insects to a minimum.

 

[GrumpyFarmer]

OP, great pics!

I was raised outdoorsmen and conservationist (I say conservationist (science based) as this is different IMO from activist (feeling/emotion based).

from an outdoorsman/conservationist perspective, I would not classify what you described as nerdy, I would say that is appreciation for the natural environment.

Here’s a Q: what kind of bird doesn’t know the words to their own song? (Humming bird)

I think you have a ways to go to achieve nerd status…

You Know You're a Bird Nerd When... (25 Signs You're One of Us) - Your Bird Buddy

There's a moment every bird lover knows — when you realize you've crossed a line. Here are 25 signs you're officially a bird nerd, and why that's one of the best things that can happen to a person.

yourbirdbuddy.com

 

[KubotaHawg]

Thats awesome! Also, is that a BBQ bird feeder?

Yes sir, my son gave me that for Father’s Day last year—he knows how much I love my old Weber kettle grill!

I use the term bird nerd because anyone hears I like birds that’s usually the label I get. I don’t really care, I consider it in tune with my environment.

The Acadian Flycatcher now makes 5 species of flycatchers that are nesting around or on the house: Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood Peewee, Eastern Kingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, and the acadians. Never seen the Great Created around here before this year either.

 

[KubotaHawg]

We like our birds. I don't think I qualify as a nerd. I might be, but the grandkids keep "borrowing" every bird book I buy. .

I do have approximately 40 Bluebird houses. I can't say I keep a good count and the grandkids keep buying them for me. We have hummingbirds of a few types that like our feeders.

We have several types of birds that use the Bluebird houses including Western Blue Birds, Mountain Blue Birds, House Finches, Tree Swallows, Pine Siskins, Wrens (not sure what kind), House Finches, and occasionally House Sparrows that I try to keep away. One of the Say's Phoebe successfully raised a clutch this year. They nest in our porch roofs that are open,

I've done a bit of property improvement to add more types of grasses and provide a bit more openings in the sagebrush, and we also have American Kestrels, Owls a couple of types, Hungarian Partridges, California Valley Quail, and Redtail Hawks.

Sometimes, we have Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, and a few other hawks that I can't really name.

Fwiw, when we first moved here we only had one Mountain Bluebird pair. It was a big difference adding the bird houses. I get that most people can't add that many houses.

If it isn't obvious, the birds keep flying insects and grass born insects to a minimum.

That’s impressive—I have always wanted to keep a bluebird trail but don’t have time to properly monitor and maintain them.
We have several pairs of Eastern Bluebirds that stay around our driveway/utility ROW and I leave all dead trees to fall naturally so that the cavity nesting birds have spots to nest, as well as food sources for the myriad of woodpeckers we have. Same for out at the farm, there are usually 3 pairs that live in the one acre clearing around the cabin.

 

[AndyM]

Guilty - hummers, owls, finches, woodpeckers and many more. Major pastime but no claim beyond a hobby. Have posted quite a few pics on OTT in the past.
Here's a new one - the sunbather...

 

[imnukensc]

Wouldn't call myself a bird nerd, either, but I do have several good bird ID books and keep a word document of all the birds I've seen and am able to identify on my couple acres here in the midlands of SC. Even with the bird books, many of the smaller birds give me a fit trying to identify them. Always have a couple pairs of nesting eastern bluebirds every year. FWIW, this is the first year I've ever seen bluebird eggs that were not blue. They were pink, and yes, they were bluebirds.

 

[Trustable]

Yes sir, my son gave me that for Father’s Day last year—he knows how much I love my old Weber kettle grill!

I use the term bird nerd because anyone hears I like birds that’s usually the label I get. I don’t really care, I consider it in tune with my environment.

The Acadian Flycatcher now makes 5 species of flycatchers that are nesting around or on the house: Eastern Phoebe, Eastern Wood Peewee, Eastern Kingbird, Great Crested Flycatcher, and the acadians. Never seen the Great Created around here before this year either.

I thought it looked like a weber! Funny you posted this today, I saw a bird I have never seen before this morning on top of my feeder - the Eastern Kingbird. My old place was in the woods so it was almost exclusively chickadees, but I haven't seen a single one since moving up here, I think its too open and windy.

