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Another brief outing with binoculars yesterday. Major winter storm approaching. Bird behavior seeemed unusual. Chickadees largely silent. Sparrows doing more scratching in snow. Flicker feeding on squirrel drey. 3 red-tailed hawks soaring, lots of vocalizations and hovering but very little diving. Many juncos flittering in and out of trees in synch. No hairy or red-bellied woodpeckers present (usually common). Excess feeding behavior before storm, just a coincidence, or is this behavior just not abnormal?
I have been seeing a type of bird , I've never seen before. They look like a magpie, but are all shiny black. No markings. They have the long tail. , like a magpie, same shaped head and wing profile. I thought the first one I saw was a crow, at first, but they are something else. I've lived here all my life, and never seen anything like them. That have a pretty song, and can mimic like I've never seen before. Far better than a mockingbird.
They will perch quite close. Not afraid of people. I had one hang around here for a couple weeks, and I would feed him/ her bread bits and such, and make noises to hear it mimic. It bugged out a few days ago, and hasn't been back. I have been unable to ID these critters. But, they are way cool, and I hope my buddy comes back.
I have been seeing a type of bird , I've never seen before. They look like a magpie, but are all shiny black. No markings. They have the long tail. , like a magpie, same shaped head and wing profile. I thought the first one I saw was a crow, at first, but they are something else. I've lived here all my life, and never seen anything like them. That have a pretty song, and can mimic like I've never seen before. Far better than a mockingbird.
They will perch quite close. Not afraid of people. I had one hang around here for a couple weeks, and I would feed him/ her bread bits and such, and make noises to hear it mimic. It bugged out a few days ago, and hasn't been back. I have been unable to ID these critters. But, they are way cool, and I hope my buddy comes back.
Hi NVPlumber,
Try googling raven or grackle (especially great tailed). Couple these search terms with 'mimic', I think that these are possibilities but without a picture I couldn't take a good guess (although I am leaning toward the grackle).
Good luck!
Last edited by NJmmadude; 01-30-2015 at 03:50 PM..
I was kayaking in the grass flats of the Gulf of Mexico in a two man kayak, but my two grandsons wanted to go fishing so I rigged a folding stadium seat and off we went. While in about 7 ft of water we noticed an very large mass moving under the kayak. At first glance I thought bull shark or right whale about a ton, but low and behold with our lines up s huge sow manatee surfaces. Suddenly she puts her head on the rim of the boat blowing air from her nostrils . We each took turns massaging her entire head for 10 minutes, then we really bonded as she flipped over obviously wanting her belly and flippers rubbed sort of like a dog or cat! Another ten minutes we were buds for life. My grandboys now 6'2" 200 lbs always remind me of that literally out of body event, that was the highlight of quality time with the kids. It even made up for one lost Mitchel 300 and Ugly Stick after the boys fought over the added chair and as I maneuvered to a new location it got knocked over! Then the older boy practiced tying knots on my new 5 lbs anchor, but as he threw the anchor it the rope became undone and BYE THEN!
Try googling raven or grackle (especially great tailed). Couple these search terms with 'mimic', I think that these are possibilities but without a picture I couldn't take a good guess (although I am leaning toward the grackle).
Good luck!
Definitely not Ravens. We have lots of those. I'll look up Grackle and get back to you.
And I'm back. Yep! That's the critter. A great tailed grackle. Though, the write up didn't mention the mimicking, and it said their song is "raucous and ear splitting", and the ones I've come across have a quite pretty (I think) song. It did mention that they are generally unafraid of people, to the point of being social, which is certainly true.
Last edited by NVplumber; 01-30-2015 at 10:26 PM..
While driving on Saturday, saw a bald eagle perched on a tree next to a river.
Another bird outing on Sunday. Saw a pair of pileated woodpeckers, a male and a female. Watched them take apart tree bark like it was nothing. Awesome birds.
Flickers, hairy, downy, and red-bellied woodpeckers, robins, cardinals, blue jay, titmice, chickadees, nuthatch, song sparrow, some juncos present. Within the flocks were about a dozen bluebirds, very cool. Titmice very vocal now. One territorial woodpecker drumming heard (species not identified). One red tailed hawk.
In field, we found lots of tracks: squirrel, rabbit, bird, lots of coyote. Also found fox tracks along with two locations where it appears that fox dove into the snow after prey.
Saw accipiter flying over field later that evening while driving. Most likely sharp-shinned but may have been small cooper's.
Last edited by NJmmadude; 02-02-2015 at 07:09 AM..
I have a ditch behind my vegetable garden that runs along a railroad track and it usually has 8 or 10 inches of standing water in a pool about 10 feet long. With the colder temps we've been having, I can see air bubbles trapped beneath the ice and also grass clippings. That's the sure tale sign of a muskrat. How those little varmints can swim in icy water and burrow underground without freezing to death is nothing short of amazing. Hopefully he'll leave before spring and I won't have to share my veggies with him.
Another bird outing today. Many of the same birds as the past few weeks, Canada geese, white-throats, titmouse, nuthatch (white breasted), robins, red-bellied/hairy/downy woodpeckers, flickers, robins, cardinals, juncos.
Heard one song sparrow singing, and, like last week, lots of titmouse vocalizations. We did also see one brown creeper, and a pine warbler, which was neat.
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I have been unable to ID these critters. But, they are way cool, and I hope my buddy comes back.