Community Forums

psi500 · 10-30-2017, 06:14 PM

MTSam last spring we went to a state wildlife refuge about an 1 1/2 hrs from the house and the staff estimated about 16,000 sandhill cranes and 25,000 snow geese on the property. It was quite a site. This same refuge have 3 Whooping cranes that hang out there pretty much all year. I love watching cranes.

Reed Cundiff · 11-08-2017, 11:56 AM

Back at our older son's spot in mountains of northern NM. He has 40 acres at 7600' and nearest neighbors are parents-in-law about 1/2 mile and sister-in-law and family about the same. No one else for severall miles. Place is 2 miles from Pecos Wilderness.

Have feeders set up and we are getting: Steller's Jays, Pygmy and White Breasted Nuthatches, Hairy and Down Woodpeckers, Dark-eyed Juncos, Rock Dove, Mourning Dove, Crows and Ravens, and Pine Siskins. A beautiful Abert's Squirrel tried to join the feast but the Jays ran him off. I just counted eight Steller's Jays.

grindstone01 · 11-08-2017, 12:19 PM

We volunteered at Quivira NRW last Oct/Nov and a big part of the job was to drive the 20k acre refuge and count the whooping cranes passing through. I saw 84 total WC of the 120 that passed through along with 10k+ sand hill cranes. Then we spent the winter volunteering in Patagonia, AZ at a Nature Conservancy Preserve known for rare humming birds and many other rare species. This was my into to birding and now I'm hooked.

Reed Cundiff · 11-13-2017, 08:44 AM

Crows have found the feeders. They pull the suet feeders down, open them , and finish them off quickly. They are smart and cooperative. There are 10 out there now feeding off the grain on the ground, where they had knocked the large seed feeder about so that grain spilled

MTSam · 11-16-2017, 08:37 AM

Downey woodpeckers, redpoles, Hawks - everything from red tails to rough legged, even found a Harlan. Bald eagles. East slope of the Rockies, MT

Grindstone01, that sounds like a great intro! Hey Reed! You’ve got a nice selection going there!

Reed Cundiff · 01-08-2018, 07:25 AM

Back on the beach in Yucatan. Had a pair of of Ferruginious PygmyOwls in Coconut Palm by our Roadtrek several mornings ago. Northern Mockingbirds are plentiful. Yellow-throat Warblers are very common

Reed Cundiff · 06-06-2018, 08:58 AM

Back at older son’s place in mountains of northern NM. Crows got tired of getting drabs of food from feeder so they tore it down

We are getting Black-chinned and Briad-tailed Hummers at feeders. They sometimes get into fifth wheel and panic when they cannot get out. The Black-chinned just sit in panic and are easily retrieved by hand. Upon release they generally fly backwards 5 to 10 feet and look at me.

We have a friend who is a Lakota elder and his spirit messenger is the Hummingbird. He said that they will do this backward flight to honor you for helping them and you have the thanks if the entire Hummingbird clan

A Broad-tailed came in last week and kept going to windows and skylights but not the open door. I was able to ensure him(definitely a male) in a towel in a skylight. He grabbed a screen as I was about to release him out the door . So I had to let go and back he went into skylight. Caught him again and asked Elaine if she would photograph. She said he had been terrorized quite enough. I released him and he flew a perfectly straight line to the top of a pine tree 150 feet away. He has enough of me and no formal bow if thanks

Reed and Elaine

Reed Cundiff · 06-17-2018, 08:12 AM

At younger son’s place (set up in backyard) in Fort Collins, CO. There are a lot of lakes in area and Great Blue Herons are seen daily along with the occasional Osprey and Bakd Eagle. Lots of Nuthatches, Chickadees, and Bluejays

ellenbehr · 07-02-2018, 01:13 PM

So glad I found this thread. We're on the Oregon coast and see a lot of gulls and cormorants, various hawks... but I did see a bird in a bush I can't identify* and wonder if someone here might know what it is?

(*I usually can't.... my husband jokes that I've discovered more new birds than anyone else)