I have a Robin nesting right under my deck, as well as finches and bluejays all over the pines and evergreen trees near my house. Have tons of finches up here, I am seeing 10+ on and under the feeder at once. Yellow and house finches. They must really like black sunflower seeds, I bought it specifically for chickadees though. Also have crows and mourning doves hanging around, ive been trying to get the crow used to me but hes pretty skittish.

 

[OntheRidge]

The Merlin app is your friend, ids birds by sound, sight, etc.

 

[Bee-Positive]

x2 for the Merlin App. If you can hear them it will identify them, pretty cool. Took a picture of this Grey Catbird hopping around the dirt pile I was turning over picking bugs and Merlin came right up with it. I posted this picture in the photoshoot previously but here it is again.

 

[ken erickson]

I also use the Merlin app and INaturlist. I like INaturlist to document the species on my land. Easy to keep track of what I have documented with pictures and able to sort and keep a count.

Just a few of the many species that frequent my land.

 

[re54drider]

I wish I had the ability to make photographs of this quality.
I have bluebirds as well as all the central NC locals (cardinals, wrens, bluejays,mockingbirds, thrashers, mourning doves and others) . I also see a pair of painted grosbeaks in the spring, probably on their way to our mountains. Since I feed both suet and seed I get 3 kinds of woodpeckers as well. I have 15 acres and I leave plenty of habitat for all my birds. Having a 3 acre pond I also get egrets, herons, kingfisher and the infrequent bald eagle. I also have at least 2 breeding pairs of ruby throated hummingbirds that manage to make feeding in late summer a real challenge since they all tend to defend "their" feeder.
Bird identification for me I use the Cornell site.

 

[Poohbear]

The Merlin app is your friend, ids birds by sound, sight, etc.

That's a great App and Ive been using for a couple of years now.

 

[Old Machinist]

Also not a nerd but do enjoy our birds. I was just watching one of my video cameras out in the back that a bluebird kept flying back and forth to.

Here is a photo I took of a Mississippi Kite in the top of a Cedar in our front yard.



A Cattle Egret in the back yard.



Another Cattle Egret



One of our Woodpeckers




Hawk

 

[selftot]

When a song sparrow sings, i stop in my tracks and listen - instant trance.
My wife says it looks i hit a critical error and takes a few minutes to reboot.

 

[skeets]

OK OP what kind of bird is it?

 

[Blue2Orange]

+++ for the Merlin app. Not only sound id, but if you snap an image it might identify your bird. Also, the manual mode by inputing the data fields.

Not perfect. Supposedly the Eastern Towhee are "unlikely" in my region. Have been around for a few years. Surround sound Towhee from sunrise to sunset. Northern Goshawk, another supposedly rare bird for this region have been around for decades.

Options are nice for id the rare birds that for whatever reason end up in this region. Most of us probably are packing a phone v. guide book most of the time.

Regarding guidebooks. My oldest is from 1966. One of the "A Golden Field Guide" books from that era published by Western Publishing Co. +50 years of use and still a functional book. My "newest" is a Roger Tory Peterson 50th Anniversary edition from 1980. Also still a functional book. Not sure if modern versions are as field durable. Interesting to see the changes or differences in the maps concerning summer, winter, and breeding ranges.

Do recommend a quality set of binoculars. Many options in the "mid" price range ($500-$1000). Pre-tariffs I made the plunge to upgrade during a sale at my favorite optic shop. Zeiss Conquest HDX 8x32 and Swarovski Curio 7x21. Bit redundant, but each has a niche use. No regrets for the $$$$s spent. Big upgrade from the ancient Jason and Minolta pocket binos. Curio are very light weight. Attached to a Rick Young bino harness they are attached to me on all my walks and hikes. HDX are use around the property and are a more solid build. Similar optical properties.

 

[KubotaHawg]

OK OP what kind of bird is it?

Acadian Flycatcher

@Old Machinist:
Are you sure that’s not a Scissortail Kite?
Edit: Swallow Tail Kite?

We have lots of Mississippi Kites in Arkansas but I thought scissors were a lot whiter and bigger like your picture—saw one once on 98 between Hattiesburg and Mobile driving to the beach. Amazing birds, I know they live in Deep South where you are.

 

[KubotaHawg]

Thanks for the heads up on the song ID on Merlin app. I have the app but didn’t know about that function. Sitting on the patio listening to this little flycatcher right now, I will try it.